Dave Matthews Band Sumida tickets

Dave Matthews Band, often shortened to DMB, formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991 and grew into one of the most enduring live acts in American rock. The original lineup brought together singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford, violinist Boyd Tinsley, and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Their sound pulls from rock, jazz fusion, folk, and roots music, and it is defined as much by improvisation as by songcraft. A jam band at heart, DMB is known for reworking its catalog onstage and letting each arrangement breathe differently from night to night.

The band's first official release, Remember Two Things, arrived in 1993 on its own Bama Rags label. The 1994 major-label debut, Under the Table and Dreaming, earned six-times platinum certification behind early staples like "What Would You Say," "Satellite," and "Ants Marching," and the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal went to "So Much to Say." A deep run of studio albums followed, including Before These Crowded Streets, Everyday, Busted Stuff, Stand Up, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, Away from the World, Come Tomorrow, and Walk Around the Moon. With Come Tomorrow, the group became the first band to have seven consecutive studio albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band has sold more than 25 million concert tickets and a combined 38 million CDs and DVDs, and in 2024 it was selected for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

What sets a Dave Matthews Band show apart is the sense that the songs are never quite finished. The band has built multi-night traditions at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and The Gorge Amphitheatre, and its annual runs at Madison Square Garden have become fixtures for the faithful. Longtime fans trade recordings, compare setlists, and follow the band from city to city, a habit the group has encouraged since its earliest days. The community around DMB carries the same continuity as the music itself, which is why the same people tend to show up summer after summer.