A classic take on “The Last Stop”

Dave Matthews Band closed its 2010 World Tour this past weekend with two hometown shows at Charlottesville, VA’s John Paul Jones Arena. The extensive tour was the band’s last until 2012. The two-night run boasted over 40 songs with no repeats, including the first takes on “Spoon” and “Long Black Vail” since 2008 (the band regularly busted out material throughout its tour in anticipation of its hiatus). In addition, the members of Dave Matthews invited several longtime friends onstage during their hometown shows: Guitarist Joe Lawler sat in on “#41” Friday night and “Rhyme & Reason” Saturday night, while onetime DMB arranger John D’ Earth played trumpet on “Warehouse” and “Jimi Thing” Friday night.

The group brought Saturday’s encore to a close with an appropriate version of “The Last Stop.” After the song, the members of the band started to leave the stage but returned for a playful series of teases and jams that morphed into a show-closing “Ants Marching.”

The group’s road crew reflects:

We finish our tour in Charlottesville, just a mile or so from where this all started almost 20 years ago, but it is most certainly not the end of the story. After 89 shows this year we are all ready for some time at home, though it’s easy to sense the sorrow amongst everyone out here, sad over the chance that we won’t see each other for a while. However, it is clear that we have much more to accomplish together. Using the last two songs from tonight’s set as a metaphor, we were all pretty sure that The Last Stop was going to be the last song of the year. It seemed as though there wasn’t a dry eye in the first few rows. The band finished the tune and started to leave the stage when they all spontaneously seemed to get the notion to play another. The show turned into a party as they busted into the Bridge jam and then into Ants Marching. A perfect ending. We hope to see y’all before long. Be safe…

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue opened both shows and invited out DMB touring members Jeff Coffin and Rashawn Ross for “I Got the Feelin’” Saturday night. Trombone Shorty himself also sat in with Dave Matthews Band for “Jimi Thing” Friday night and “Corn Bread” Saturday night.