Ryan Prins' Blog

Last night Jamie, Kevin, Ash, and myself made the trek to Central Washington to see the Dave Matthews Band preform at the Gorge Amphitheatre. I had never been to the Gorge before to see a concert and in addition to that, the last time I saw DMB was when I was a Junior/Senior (I can’t remember which) in high school. But, needless to say, I am huge fan of the band. I think I own all of the CDs and DVDs that they’ve put out. So, ya, I’m addicted to this group and seeing them live is always a treat.

The day started out by leaving Seattle at 2pm and making our way to the venue. Of course we needed some driving music and what better to foot the bill than the Gorge CDs that were released earlier this year. The drive actually seemed to take a lot less time than I thought it would. We even stopped part way so that we could get some ice cream at Diary Queen. We sure needed this cool down as the temperatures were reaching the mid 90s as we drove further east.

Once we reached the venue, we found a great spot in the grass and just hung out in the heat until the show started. One thing, if I go to the Gorge again, would be to get there early and then to eat out of the back of your car before you enter the venue. Ya know, kind of hang out and fill up before you get settled before the show begins. Save some money from the expensive food that lies within the gates.

When Dave took the stage it seemed like I was listening to one of their many live CDs that they’ve released. Not that is a bad thing, but it was pretty strange to be standing there be thinking, “this sounds so familiar.” Regardless, the show was really good. I don’t think that Dave puts on a bad show. From all of the ones that I’ve listened to or seen they are all really good shows. But, it was nice to see them play some of the new tracks off of their new CD live. A couple of the tracks I didn’t care for live, but on the other hand some were really great live.

After the concert was over, we make our way back to Seattle. It was clear sailing the entire way back and once we left Ellensburg, we needed some dinner, I turned on the cruise control and left it on until we got to Seattle. Once I hit my bed at 2:30am I was knocked out cold and the 12 hour concert excursion was a success.

Overall, the entire experience was great. The Gorge is a great venue to see a show. You get to watch the sun set and see the moon rise all while watching the show. Plus, the backdrop to the venue is really awesome. It just adds to the ambiance of the whole experience. Plus, the concert was great. The next thing that would be great is if they released this weekend at the Gorge on CDs. That would be cool. I guess only time will tell.

Related Items

• DMB at the Gorge Flickr Photoset