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| 04-04-2003 | Previous edition: 04-03-2003 |
        
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Printer-friendly version Matthews enthralls Elliott crowd
Assistant Features Editor "Mmm…this guitar smells good," said Dave Matthews after a stagehand swapped one of his instruments for another. "I'm gonna eat this guitar," he said. A cheerful, chatty and sometimes downright goofy Matthews, joined by Tim Reynolds, played to an every-seat-full crowd Thursday night in the Elliott Hall of Music. Draped white sheets reflecting laser lights of all the colors of the rainbow set the backdrop of the stage, which was occupied only by a couple of stools, two microphones and a lamp. Matthews, seated on his stool with one foot propped up on the bottom rail, held his guitar propped against his leg. He lazily lifted his stainless steel coffee mug, took a slow drink and then gave the crowd a menacing smile as he put it down. "It's good to be here," he said as he began strumming his guitar. Reynolds, standing slightly behind Matthews, joined in. The duo launched into a performance of "Pay for What You Get," and the crowd cheered, whistled and yelled. But only for a moment, before settling down to listen. There was a clear air of respect for the musicians from the crowd throughout the entire three-hour show. When Matthews set foot on the stage, the crowd jumped out of their seats and screamed at the top of their lungs, waving their fists in the air. But before Matthews could play one note, the entire crowd was seated and quiet. Most members of the audience were bobbing their heads and singing, but very lowly, creating nothing more than a soft echo of Matthew's lyrics. Matthews and Reynolds seemed to appreciate the crowd's courteous behavior and responded with several sessions of improvisation among their songs. Among the songs that Matthews chose to play — "I play whatever I want," he said — was "Bartender," the opening song, followed by others such as "Grave Digger," "Crush," "Busted Stuff" and "Tripping Billies." When the duo played "Everyday," the crowd filled in Matthew's lyrics for him by singing the words "Come dance with me" to the beat of the music as Matthews sang over the crowd's melody. "I have this foolish belief in my head," said Matthews while playing the song, "that one day the world will be more full of peace than hate. I'm just a fool, but I hope so." The crowd responded with a roar of applause. Though Matthews spent much of the night telling stories and rambling about things like monkeys in trees or playing with a toy doll of Jerry Garcia, he only got serious about one thing — the war. Before Matthews began the song, "Grace is Gone," he dedicated it to the men and women serving America in Iraq. Matthews described a picture he had seen recently of a wounded woman, sitting by a bridge, who was terrified. "And there were three men brave young soldiers walking toward her who were also terrified because they don't know what could happen to them. War is insanity," he said. Matthews said he felt profoundly in his heart for those involved in the war, and that he hopes they return home soon. "This song goes out to all those people who aren't at home," he said as he began the song. Gwen Knapp, a Purdue alumna who graduated in 1999, returned to campus from graduate school at Texas A & M to attend her 47th Dave Matthews concert. "I saw him for my first time here, so I wanted to come back," she said. Ryan Clayton, a freshman in the Schools of Engineering, "about died" when Matthews played his favorite song, "Tripping Billies." "Words can't express what I'm feeling right now," he said. "It was amazing." Printer-friendly version |
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