I have been hearing a lot of bad press about the recent Dave Matthews Band concert, and I feel I need to defend a band I deeply respect. Many people have been complaining that Matthews and Company played too much new music, and not his usual standards. But seriously, the man has released five albums (this doesn't count live albums. And it is six if you count his very first and seven if you count the unreleased Lilywhite Sessions). You cannot expect him to play the same songs from the same two albums for the rest of his career. He is an artist and has a right to mature and explore as an artist. And that means trying out new things.

Many people complain because they did not recognize much of what they heard, but doesn't that show they have not invested in much of his more recent releases. Yes, I was a little disappointed with the lack of his standard "jam sessions", but otherwise it was a great show. Do we have to be so pessimistic all the time?