Dave Matthews Band Celebrates 'Labor Dave Weekend' At The Gorge With Mike McCready, Sierra Hull, Stephen Wilson Jr.

Every Labor Day weekend, Dave Matthews Band fans make a cross-country pilgrimage to The Gorge Amphitheatre in George, WA. Known affectionately within the community as 'Labor Dave Weekend,' the three-day run serves as the highly anticipated conclusion of the band's extensive summer tour. Gorge weekend is far more than just a stop on the tour; it functions as an annual reunion. Throngs of fans arrived the night before the music began to set up campsites, decorate their temporary homes, and lay out an impressive array of fan-created swag. Expectations ran high following the 2025 Labor Day run, where fans were treated to a front-to-back performance of 1998 masterpiece Before These Crowded Streets. Attendees entered the venue on Friday wondering whether Dave Matthews Band would attempt another full-album performance. Speculation pointed toward Crash, celebrating both its 30th anniversary and the 30th anniversary of the band's Gorge debut at the 1996 HORDE Festival. Compounding the uniqueness of the moment was the uncharacteristic weather. While veterans of the desert venue expect warm days and chilly nights, Friday arrived overcast with a bit of rain, forcing attendees (and band members) to frantically add layers. Throughout the venue, attendees generously distributed themed tchotchkes including mini 3D-printed pigs in honor of the beloved track 'Pig,' alongside custom bracelets, stickers, and other trinkets. Fans proudly wore handmade shirts commemorating the 2026 weekend, while other merchandise from the Grateful Dead, Goose, and Daniel Donato dotted the crowd. The Gorge stands out as one of the few tour stops where Dave Matthews Band utilizes opening acts, allowing the frontman to showcase artists he personally admires. On Friday, promptly at 5 p.m., a bundled-up Dave Matthews walked onto the stage to introduce the New York City sibling group Infinity Song. He shared a story about his daughter taking him to a Seattle club to see the band, prompting him to invite them to the Gorge. Following a brief intermission, Matthews returned to introduce Stephen Wilson Jr. The former chemist and microbiologist-turned-country singer-songwriter captivated the audience with a unique vocal tone, carrying notes of Chris Cornell and Bruce Springsteen. During his original track 'Gary,' Wilson surprisingly left the main stage, made his way through the crowd, and stationed himself in a box next to the soundboard to take a solo. Shortly after 8 p.m., Dave Matthews Band took the stage. For the second consecutive year, DMB opened night one with a lengthy, jazzy rendition of 'Seek Up' from its 1992 independent release Remember Two Things. While a repeat from the previous year, the track is universally welcomed by the community as one of the few songs the band reliably takes for a ride. What transpired next elevated the evening into historic territory. The stage lights isolated multi-instrumentalist Jeff Coffin. Holding a saxophone that belonged to late founding member LeRoi Moore, Coffin played the instrumental track 'Grux,' which opens 2009 record Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King and had never been played live before. Hardcore fans immediately recognized the rarity, and a ripple of realization washed over the crowd. The band was executing another full album play. 'Grux' seamlessly bled into 'Shake Me Like a Monkey' and 'Funny the Way It Is', confirming the album sequence. The disc included live rarities 'Alligator Pie,' 'Dive In,' and 'Time Bomb,' the latter of which the band busted out last month in Colorado for the song's first performance in four years. The emotional peak arrived with 'Baby Blue,' a delicate song written for LeRoi Moore following his passing. Matthews dedicated the performance to Moore's family, acknowledging those still present and those who have passed. You could hear a pin drop in the massive amphitheater as he navigated the quiet, vulnerable track. The album sequence concluded with a singalong 'You and Me.' For the encore, Matthews returned alone to perform the title track from his 2003 solo record 'Some Devil.' The full band then sauntered back to deliver 'Recently,' marking the song's first appearance in the encore since 2013 and the first time it closed a show since 1998, per DMB Almanac. Saturday afternoon brought a drastic shift in the elements, as the desert sun beamed down on the lawn and reserved seats. Fans who arrived prepared for another freezing evening were forced to shed their heavy layers and sweat it out. Matthews acknowledged the shifting conditions during his opening introductions, noting that it was quite hot, at least for the moment. Saturday's opening acts, Montana singer-songwriter Jonah Kagen and acclaimed roots act Watchhouse, perfectly suited the atmosphere with soothing harmonies and spacious arrangements. By the time Dave Matthews Band emerged, the venue was packed, with zero reserved seats open and the lawn completely overflowing. Matthews strapped on his 12-string Rockbridge acoustic guitar, and the band launched into 'Pantala Naga Pampa.' While the short intro track routinely segues into 'Rapunzel,' the band audibled and dropped directly into the fan-favorite 'Grey Street.' Rather than executing another full-album performance, Saturday was categorized by rarities and an incredible roster of guest musicians. The band delivered 'Joyride,' a political track written during the George W. Bush presidency. While considered a rarity on standard tours, the song has effectively become a venue staple, making its fifth appearance at the Gorge in five