My unabashed love of music can be traced directly back to one album and to one duo: Live at Luther College by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. Before hearing that album, music was certainly enjoyable, don’t get me wrong, but I had only experienced it passively; as something playing in the background while in the car or lounging around the house. When my friend—check out his music/pop-culture tumblr at Spencerotica—lent me his copy of Live at Luther College I assumed it was going to be like any other album I had ever listened to. Needless to say I was wrong. Live at Luther College became my rabbit hole, my wardrobe, and my subtle knife—it served as a doorway to a world I never knew existed.
When I heard that Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds would be playing Radio City Music Hall in NYC for one night only I did everything in my power to procure tickets to the event. All I can say is…as utterly amazing as the DVD of the show is, it pales in comparison to the experience of actually being there. Nonetheless, this version of Lie in Our Graves from the DVD perfectly illustrates what it was about Luther College and Dave & Tim that captivated me in the first place.
I am continually in awe of the depth of sound that these two can create with nothing but two guitars and Dave’s voice. Even more than that, though, is the feeling you get watching these two perform; the feeling that were the crowd and the revenue to be taken away, they would put just as much of themselves into playing together in an apartment somewhere as they do on stage at Radio City. Dave and Tim aren’t playing music because it pays the bills, they are playing it because it’s what they are good at; what they love to do. If you don’t believe me, the epic performing done between 2:54 and 6:30 should convince you. In particular Dave’s expression around 5:30 where he looks at Reynolds with as much awe as the crowd, and the genuine happiness they both display at the end of the song really make this video stand out.
In closing, I’d like to thank Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds for making music such a big part of my life, and thank spencerotica for letting me borrowed his beat up, oft-played copy of Live at Luther college.
