The weekend that was Part 1 of 3

This last weekend was one of the best weekends ever. Friday night was the Dave Matthews Band. Saturday was tailgating and the I-State vs. Army football game. Sunday I was at the Vikings vs. 49ers game in Minneapolis (maybe the best finish I have seen in person).

First up Friday night with DMB recap.

Jamie Lou and I made a night of it with Russ and Shannon. And what a full night it was (coulda been more fuller, but the Doners had to leave at 6AM the next morning for South Dakota but I'll leave that for them to blog on if they so choose). The picked us up right around 5:15 and we headed downtown.

Originally we thought of going to the Star Bar to eat then go to the show, but with Jamie Lou and Cas' Britney experience with the Star Bar (missed part of the opening act as service was S-L-O-W) being closer to downtown and the show just made more sense. So then the thought was to go to the Court Avenue Brew Company to eat and drink, walk to Principal Park, and then head home.

The girls drove and dumped me and Russ out in front of the CABCO and we walked in while they parked. Well it was shoulder to shoulder in the lobby. It was at this point Russ says, I think Wicked is opening at the civic center tonight too. I tell him to wait there and I would check out the Royal Mile. The RM was also standing room only, but only three doors down there was a little Italian Sandwich store open with only a cop in it. The Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches smelled so good that unsolicited the cop said to us (Russ had given up on the CAB by then and found me) "best sandwich in Des Moines, and they don't even serve donuts here." I said funny donut joke. So we waited for the girls. They were finally able to park at like 6th and MLK in some industrial parking lot and wander over and find us.

Well it was a little warm in the store and it didn't appear that there was any booze at the eating place Russ and I found so the girls went across the street to a dive bar. The called us and said there were 4 seats left, so Russ and I left our new Italian friend and headed across the street. The restaurant was called... uummm I have no idea but it had GREAT cavatelli and cold beer so I was happy.

After eating we wandered down to Principal Park where the Robert Randolph Family Band has already begun. The set up wasn't what I had expected (once long ago I saw the beach boys do a show at the ballpark and I thought I remembered then being right on the infield). the Stage was set up all the way back against the center field fence and other than the grass on the infield and maybe the grass in the people's pockets in GA, the grass was decked over for people to walk on and not ruin the field. Our seats were first row on the first base line, great seats. Would have been really good if the two jack asses behind us would have shut up even for five minutes during the first hour of the concert. Really, why would someone pay that much money to sit and talk the entire time?

My favorites from the show were "I got a Woman" "Crash into Me" and the cover of Talking Heads' "Burining Down the House". I would be remiss if I didn't say that "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" live by Robert Randolph was FANTASTIC!. I will say this, being sober (Thanks 8 dollar beer night at the ball bark) Jam bands can get a little "Jammie". But man was it ever a good show.

Set list from the show:
1 Don't Drink the Water
2 So Damn Lucky
3 Seven
4 Funny the Way It Is
5 Shake Me Like a Monkey
6 You Might Die Trying
7 Stay or Leave
8 Why I Am
9 Lying in the Hands of God 10:17
10 Crash Into Me »
11 Crush 14:59
12 Alligator Pie
13 I Got a Woman [partial] with Robert Randolph
14 Rhyme & Reason 8:27 with Robert Randolph
15 Burning Down the House
16 You & Me
17 So Much to Say »
Anyone Seen the Bridge »
Too Much [fake] »
18 Ants Marching Closing
19 Baby Blue Encore1
20 Blue Water [partial] » E2
21 The Maker 7:50 E3
Pantala Naga Pampa »
22 Rapunzel E4