By Tim Van Schmidt

When opening act Robert Randolph and the Family Band took the stage early in the evening at the Pepsi Center last night, Dave Matthews evidently wanted to make sure that early arrivals to the show knew who the opener was- because he personally came on stage with the band to introduce them. Then, at the end of Matthews’ set, he brought Randolph on stage to join the band in a dynamic, roaring version of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” Matthews wearing Randolph’s hat and hugging him with affection. Such was the obvious respect that Matthews held for Randolph and company. During his own set and his guest spot in Matthews’ set, Randolph returned that respect by doing what he does best- digging vigorously into that pedal steel guitar like no one else does.

That “All Along the Watchtower” was dynamic- starting from an acoustic simmer and building to an electric roar- shouldn’t be a surprise because the Matthews Band had been playing with dynamics all night long. Matthews’ show started deep and low and built slowly throughout the evening. Not your average pop songs, often the tunes would adopt a groove and then work it in extended arrangements that included plenty of time for instrumental exploration. By the time they got to “Watchtower,” it was time to open all the stops and let it rip. “The wind began to howl” indeed. The set list also included the beautiful and sturdy “Satellite,” an early set highlight, as well as “Crash into Me,” “Dream Girl,” “Everyday” and new tunes such as “I Do It For You.”

But more than dynamics, one of the distinctive things about the Dave Matthews Band is the creative instrumentation that makes up the group. Notably, there is no lead guitar, with Matthews on vocals and acoustic guitar, then adding violin, two horns, keyboards, drums and bass. That has lead to some creative arranging and some rich musical texturing. Some of the most exciting moments in the show were when violinist Boyd Tinsley was featured- now when was the last time you saw thousands of pop music fans going nuts over a violin solo? Drummer Carter Beauford also stood out as the driving force behind the arena-ready Matthews Band, his mighty drumming pretty much keeping everything anchored while the other instruments flew around the arrangements.

Because the Matthews Band is so good at both dynamics and texture, it probably should be said that the Pepsi Center is not really the best place to see the group. At least the seats I had up in the third tier were terrible. From there, the sound was abysmal- you could not make out one word of any of Matthews song introductions and the music mix was thick, muddy and unflattering to what the musicians were doing on stage- and the huge banks of speakers hanging above the stage blocked out most of the video screens. It wasn’t until my friend and I had decided to make our way to the exit, that I got a better view. Along the way, we checked into the show at various portals around the arena. From straight back from the stage, you could see what the upper tier seats failed to reveal- the colorful splendor of the staging. By the time the Matthews Band hit the climax of the encore, “Ants Marching,” I was standing at a portal just above the stage. It sounded great there, the band seemed completely synched into the upbeat groove as was the crowd that was hopping, dancing, leaping into the air and generally celebrating the good vibes.

Last night was particularly interesting to me because I had seen the Dave Matthews Band just around the time “Under the Table and Dreaming” had been released- as an opening band for Big Head Todd and the Monsters at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. Then, they were a fresh, new band with an unusual sound- and coming on strong. Now, it could be said that the band is at a commercial pinnacle, selling out this first show and playing a second one tonight. This success necessarily has turned the group’s fresh, dynamic music into something that must also somehow be big enough and majestic enough to entertain 18,000 fans or so at a time. I got the sense that the big time, however beneficial it may be to their pocketbooks, does not do the Matthews Band’s music much justice and, strange to say, experiencing the band live might be a better time overall if they just weren’t so popular.

But what a problem, being too popular. Often during the show, the crowd’s exuberance matched the music in its intensity, and even overpowered it at times, the audience belting out the words to each song with abandon. If they weren’t singing, they were cheering and I think based on noise level alone, this must have been the biggest, most gregarious party in the state last night. That’s what Matthews had to deal with when he took the stage alone to begin the encore segment- playing a solo acoustic version of “Sister.” He said, “This is a quiet song, so if you’ll just bear with me…but its short, so it’ll be over soon,” and some hush came over the room. But in the end, what the crowd came for was the full on triumph of “Ants Marching,” not a look deep within.