Photo Credit: Wesley Hodges

On Saturday night, the Dave Matthews Band brought their summer tour to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The July 6 performance took an unexpected turn when an unannounced guest, Sam Kininger, known as a former member of Lettuce and Soulive, alongside fellow player and DMB member Rashawn Ross, stepped up and helped out on the night’s rendition of Under the Table and Dreaming originator, “What Would You Say.”

The collaborative moment occurred just past the concert’s midsection and followed Busted Stuff’s “You Never Know.” After Kininger’s on-stage arrival, the combined group of musicians worked through the entirety of their choice number. Notably, prior to Kininger’s 2024 moment with Dave Matthews Band, he last sat in with the revered group in 2016, effectively adding another chapter to their joint history.

After Kininger bowed off the stage, DMB continued its performance with the first “Rhyme & Reason”  ince Sept. 2, 2023, ending a 64-concert gap. The band kept it up with more seasoned pulls, including “Don’t Drink the Water,” featuring a fitting “This Land is Your Land” interpolation that hit on the week’s prior Independence Day event. For the first time in band history, they closed the main frame with “The Last Stop,” ultimately tacking on “Baby Blue” and “Ants Marching” as the evening’s encore.

Next, DMB will perform at Northwell at Jones Beach Theater. Tickets remain on sale.

Dave Matthews Band
Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
July 6, 2024

Set: Panatala Naga Pampa > Minarets, The Best of What’s Around, Big Eyed Fish, Fool in the Rain, Proudest Monkey > Satellite > Will It Go Round in Circles, Rapunzel, Where Are You Going, When The World Ends, You Never Know, What Would You Say+, Rhyme & Reason, Lover Lay Down, Madman’s Eyes, #41, Don’t Drink the Water, Louisiana Bayou, The Last Stop

Enc.: Baby Blue, Ants Marching

Notes:
+ With Sam Kininger