Matthews & Co. rock Palace one day early

When the NBA playoffs forced the Dave Matthews Band to move its May 14 concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills up one day, from Friday to Thursday, rumors of the band's reluctance to change the date and complaints about the change from the fans threatened to make the previously sold-out show a less-than-spectacular event.

But Matthews didn't disappoint the thousands who showed up for the Auburn Hills stop of his 1999 summer tour. Performing for nearly three hours, the band made the annoyance of rescheduling very worthwhile.

The opening act, Corey Harris and the 5x5 Band, began the show with a funky Louisiana-style blues performance, heartily endorsed by Matthews himself as Harris entered and exited the stage. Though Harris and his band started slowly, the selections fr

Courtesy of RCA Records Dave Matthews Band might have gotten checked to Thursday, but they still came out on top.

om Harris's new CD, "Greens from the Garden," garnered applause and got the audience on their feet for Matthews' stage entrance at 8 p.m.

Matthews and his band then began their portion of the show in full force, exciting the audience with a performance of "Don't Drink the Water" from their most recent CD, "Before These Crowded Streets." Drummer Carter Beauford quickly won the audience's favor by putting on a Red Wings jersey, an act that sparked yells and chants of "Go Wings!" for several minutes.

But even the periodic updates of the Wings' sorry performance circulating throughout the upper sections couldn't bring down the high emotions of the crowd, who stayed on their feet as the band played selections from "Before These Crowded Streets" and "Crash," a few new songs and random covers.

The only time the mood dampened slightly was when Matthews launched into a couple of long acoustic interludes, more appropriate for a small club than for the mobs at the Palace. It was clear that Matthews would rather have been performing a smaller, more laid-back show that night, as he made a point to insert the slow acoustic tangents into his performance despite the audience's clear desire for more powerful, dance-able numbers. Some of the slower radio songs, however, such as "Crash Into Me," were a hit with the crowds, who combined the use of cigarette lighters with the set lights to make the entire arena sparkle.

Despite the occasional sleep-inducing interludes, the band's Thursday night show was a success because of the variety of material. As he was not promoting a single new release, Matthews was able to pick and choose selections at random, and both older songs and brand-new selections were featured. The encore, a Jimi Hendrix cover, had the audience on their feet for the show's close.

05-17-99