Dave Matthews Band Caravan Rolls into Chicago

At the dawn of 2010’s concert season, the Dave Matthews Band posted an announcement to its website: The veteran group would not be touring in 2011.

So when spring – a season already jam packed with music festivals – arrived this year in Chicago, no one expected DMB to throw together a extravaganza of their own, but here they are.

The event, appropriately named the Dave Matthews Band Caravan, is a four-stop and nearly 40-band summer music festival built around Matthews’ nightly performances and adult-contemporary musical vibe.

Chicago marks the caravan’s second stop, and will take place at Lakeside, the new name for the 600-acre site of the defunct U.S. Steel Southworks. From Friday through Sunday DMB, along with hand-picked bands such as O.A.R., Ray LaMontagne, Drive-By Truckers, Ben Folds, David Gray, and the Flaming Lips will perform their talents on one of three stages spread throughout the massive venue.

While the tour’s first stop in Atlantic City in June drew an estimated 70,000 fans on each of its three days, Jerry Mickleson, cofounder of Chicago-based concert promoter Jam Productions, says he expects the Chi-Town show to bring in close to a total of 240,000 attendees.

From Chicago, the caravan will make its way over to New York where it will perform on Governors Island from August 26-28 and finally will wrap-up in George, WA on September 2-4.

For more information on the Dave Matthews Band Caravan including full lineups and set lists, head over to the official site.

via ChicagoTribune