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WNTI Concert Memories: The Dave Matthews Band Live at Citi Field in New York City, July 17, 2010 WNTI's Johnny D looks back at DMB's Summer 2010 Citi Field show by Johnny D In the music world, there are very few artists and bands that can sell out an entire stadium for a concert. The Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, The Police, just to name a few. But there is one band that has done so multiple times the last few years, The Dave Matthews Band.

In July of 2010 the band performed a multi night stay at one of the country's newest ballparks, Citi Field. Citi Field is the new home of the New York Mets, having left their former home, Shea Stadium in 2008. Only one other artist has performed at the field, Paul McCartney did so in 2008.

I had the opportunity to see the band perform on July 17th. This would be my first DMB show ever. For others in the audience of 50,000 plus, this was either their 5th or their 30th time seeing the band in concert. The band has had a loyal following since the early 1990's, from their days performing in the Southeastern part of the United States.

The concert has since been released as an album entitled "Live in New York City." I will give out more details on the album at the end of the review.

My friend Carrie and I decided that car travel was out of the question going to Citi Field from Morris County, NJ. After a bus ride to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, we stepped onto the 7 train for our ride to Cit Field. As you pull into the station, you see the main entrance of Citi Field; it was an amazing site to see.

Since we arrived an hour before the gates opened, so we decided to walk around the parking lot. It was like going to a football game. Everybody was outside of their vehicles, playing some great tunes. Some even brought along their portable grills, cooking everything from burgers to pork shoulders. Carrie and I watched as the fans played games, talked with others about their DMB concert experiences, and just having a great old time.

At five pm, the gates opened at Citi Field. Carrie and I walked in and found are seats, or one seat. It turned out that we were in the last top row of the field level seats. A staff member saw this and immediately set up a folding chair next to Carrie (with a cup holder for my drink). We had a great view of the stage and the large crowd that was gathering in front of us.

Seven pm came around and Dave Matthews came onto the stage, to the surprise of all of us. He thanked everyone for coming out the show and introduced the Zac Brown Band to everyone. This was the first time I had ever heard of the band, but Carrie heard of them since she is a huge country music fan. The band was great, combining country music with a little of that jam band sound.

By 8:45pm, the crowd was started to sense that the band would be coming up soon. All of a sudden, the lights all around Citi Field went out along with the scoreboard. The band then walked on to the lighted stage to the cheers of the thousands of people inside Citi Field.

Dave Matthews plugged in his acoustic guitar and started playing the intro to "The Stone," a song that appeared on the bands 1998 release, "Before These Crowded Streets." Soon violinist Boyd Tinsley joined in, along with special guests Jeff Coffin on saxophone, and Rashawn Ross on the trumpet. Tim Reynolds had also joined the band as a guest guitarist.

From the start, the crowd was into it. During "The Stone", Jeff Coffin started playing some chords from Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You." The audience picked up on it and started singing along. I could tell that the band loved it.

The Dave Matthews Band's set list from that night featured several selections from their latest studio album "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King," along with fan favorites. The three songs I really enjoyed were Crash into Me, Stay, and All Along the Watchtower. That was the song the band ended the show with, much to the delight of the audience.

After the concert ended, Carrie and I made our way to the 7 train to begin the long journey back to New Jersey. But there would be one more surprise. All of a sudden, an NYPD cruiser comes down the road with its lights and sirens on, followed by a caravan of tour buses. It was the Dave Matthews Band. They would go past us, waving to the crowd. Turns out they were heading up to their next performance, and were given a police escort by the New York Police Department. After seeing the band again, we began our journey back to the garden state.

To sum up my Dave Matthews Band concert experience in one word, that word would be "Awesome!!" It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. I can't wait till the band starts to tour again in 2011, maybe they can play in the New Meadowlands Stadium. I can only dream.

The concert I attended is now available as a 2CD set entitled "Live in New York City." More information can be found here