What is it about Dave Matthews?

“I’ve seen the Dave Matthews Band 29 times, which I realize is completely outrageous,” said Nancy Taylor, a sophomore transmedia and English and textual studies major. “I saw my first Dave show when I was 7 with my parents in Philadelphia.”

With a band that’s released a middling 11 studio albums in an 18-year span, Dave Matthews is a phenomenon. All of the band’s albums, save for newly released “Away From The World,” charted platinum. Matthews performed onstage in 2008 after a conversation with the Dalai Lama in Seattle and is set to repeat the feat at Syracuse University’s One World Concert on Oct. 9.

The One World Concert, with Matthews leading a star-studded roster, sold out in an hour and a half for students.

“My friend and I kept refreshing our browsers in the library up until the exact time tickets went on sale,” said Abby Wolfe, a junior advertising major. “Dave Matthews means a lot to me.”

What is it about Dave Matthews?

Colin Steele has a theory.

Steele, a 2002 SU alumnus, runs DMBnews.net, a Matthews fansite he started as a basic blog in 2006. It has developed into a full-blown hobby since he started combing for Matthews-related news on Google and message boards.

“Matthews grew up around the University of Virginia, near that college scene,” he said. “He played bars and frat houses in the area when he was first getting started, so that’s probably why he’s still a big musician for college students now.”

Since he took in his first DMB show in Hartford, Conn., after graduating high school, Steele’s been to plenty of concerts — he’s seen Matthews perform somewhere to the tune of 55 to 60 times.

“It’s funny, because some people will say, ‘Wow,’” he said. “Some people are just like, ‘That’s it?’ The quality of the shows is great. He never plays the same set twice.”

Miller Carroll hasn’t been to half the concerts Steele has, but his 21-show tally is no slouch, either. The junior information management and technology major has made some of his concert trips completely spur of the moment.

“In the fall of 2010, me and my buddy got two train tickets without round-trip and no hotel to stay at,” he said. “We were winging the trip the whole time, which made it that much better.

“He started to get big when we were in grade school,” he added. “Most of us don’t remember life without the band.”

Billy Kemp, a senior secondary English education major, first remembers listening to Dave Matthews on the way to elementary school. When he was young, his mom would put on “Crash” in the car.

“When I hear certain songs, it brings back certain memories,” he said. “Whether it’s positives like sitting on a boat drinking a beer, or negatives like going to a funeral. Dave is and will remain part of my life for a long, long time.”

Kemp has trekked to 18 Dave Matthews Band concerts. He’s seen the band the most times at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and even his favorite album is a live cut: “Live at Luther College: Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds.”

“A lot of new DMB fans will automatically turn to radio songs, such as ‘Ants Marching,’” Kemp said. “While it’s a classic, I think there is so much more out there to explore.”

Growing up on Matthews is a common thread for fans. Junior psychology major Emily Loughran reminisces about listening to his song “Satellite,” and driving around with her dad at a young age. Eventually, she outgrew “Satellite” and shed it for another favorite track: the 21-minute live cut of “#41.”

“Dave Matthews can turn my day around,” she said. “I have been listening to his band for so long that many of his songs bring back memories.”

What is it about Dave Matthews?

For Wolfe, it’s nostalgia.

Wolfe didn’t jump on the Dave Matthews bandwagon right away. It wasn’t until she saw the Dave Matthews Band Caravan in Atlantic City for a three-night festival in 2011 that her love for the group blossomed. It’s not just a personal attachment to the group’s sound. All four of the DMB shows she’s seen, she’s seen with friends from high school who go to college in different states.

“It’s great to be able to come together and continue to make new memories and stay in touch,” Wolfe said. “I don’t remember the last time I went a day without listening to Dave.”

What is it about Dave Matthews?

Maybe it’s nothing at all.

Published on October 8, 2012 at 5:03 am

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman