Dave Matthews Band Announces Summer 2016 Tour

The Dave Matthews Band announced on their website on Monday that they will be doing a 25-year anniversary tour this summer. It begins in Wichita, KS on May 11 and ends in the Gorge Amphitheater in George, WA on Labor Day Weekend. They will play a total of 46 nights in 37 cities. The announcement also states that the band will not be touring in 2017. Members of Dave Matthews Band fan club, Warehouse, can buy tickets starting Tuesday at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 19.

Rolling Stone reports that each night of the Dave Matthews Band summer tour will include two full sets. They have done a summer tour every year for the last 24 years, with the exception of 2011, which they took off to celebrate their 20th anniversary and to rest.

In December, PR Newswire reported that Dave Matthews Band will also be part of a weekend full of music leading up to Super Bowl 50. Three nights of concerts will take place on Pier 70 in San Francisco. Dave Matthews Band will be featured on the night of February 4.

Dave Matthews Band began when Dave was working as a bartender in a place called Miller’s Bar in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1990, a friend convinced him to record some of his songs in an attempt to recruit some band members. That led to Matthews meeting drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Bassist Stefan Lessard joined the group when he was only 15-years-old on the recommendation of a mutual friend of Beauford and Moore.

They began practicing regularly in the home of Carter Beauford and the home of Dave Matthews’ mother. Another bartender at Miller’s, Peter Griesar, let the band practice in the bar while they were closed for inventory. One night, he joined them on harmonica and eventually became their first keyboardist. Boyd Tinsley was the last to join the group. He was a friend of Moore and was asked to play the fiddle on a song titled Tripping Billies. Matthews says Boyd and his music just clicked well with the group and he became an official member in 1992. His violin solos are now well-known among fans. He and Matthews sometimes duel each other during live shows.

Today’s Dave Matthew’s Band members include Dave Matthews (49), Carter Beauford (58), Steffan Lessard (41), Jeff Coffin (50), Boyd Tinsley (51), Tim Reynolds (58), and Rashawn Ross (37).

Dave Matthews Band has released nine studio albums: Remember Two Things(1993), Under the Table and Dreaming(1994), Crash (1996), Before These Crowded Streets(1998), Everyday (2001), Busted Stuff (2002), Stand Up (2005), Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King(2009), and Away from the World(2012).

Dave Matthews Band also has a charity named BAMA works. According to their website, the fund has raised over $40 million and made over 1,200 grants since its inception. The program supports charitable programs for disadvantaged youth, disabled persons, the environment, arts and humanities in and around Charlottesville, and has responded to both national and international needs.

Dave Matthews Band has received 27 award nominations and has won seven awards. Nominations include three American Music Awards, 14 Grammys, six MTV Music Video Awards, four My VH1 Music Awards, and one NAACP Image Award. They’ve won at least one award from each organization, with the exception of the MTV Music Video Award and the American Music Award.

The Dave Matthews Band 2016 Summer Tour begins on May 11 in Wichita, Kansas. Tickets will be available to the general public beginning February 19. It will include 25 states, and 37 cities in 46 days. The band has announced that they will take a hiatus in 2017. Details about the band and their 2016 Summer Tour, including cities and dates, can be found on the Dave Matthews Band web site.

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