Dave Matthews Band Captures a Once-in-a-Lifetime Gorge Performance on ‘Take Me Back Live From the Gorge’
TAGS: Dave Matthews Band, Dave Matthews, Béla Fleck, Jake Simpson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Infinity Song, Watchhouse, Jonah Kagen, Jesse Welles, Sierra Hull, The Gorge Amphitheatre, The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre,
Some nights at the Gorge are special. August 30th, 2025 was historic. Dave Matthews Band performed ‘Before These Crowded Streets’ in its entirety for the first and only time in concert, 95 minutes of bold improvisation and deep exploration of one of the most ambitious records in their catalog. ‘Take Me Back Live From the Gorge’ captures that night completely, and it’s the kind of document that reminds you why live music matters.
The digital release is out now via ATO Records, with CD and LP arriving May 22nd. The set opened with a rare reading of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” before the band moved into the full 1998 album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and is now certified quadruple platinum. Béla Fleck and the Flecktones made a surprise early appearance on “#41,” returned for “The Last Stop” and “Don’t Drink the Water,” and the long-rumored closer “Spoon” delivered one of the evening’s defining moments. Jake Simpson joined on violin for “Satellite” and “Tripping Billies,” and the encore closed with “What Would You Say.”
The three 2025 Gorge shows air on Volta from February 13-15, with a Director’s Cut and multiview options available. Dave Matthews Band has headlined the Gorge 76 times, and this performance stands apart from all of them.
The summer U.S. headline tour kicks off May 8th at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, TX, including a milestone 50th headlining performance at Saratoga Springs’ SPAC and a stop at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre in Greenwood Village, CO. The band returns to the Gorge September 4-6, with Stephen Wilson Jr., Infinity Song, Watchhouse, Jonah Kagen, Jesse Welles, and Sierra Hull supporting across the weekend. Seventy-six headlining performances at one of America’s greatest venues, and they just delivered the most singular night of all of them.