We hadn't planned on attending the inaugural Chicago edition of the DMB Caravan but a last minute chance to see The Flaming Lips perform Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon set us on our way to the fest's south side location yesterday. The new Lakeside venue grounds intrigued us with the chance to set up a viable new concert location in a promising new spot. We admit, though, we are not exactly fans of the fest's curator and headliner (and, prior to yesterday, even less a fan of their fans) so we set out on our journey with a mixture of trepidation and honestly excited curiosity. more ›

We saw the press releases and reports elsewhere about the Dave Matthews Band Caravan coming to Chicago July 8-10. But we have a rule to ignore any press release containing the words "Dave Matthews Band." Looking at the site of the festival and some of the heavy hitters in the lineup, we'll have to reconsider that rule. more ›

After Dave Matthews Band announced their two days of concerts at Wrigley Field in July, the concerts sold out really fast and the whole city was buzzing with DMB Fever. The Tribune dubbed Matthews a "concert juggernaut" for his ability to become the top grossing artist for 2000-2009, and this weekend's concerts pretty much confirmed that DMB is still relevant in the music world today. According to the Tribune's review of the concert on Friday night, it sounds like Dave Matthews and his band was working with the crowd and spreading friendly jam band vibes everywhere:

"Last night I stumbled around the streets of Chicago. If I saw you, I might not remember," Matthews half-jokingly confessed midway through the 145-minute set. The admission resonated with the crowd, which included a fair amount of frat-like dudes that high-fived one another at the start of nearly every song.

With the Dave Matthews Band set to descend upon Chicago for a two-night stand at Wrigley Field this weekend, the writers here at Chicagoist got to talking about bands and music we've loved for a time but that years later left us wondering about our own taste in music. We've knocked bands like DMB around in the past on this site and have some taken heat for it. But the thing is, for all the snark, there are bands - like DMB - that did at one time or another appeal to us even if now we feel we're too cool for school. We've all got a few questionable musical skeletons in our closets, musical moments that spoke to us at one point or another, but that leave us scratching our heads now, wondering what it really says about us as consumers of pop-culture. So consider this your call to arms, reader, an opportunity to unburden yourself of those awkward moments of taste and experience that led you to the cultural point you're at today. more ›

Dave Matthews Band begins their two-night run at Wrigley Field this evening - you may have noticed Sheffield closed down between Addison and Clark as crews set up - and that means there will be some Cubs-like traffic restrictions and snarls around Wrigleyville even though the Cubs are 1,000 miles away in Florida for the weekend. According to The Expired Meter, the typical Cubs night game parking restrictions will be in place for the shows this weekend: more ›

After much speculation this spring, Dave Matthews Band have confirmed a set of shows to be played at Wrigley Field this fall. The band will roll into Wrigleyville for shows on Friday, September 17 and Saturday, September 18 while the Cubs are off on a road trip, bringing the season to a painful end. We doubt the Sig Eps and their dates in the Wrigley bleachers will notice a difference and still drunkenly yell "Wooooo, Soriano!" anyway. A fan-club sale for tickets began over the weekend and the general public on-sale is Saturday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. The hatted troubadour Jason Mraz will open the shows which are the last on DMB's current tour. Given that past Chicago River incident and the way the Cubs have played this season, we're sure there are plenty more poop jokes to make, we're just too hungover to make 'em. more ›

The 2010 Wrigley Field concerts have been announced and there are some familiar faces. Elton John and Billy Joel, who brought their piano pop to Wrigley last year for a pair of shows, are coming back while, much to the joy of Wrigleyville's frat boy/broseph population, Dave Matthews Band will bring their bland brand of pop-rock to the historic stadium. The John & Joel show will happen on Wednesday July 7 (during a Cubs' West Coast road trip) while DMB will play two shows: a Friday and Saturday night in September (either the 10th and 11th or 17th and 18th). Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) is expected to introduce an "exception" to the Cubs' night game ordinance to the council to allow for the three shows; it's not known whether or not the Cubs will have to give up one of their night games in exchange for holding the shows. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. more ›

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. more ›

In a situation only slightly less disgusting and tragically hilarious than the time Dave Matthews Band's waste landed on that tour boat, mysterious "splotches" over a three block radius in Lisle may be human poop and pee. Police in the western suburb are investigating a substance that landed on and often stained roofs, lawns, streets, cars, etc. The yellow and brown stains were described as "the size of the palm of [a] hand." While there's... more ›

