Gone are the days.......
This week I was privileged to see The Head and The Heart open for the Dave Matthews Band not once, but twice.
I have been to many DMB shows, (and by many I mean more than 50 but less than 250) and the general rule of thumb is: you do not go in for the opening act unless you want first crack at the toilets before the drunk masses of young people make their way in to the venue. This was not the case for The Head and The Heart. Although the amphitheaters were not packed for their performance, there was more of a presence than is generally seen for the opening acts.
Night 1 – May 22, 2012 – Atlanta, Georgia.
The Head and The Heart, and Atlanta have a great history. For some reason the shows in Atlanta are always special, and this one was no exception. I have never before seen the pit full for an opening band, but on May 22nd it was full. Dave (Matthews) came out to introduce The Head and The Heart and expressed his love for the band, and how grateful he was that they were opening for him. I was in the upper sections for this show so I had a good view of the entire crowd aside from those on the lawn, and it was really nice to see that many people show up for an opening act. Again the amphitheater was not full, but for an opening act there was a really nice turn out. The set was solid, and as it went on more people got out of their seats and rose to clap, and dance along with the music. Lost in my Mind really got the crowd going, and Rivers and Roads made for one hell of a closer. It was my first time seeing Gone with the full band, and I really loved the build up. Later on during DMB’s performance Dave again mentioned how much he loved the Head and The Heart, their music, and has a hard time holding himself back from calling them all the time, and hopes he does not scare them off. Personally I enjoyed THATH’s 45 min set more that night than DMB’s 2 and a half hour set.
Setlist: Cats, Couer, Ghosts, Gone, Lost in my mind, Winter Song, Down in the Valley, Rivers and Roads
You're in my soul now
Night 2 – May 23, 2012 – Charlotte, North Carolina
The drive from Atlanta to Charlotte is not bad. Not too exciting, but not bad. Being that this show was on the day before my birthday, I had high hopes that something special would go down. I made it down to the pit for this show thanks to a little help from my friends, and was surprised as to how large it was. The pit was not as packed as it was in Atlanta, but it never actually filled up that much, even for DMB’s set (Dancing room is always welcome). As is customary Dave came out to introduce the band, and then they took their places on the stage.
I was really surprised when the band did not open with Cats and Dogs, but instead opened with Sounds Like > Couer. Totally did not see that coming, and loved that they switched it up. The set was really strong and the energy was amazing. Five minutes after they closed with Rivers and Roads, and were off the stage my friend turned to me and she said “I still have goosebumps from that last song, that girl can sing.” Once again during DMB’s set Dave spoke about how much he loves THATH and wished he could make music like theirs. “I wish I could make music like them, but I just can’t….I love them from my head to my…toes”. You really never know what is going to come out of Dave’s mouth during a show, and 80% of the time you can’t make sense of it until you listen to the recording. But this was said loud and clear and was actually something worth cheering for 
.
Setlist:
Ron: fan of The Head and The Heart and Lostinmymind.com
The band heads to Oregon tonight, before stopping at the Gorge, and opening for the Shins at Red Rocks, and in Salt Lake City. For a complete list of upcoming shows check out the Tour Dates page.
MORE PHOTOS BELOW!
*Special thanks to all the members of the band, as well as Kristina, Vanessa, Shana, and Lee.
*All images in this gallery are the Property of Lostinmymind.com and may not be reproduced or distributed without consent.
