Dave Matthews Band let it all hang out tonight at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Nobelsville, Indiana. They brought fans the first new song for road-testing in just under two years. (On 6/17/04 they dropped the big four of 2004.)
 The Idea Of You was performed full-band with Butch Taylor, though Rashawn Ross did not play on the song. Update: Ross is on the 6-3-06 version.
The current recording isn't clear enough to pull the full lyrics off it, but sounds like a love song with several comparisons to childish behavior, "...I think of you as a kid...So I'll pull your hair..I might go kick you in your shins."
Most importantly this song does not sound like Stand Up, which contained music that Dave has said was recorded under time constraints and lacked depth. The Idea Of You may represent what some refer to as a return to a "DMB sound."
The quality of the setlist for the first night in Indiana was nearly as important as the inclusion of a new song. Stand Up was represented only by Hunger for the Great Light. If you were to remove WTWE, Sister and Hunger, you are basically looking at a show from the summer of 2000. This means both the Stand Up and Everyday albums took a backseat to classic Dave Matthews Band songs.
JTR and Raven can't be ignored yet, having both those songs back is a dream come true. Also, Sister came out again in E1 for the third night, indicating this may have a lasting impression on the tour.
Tomorrow night is the first night two of a two night stand which means there will likely be few repeats. While we wait to see what DMB has cooked up for tomorrow, here are some pictures from 5/31 @ Bonner Springs that show off the 2006 stage setup better.
Apparently the crowd booed after Dave teased #40 in E2 (as in to try to get him to continue it). He said that it would come out tomorrow. (Setlist game pickers--you may want to put that on your sets!)
The DMB Crew updated their site with the following message about more new songs to come:
A new song, The Idea Of You, made its debut last night at our first of two shows here in Noblesville, IN. Dave plays on a mandolin-like soprano 12-string, made by Veillette Guitars.
Tuned an octive higher than typical guitars, Dave's been digging the rich tones of this instrument and has been rehearsing some of the new tunes with it. We're bound to hear at least a few of the new songs over the coming weeks, so be sure to check it out. See you back here tonight.
It appears from the message that Dave is using the Veillette MK-IV Gryphon High-tuned Unison 12-string on this new song.
The Gryphon is a tiny 18.5" and uses custom LaBella GR-12 strings. In the 2002 Guitar Player review of the instrument Joe Gore said:
"The Gryphon is tuned to D above standard E. Fitted with all unison strings (as opposed to the mixed unisons and octaves of regular 12-strings), this guitar overlaps with a standard mandolin's range, adding an extra fourth below the mando's low-G string.It's important to note, however, that any guitarist can play the Gryphon without having to learn a new tuning."
Here are some links to listen to Veillet's samples of the instrument: Sample 1, Sample 2, Sample 3.
 Download: The Idea Of You
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