Chicagoist is a big cheerleader for the city, but there are some things that even we have a hard time getting excited about. Swimming in Lake Michigan or jumping into the Chicago River are two of them. Maybe it is the dumping. Or maybe it is (jump in the way-back machine, for a second with us) Dave Matthews Band. Or maybe it is the knowledge that every summer, the beaches are closed several times... more ›

"I have one criteria, this is my one litmus test for guys and I could not marry someone if they didn’t pass this test. They can’t like Dave Matthews Band." more ›

We’ve divided this week into the old, the in-between, and the young because we felt that the myriad of choices out there this weekend needed some sort of random pronouncement that really means nothing at all. Sorry ‘bout that, we may have just watched too much CSPAN yesterday and lapsed into nothing speak. The Old Psychedelic Furs June 29, House of Blues, $24.50-$26.50, 18+, on sale Friday at 10:00 a.m. Def Leppard, Styx, Foreigner –... more ›

Now that we’ve had a few days to process last weekend’s largely successful Lollapalooza festival we have a few observations to make as we wrap up coverage. more ›

It turns out the Dave Matthews Band aren't the only ones dumping poo into the Chicago River. more ›

Stefan Wohl, the (former) bus driver for the Dave Matthews Band, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts: one for reckless endangerment and one for polluting a waterway for dumping 800 pounds of human waste (roughly the equivalent of DMB's recorded musical output) into the Chicago River. more ›

We thought the (fecal) matter of Dave Matthews Band vs. The Lucky Lady architectural boat tour would go quietly into the cold, dark night. But apparently we were wrong. The Trib and Sun-Times are reporting that State’s Attorney Dick Devine will announce criminal charges against DMB bus driver (previously identified in civil suits as Stefan Wohl) in a news conference today. more ›

Today is Festivus and we've been reading a lot lately about how all the cool kids are celebrating. It's easy. All you need is an aluminum pole to display unadorned. Local customs sometimes allow decorations, but they must be non-threatening plain decorations, and tinsel is absolutely banned. What? It's distracting! At Chicagoist's Festivus party we would ask everyone invited (all of you!) to contribute to The Human Fund and the money would really go to... more ›

In its latest PR volley, the Dave Matthews Band donated $50,000 on Friday to both the Chicago Park District and the Friends of the Chicago River organization to “begin the healing process” resulting from the alleged dumping of 800 pounds of raw sewage by a driver of their tour bus. The park district and the Friends of the Chicago River say the donated money will be used for environmental programs that will insure the long-term health of the river and its surroundings. more ›

Now that the fall has arrived, it’s time to put away all those memories of summer fun like laying out on the beach, road tripping across America and cruising on the Chicago River before getting pooped on by the Dave Matthews Band. more ›

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Can we please oh please stop using the word �dumping� in the coverage of this Dave Matthews Band poop-shedding thing? �Matthews band tackles bus-dumping issue on Web site," "Band to give DNA in bus dump case,� �Dave Matthews Band issues statement about waste dump��these are just a few of the choice headlines about the incident. Are we the only ones who find this fucking hilarious? Maybe it�s because we�re the dorkfaces who still laugh when we see road signs that say �No Dumping,� but this is getting out of hand. Let�s scour our thesauruses for a better word. more ›

While their bus drivers vehemently denied that had anything to do with the incident at the time, on Tuesday Illinois Atty. General Lisa Madigan announced that a civil complaint was filed against the Dave Matthews Band Inc. and Stefan A. Wohl, the driver of the bus. Accused of polluting the river by illegally dumping "liquid waste'' from the septic tank of the bus, the band could face $60,000 in fines related to the incident. In addition to polluting the river, more than 100 passengers on an architectural tour boat were showered with waste. more ›

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We've been saying that Dave Matthews Band is a bunch of shit-soaking garbage for a long time, and now we might have proof. Sunday afternoon, about 80 people aboard Chicago's Little Lady on the river were soaked in a "'brownish-yellow'" substance that rained down from the bridge above, apparently after a bus or two drove across. (The Sun-Times calls the boat the First Lady, but the details are hardly the important element here.) More than... more ›