Just wanted to share some pics/video from Dave Matthews Band Caravan, as well as our adventures in Chicago! The caravan was great - the atmosphere was very edgy and dirty and a lot of fun...I made quite a few "friends" that I probably wouldn't have made anywhere else!
The first day was definitely the best, music-wise: Amos Lee was fantastic! It was so mellow and I stood close enough to the stage to see him really well, and there weren't a lot of drunken college kids stumbling around.
Here's Amos Lee on the screen on the right hand side.
Toward the end of his set, he brought out this guy whose name I didn't catch. He just sang this really funny song about how hot it was outside and how he wanted to shower with his lover and then threw mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner into the audience. Again, not really sure who he was or where he came from, but he was hilarious.
Next I caught Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Performance? Pretty good! The audience that he draws in? Super sketchy. Definitely not my favorite.
I did record a smidge of the live version of "Home." If you haven't heard the original, check it out here.
Then came Ray LaMontagne, who was both extremely loud, but really great. I always think it's so funny to see what kind of people come to hear which artists. Ray's audience was definitely extra chilled-out, so chill that it almost seemed like they didn't care - until, that is, he started singing "Trouble" and then they all freaked out.
Super blurry, yes, but there's Ray on the screen. Every time I tried to take a picture or video of him, my phone completely shut down, so apparently it has some sort of aversion to his music.
After a nice break, I came back for the main event: DAVE MATTHEWS! I was so in awe of the whole performance that I really didn't take any pictures or videos, I just stood and danced and loved my life. It was a great experience overall, and for once, I felt like everyone was there just to be in the moment and have a great time dancing and singing - no one was judging, no one cared if you could dance or you couldn't, no one even cared if you were dirty and grimy and smelly from the day. Everyone just loved the experience.
Some of my favorites of that first night:
(this is actually a video someone else took of the Chicago concert that night)
So that was day one. Day two was a little different. Because it is so hard to get into the concert site (it's in Southside Chicago, which, if you didn't know, is an extremely dangerous part of Chicago and not one that you should spend a lot of time wandering around in), I skipped day two. I know, I know, I could've seen Ben Folds live (!!!) and another fabulous show by Dave, but I knew I had Sunday to look forward to, and frankly, I was exhausted from Friday.
So instead...we went to Navy Pier!
Mom took these pictures of the ferris wheel that we rode on - this is looking up!
A view of Navy Pier
And a view of the lake!
We had such a fun time, and it was nice to take a break and see some Chicago sites before heading back to the DMB Caravan site on Sunday!
I went back on the 10th so excited to see Michael Franti & Spearhead perform. I had been anticipating it since I'd seen the lineup, and I couldn't wait to get there. And they were great, musically. Michael Franti has a really strong voice and a great presence. But the thing that made it less than perfect was the location, I think. I walked away a little disappointed and it took me a while to figure out why: he is such a Caribbean, beachy crooner, that to put him on stage on a big gray stage in front of an audience sitting on woodchips kind of ruins the magic of his music. Nevertheless though, I loved him. I want to see him perform in California or something, though. I feel like he's incredible when the location matches the genre.
Here's him performing - he's the one in the white hat with his arms outstretched. All he really wanted us to do was jump and sing with him.
I also got a video of one of my favorite songs of his: "Sound of Sunshine." But then I really wanted to dance and groove, so I shut the camera off about a minute in.
After Michael, I went and found a place to sit for DMB, and I ended up meeting some really nice people in their early 30s from Ohio/Florida - they were brothers and sisters. One of them was a real purist, had been listening to Dave for over 15 years and had been to 60+ shows. He was excited to hear that this was my first! They made it a really great experience and it was a nice end to the event.
Here's a view of the Caravan site. The sun was just starting to go down, and it cast a really great shadow of everything.
There's Dave on the screen! Just ignore the weird people I was standing behind.
Once it got really dark, the lights cast a gorgeous hue over everyone. The second photo gives you an idea of just how many people were there. Not only were there this many in front of me, but they extended behind me a good 30-40 yards, and there were just as many on either side of the stage.
Here's a final view of the Caravan site. Obviously it was much bigger than this, but this gives a little context. Beyond the ferris wheel was one of the minor stages (Lakeside) and to the right was the Slip stage, where Michael Franti played. Way far over to the right was the major stage (Southworks), where I saw Amos, Ray, Edward Sharpe, and Dave every night.
It was such a great experience, and I'm so grateful that my parents made it possible for me to go by providing housing and transportation (not just to Chicago, but all over Southside Chicago too) for free. I love you guys!
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