Dave Matthews Band Invite Esteemed 'Special Guests' for Summer Tour

Posted on Jan 26th 2010 8:27PM by Benjy Eisen
Comments

Summertime means baseball games, backyard barbecues, dog days and, oh yeah -- Dave Matthews Band's annual amphitheater outing. It's a bit of an American tradition, as is their rotating special guest opener slot which has highlighted a number of integrity acts and "IT" bands over the years.

Looks like 2010 will stick with that exciting convention, as this year's support acts will include Raphael Saadiq, Brett Dennen, Gov't Mule, Ben Harper and the Relentless7 -- deep breath, OK, continue -- Zac Brown Band, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Yonder Mountain String Band, the Felice Brothers, Robert Earl Keen, Martin Sexton, Amos Lee and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears. Put all those bands together and you have a list worthy of a Bonnaroo brainstorming session.

That said, it looks as though the band themselves are actually taking it light on the festival circuit this time around to plow onwards with their own extensive itinerary. Billboard and Pollstar have both named DMB as the top-selling touring artist of the past decade and they're kicking off the "twenty-tens" without any signs of slowing down: DMB's summer tour launches on May 28 with a two-night stand in Hartford, Ct. and will twist and turn its way across and around the country before wrapping up on September 15 in St. Paul, Minn.

Before then, the handful of isolated fans who haven't had a chance to catch DMB live will get a free sneak preview by tuning into CBS this Sunday, January 31, for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. In addition to their televised performance, DMB are up for two awards this year, in the categories of "Album of the Year" and "Best Rock Album" for their most recent release, 'Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.'