Dave Matthews Band Caravan — Minus Namesake — Sports Impressive Lineup
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 12, 2011 3:00PM
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.
First, consider the venue. The Lakeside is located in the South Chicago neighborhood on land that once housed the U.S. Steel South Works that served as the employer for 50,000 steelworkers (and served as the setting for our "Little Hawaii" April Fool's Day prank). Now it's mostly green land, offering a beautiful view of the downtown skyline ten miles north.
Then there's the lineup. Anyone who attended HORDE in the mid-90's may be familiar with some of the names here. But there are some amazing standouts to balance the presence of David Gray, G. Love & Special Sauce and DMB on the bill. Let's start with the Flaming Lips. Folks who attended Pitchfork last year still won't stop telling us how amazing their set was to close out the festival. The Lips will be performing Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. Drive-by Truckers, who just tore the Vic up for a two-night residency a few weeks back, is on the bill. Live, the Truckers bring it, pure and simple. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings will be bringing the old school soul. Emmylou Harris was once called the "Queen of Remorse." Live, she can rock harder than acts one-third her age. Those are just four options available for folks who don't want to noodle dance through a Michael Franti and Spearhead set.
Third and fourth, this is shaping up to be a partnership in many ways. 7th Ward Ald. Sandi Jackson and 10th ward Ald. John Pope, whose wards intersect the Lakeside, are looking forward to the festival coming to their part of the city. It also marks a rare collaboration between national concert giant Live Nation and local promotional juggernaut JAM Productions.
Tickets for the Dave Matthews Band Caravan go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday on the Caravan website or by calling 800-594-8499.