Dave Matthews took a few moments to address the crowd at the start of Dave Matthews Band‘s encore in Tampa last night after 19 students and two adults were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. Matthews called for change to gun laws before offering a solo “Something To Tell My Baby” performance on Wednesday at MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
“I don’t think it has to happen and I don’t think it’s the price to pay for freedom,” the 55-year-old musician told the audience. “I don’t want to have to worry that my son’s gonna go to school and get his fucking head blown off,” Matthews said. “I don’t want to be in that place. We have to do something.
“I don’t want to get used to it,” Dave added. “I don’t want to start thinking, ‘well, that’s just how it goes.’ Because it shouldn’t go like this.” He went on to thank the crowd and mentioned he felt he needed to say something following the horrific massacre.
Matthews then played the tour’s first “Something To Tell My Baby” and asked fans to “think of someone that you loved and you cared a great deal about that is no longer here while this song happens because if we think about what it is to be wiped out … if we think about it more often and we really feel what it is then maybe we can all come up with some answer other than just saying ‘thoughts and prayers’ because it doesn’t mean anything.”
The encore, which also featured a full-band cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower,” followed a 19-song main set. DMB offered a tour debut cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” in the middle of the frame. The septet also played such favorites as “#41,” “Jimi Thing,” “Where Are You Going,” “So Much To Say” and “Too Much.”
Watch Dave’s speech and “Something To Tell My Baby” performance below via fan-shot video footage:
Setlist (via DMB Almanac)
Set: #41, What Would You Say, Funny the Way It Is, The Maker, Madman’s Eyes, Sweet, Jimi Thing, Idea of You, Walk Around the Moon, Granny, Sledgehammer, The Dreaming Tree, Where Are You Going, Break Free, So Damn Lucky, So Much to Say » Anyone Seen the Bridge » Too Much, You & Me, You Might Die Trying
Encore: Something to Tell My Baby, All Along the Watchtower » Stairway to Heaven [partial] » All Along the Watchtower [reprise]
