It’s difficult to believe, but it’s been more than a decade since Dave Matthews Band last played Las Vegas. A February 28 gig at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan will mark the group’s first performance here since a May 9, 2009 show at MGM Grand Garden Arena, so let’s catch up on what DMB has been up to during the interim …
Recordings
Less than a month after that 2009 Vegas gig, the band released the Grammy-nominated Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, a confident album encompassing proggy jazz, horn-peppered classic rock and blues-boogie. Three years later, DMB teamed up with producer Steve Lillywhite for the first time since 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets. The result was 2012’s sophisticated and subdued Away From the World, a record that took a more intimate spin on the band’s eclectic folk sound. Six years later, DMB took an even more diverse approach with Come Tomorrow. Songs spanned soul, funk and even U2-like anthemic rock, all of which emphasized the album’s sincere tone.
Touring & Festivals
Despite DMB’s Vegas absence, the band has maintained its typically packed road schedule with occasional festival gigs (Hangout Music Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival), Tim Reynolds and Dave Matthews solo jaunts and unique concert twists thrown in for variety. In 2011, instead of embarking on an extensive traveling tour, the group celebrated its 20th anniversary by booking what it called the Dave Matthews Caravan: one-off, three-day festivals in four cities featuring a trio of full DMB sets and a packed schedule of additional artists. Three years later, the band’s summer tour consisted of an “evening with” format that included an acoustic and electric set.
Lineup Changes
The last time Dave Matthews Band played Vegas, it was less than a year removed from the death of co-founder and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, due to complications from an ATV accident. (The “GrooGrux King” refers to a Moore nickname.) The rest of the band’s lineup has remained mostly stable. Keyboardist Buddy Strong started playing with DMB in 2018, and the same year, the band parted ways with violinist Boyd Tinsley in the wake of a sexual misconduct allegation. (Tinsley settled the sexual harassment lawsuit in 2019.)
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
In 2019, Dave Matthews Band received its first Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination. Despite a competitive class that included such nominees as Soundgarden, Pat Benatar, and Nine Inch Nails, the group handily won the fan vote by earning more than 1 million votes. But for the first time in seven years, the Rock Hall didn’t select its popular vote-winning artist among its incoming class, angering DMB’s legion of hardcore fans. The band remained its usual classy self, however, sending out an email newsletter thanking listeners for their unwavering support and congratulating the inductees.
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND February 28, 8 p.m., $99+. The Chelsea, 702-698-7475.
