For the Love of Dave
BONUS post: The patron saint of summer at SPAC returns this weekend—here's a look back at past highlights.
It’s that time of year, Saratoga. Not only does this week mark the opening of Saratoga Race Course, but it’s also the Dave Matthews Band’s annual two-night run at SPAC. In other words, brace for impact.
“For any Saratogian who’s never been to SPAC to see DMB, it’s unlike any other show that Live Nation puts on there,” my former coworker Will Levith wrote in Saratoga Living’s Summer 2020 cover story on the Spa City’s favorite band—a must-read for any Dave fan that includes past highlights and personal memories. “It’s simply an electrifying experience, one that’s hard to put into words. It’s as though the whole city is there, listening, hanging on Matthews’ every word.”
Even if you haven’t been to Dave before (guilty), you can surely appreciate the allure. As I emphasized in last week’s paid SLAH post, there’s just something about the spectacle of a Live Nation concert at SPAC: the grand amphitheater, the sweeping lawn, the unparalleled people-watching, the overpriced strawberry lemonade vodkas. Add in the slightly unhealthy fervor of 25,000 Dave fanatics—some of whom have 30-plus shows under their belts—and you’ve got yourself a night to remember.
If you’re looking for an even more elevated experience, you’re in the right place. Saratoga Living is running a flash auction for four box seat tickets to see Dave on Friday night. [UPDATE: THE TICKETS WERE SOLD] The seats are in private box #303 (slightly left of center and with perfect sight lines—some of the best seats in the house), and include two VIP parking passes, access to the VIP lounge before and during the show, and waiter/waitress service in the box itself. Not sold? Here’s the view from the box from last summer’s Train concert:
If that sounds like an A-OK way to spend a Friday night, place your bid now—the auction ends tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 8pm sharp. I’ll leave you with one more quote from Will’s 2020 story: “DMB has had the longest-standing relationship of any band with the people of Saratoga, and like the ants that we are, we march back, year after year, for more.”
Amen.
—Natalie