Joy Ride
The drive to The Gorge started at 2pm, but the excitement started much earlier. I had seen the Dave Matthews Band play a few times before (twice at Portland Meadows and once at The Gorge) but it had been at least 4 years since the last concert. Two days prior to the concert Ryan and I had planned out a timeline for driving and stops for food. We figured we wanted to get there around 5:30.
The drive from Seattle to The Gorge is not terribly exciting in and of itself. After you get over the pass, the scenery is mostly flat land. Fortunately there was a fair amount of entertaining conversation during the drive; nothing too memorable, just silly stuff to keep me smiling. During the quiet moments in between, those stare-out-the-window moments, I remember thinking about how simple everything looked. I love living in the city and checking my RSS feeds every 15 minutes, but there is something appealing about the simple farmer life I’m envisioning which I’m sure is mostly a complete fantasy.
After stopping for some ice cream at Dairy Queen and skipping our planned stop in Ellensburg for dinner we were getting close to The Gorge. Crossing the Columbia River reveals an amazing view. The contrast between the river and bone dry, desert-like land surrounding it was rather appealing.
Once we arrived at The Gorge parking was rather easy. Tons of people were there directing cars and the process went smoothly.
Ryan, Ash, and I had an interesting conversation about their “no camera” policy while waiting for Jamie to go back to the car and put away her camera. We all agreed that the cameras on our phones were not up for taking photos during the concert but that one day technology would make them suitable for the job. The question was then what do the concert promoters do? As a group we ruled out the possibility of banning cell phones pretty quickly, but other than that or just allowing photography I don’t see promoters having many options. I suppose they will just deal with it when it happens.
The Gorge Atmosphere summary:
- Everyone is drunk, stoned, or both
- I’m impressed by the age range of the concert goers although the majority of people seem like they are in high school
- The Columbia River during sunset makes for a spectacular view/background
- Food and drinks are expensive
The show was amazing as usual. I particularly enjoy when songs last 10+ minutes and are filled with free-flowing jams from every member of the band. I’m always impressed by how they can jam for what feels like forever but still have it feel like part of the same song.
For me, the real highlights of the show were watching Boyd Tinsley tear it up, watching Carter Beauford’s unbelievable hand speed while drumming, and an all too brief bass heavy section of You Might Die Trying where Stefan Lessard and Carter reminded me of why traditional instruments are still cool.
After what seemed like forever the band came back on for a two song encore. They started with Old Dirt Hill off the new CD and finished with Two Step. We quickly headed towards the car hoping to avoid the after concert traffic. A late night dinner at McDonalds and 2.5 hours of driving later we were back in Seattle by 2:15 AM. Needless to say, I crashed within about ten minutes.
August 22nd, 2005 at 8:39 pm
Yes, well said Kevin. Much better said that what I splashed my blog with
I’d agree the show was really great. Oh, also, remember how I said I owned all the DMB CDs? Well, I was wrong, there are 3 live ones that I don’t have. Looks like it’s time to get cracking, I seem to be slipping when it comes to their CD releases.
August 22nd, 2005 at 9:09 pm
YES!
That’s all I have to say.
August 25th, 2005 at 7:57 am
Sounds like tons of fun! I’ve actually never been to a live concert!