Dave Matthews Band Bust Out “Hunger for the Great Light” in Chicago
Dave Matthews Band, photo by Phierce Photo
On June 28, Dave Matthews Band pulled into The Windy City for the latest performance in their expansive summer tour. Onstage at Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, the celebrated jam and roots rock ensemble continued the thrills and surprises of their series so far–including sit-ins from Jason Crosby and Kebbi Williams and debut covers of “God Only Knows” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”–with another top-tier performance featuring a long-awaited bust-out.
Dave Matthews Band took the stage on Saturday with “The Stone,” pulled from the group’s 1998 record Before These Crowded Streets, featuring an interpolation of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for the keen listeners in the crowd. This propulsive opener catapulted the septet into further fan favorites, including a segued pairing of “Proudest Monkey” and “Satellite,” “You Might Die Trying,” a stripped-back “Grace is Gone,” 2025’s first “Fool to Think” and a sprawling 16-minute rendition of “Fool to Think,” featuring a solo intro from bassist Stefan Lessard.
After rounding towards their set’s last act with “Crash Into Me,” on which they snuck in a tease of “Dixie Chicken,” the band brought on the evening’s highlight with a rare treatment of the Stand Up album closer “Hunger for the Great Light.” While the stirring song received significant attention from the band during the 2005 album cycle, it has fallen out of their regular repertoire since; Saturday’s treatment was the song’s first appearance since November 2023 and only its 18th staging since 2007. Following this surprise inclusion, the percussionist Carter Beauford led the band into “Gravedigger,” and the year’s first “The Last Stop” led into an exhilarating encore of a solo Dave treatment of “Rye Whiskey” and a full band run through “Pantala Naga Pampa” and “Pig.”
Dave Matthews Band will return to the stage on July 8 for a performance at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage. Find tickets and more information on the band’s full summer tour here.
