Former Charlottesville resident and singer-songwriter Dave Matthews brought his critically acclaimed band back into town May 7 at John Paul Jones Arena. To promote the show, Matthews held a pop-up gallery at the old Coca-Cola building on Preston Avenue — an exciting and engaging experience for any major fan.
The exhibit was filled with production notes from the band’s career. These were completely raw, fresh copies of songs as Matthews worked on them, showing his creative process — especially “Why I Am,” which underwent a good bit of editing.
Scattered along the other walls of the gallery were promotional artworks and candid shots taken throughout the band’s career. Two pictures truly stood out: one showing Matthews rocking out on his guitar and another of him playing his flugelhorn. The variety of images marked the musician with true, diverse talent.
Across from the vendor table, where fans could buy DMB apparel and other memorabilia, was a collage of backstage passes dating back several decades. Besides being colorful, vibrant and minimalistic, the wall of passes revealed Matthews’s sentimental quality. It’s hard to imagine every artist keeps up with all of their old single concert mementos.
The crown jewel of the gallery was the exhibition of instruments. Three guitars and alto, tenor and soprano saxophones lay on a draped table. The diversity of the instrumentation showcased, much like the impromptu shots displayed throughout the room, spoke to Matthew’s multiplicity of talents. Fans flocked to this table with many taking several minutes to just stare in awe.
The gallery, though just in town for the weekend, was a preview of a DMB photography exhibit to be held in New York City next month.
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