years. Matthews kept the 12-string acoustic on for 'Kit Kat Jam,' an instrumental song from Busted Stuff that finally returned to the rotation this year after a 13-year absence. The deep cuts continued with the horn-driven rocker 'The Only Thing' and back-to-back rarities 'Raven' and 'Sweet Up and Down.' The guest segment of the evening began when Matthews welcomed fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves to the stage. Billy Strings fiddler Alex Hargreaves' sister, Tatiana beautifully executed the violin parts on 'Satellite' and remained onstage to add tasteful, sweeping lines to 'Grace is Gone.' The band steered the song's outro into a full-blown bluegrass hoedown groove, an arrangement not utilized since 2007. As Hargreaves exited, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready emerged to provide an arena-ready guitar solo on a cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Fool in the Rain.' The parade of guest strings continued with fiddler Casey Driessen, who ran out the remainder of the set on 'Pig,' Lie in Our Graves,' and a closing 'Ants Marching' featuring both Casey and Tatiana. Dave Matthews Band, Mike McCready: 'Fool In The Rain' (Led Zeppelin) | 9/5/26 Video: Mitch Wight The encore proved just as historic, as Driessen and Hargreaves stuck around for a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Oh, Sister.' The track had not appeared at a full-band show since 2015, and Hargreaves contributed beautiful backing vocals behind Matthews. The band then delivered a sequence of 'American Baby Intro' directly into 'American Baby,' songs that hadn't been played in an encore in over 18 years. Sunday brought a return of the bitter cold, featuring temperatures rarely felt at the Gorge until late September or October. Rain sprinkles fell throughout the afternoon, maintaining a dark and cloudy atmosphere. Youthful openers Sierra Hull and Jesse Welles both proved themselves deserving of a spot on the grand stage—Hull with her world-renowned bluegrass mandolin playing and Welles with his anachronistic folk responses to current events. As DMB's final set of the tour approached, Mother Nature finally broke through the gloom and treated fans to a glowing sunset behind the Columbia River Gorge mountains. Dave Matthews Band opened with the newly reintroduced 'Eh Hee,' and delighted the local crowd by altering the 'Dancing Nancies' lyrics to 'Could I have been lost somewhere in Washington,' before the band navigated a dark, extended outro. The collaborative spirit of the weekend returned in full force when Matthews brought Welles back to the stage for a gorgeous cover of Daniel Lanois' 'The Maker'—a favorite of the Jerry Garcia Band. Then, when the band finished 'So Damn Lucky,' something strange happened. For years, fans have traditionally sung the chorus of Sly and the Family Stone's 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' during the song's outro. Usually, the band obliges, singing along and extending the jam. On Sunday, DMB intentionally ignored the crowd's chant, saving the payoff for a surprise later in the evening. Sierra Hull returned to the stage, lending her mandolin and vocal prowess to a cover of 'Long Black Veil.' Casey Driessen then joined the fold for 'Spoon,' supplying the famous studio violin parts while Hull stepped up to the microphone to sing the verses originally recorded by Alanis Morissette. Tatiana Hargreaves returned next, adding gorgeous string licks to the anti-apartheid anthem 'Cry Freedom.' She then engaged in a fiery, dueling fiddle battle with Driessen on an energetic 'Tripping Billies.' To close the main set, the band finally paid off the earlier tease, playing a full cover of 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)' as a direct message of gratitude to the fans and their touring crew. For the first song of the encore, Matthews invited Hull, Hargreaves, and Driessen to perform 'Papertown,' written for an upcoming documentary of the same name about the closure of a 115-year-old paper mill in North Carolina. After the guests took their final bows, the core band launched into a ferocious 'Two Step.' The rest of the band then departed, leaving Matthews alone on stage. He sent the dedicated community home with 'Good Good Time,' a rarely played, unreleased song. Labor Dave Weekend 2026 provided exactly what fans travel thousands of miles to experience. With the summer tour officially concluded, Dave Matthews Band will appear at Bourbon and Beyond and Ocean's Calling before launching a short fall tour that ends at Madison Square Garden. Below, check out videos from the 2026 Dave Matthews Band run at The Gorge along with photos by Garrett Dorfman. Dave Matthews Band, Stephen Wilson Jr.: 'Time Bomb' | 9/4/26 Video: Mitch Wight View Videos Dave Matthews Band, Casey Driessen: 'Pig' | 9/5/26 Video: TheConcertMan Dave Matthews, Tatiana Hargreaves, Casey Driessen: 'Oh, Sister' (Bob Dylan) Video: Mitch Wight Dave Matthews Band: 'Eh Hee' | 9/6/26 Video: TheConcertMan Dave Matthews Band, Sierra Hull: 'Long Black Veil' (Marijohn Wilkin, Danny Dill) | 9/6/26 Video: TheConcertMan Dave Matthews, Sierra Hull, Casey Driessen, Tatiana Hargreaves: 'Papertown' | 9/6/26 Video: TheConcertMan Dave Matthews: 'Good Good Time' | 9/4/26 Video: TheConcertMan Setlist: Dave Matthews Band | The Gorge Amphitheatre | George, WA | 9/4/26 Set: Seek Up, Grux > Shake Me Like a Monkey, Funny the Way It Is, Lying in the Hands of God, Kill the Preacher, Why I Am, Dive In, Spaceman, Squirm, Alligator Pie, Seven, Time Bomb [1], Baby Blue, You & Me, Corn Bread, Crush, #41, The Best of What's Around Encore: Some Devil, Recently [1] w/ Stephen Wilson Jr. Setlist: Dave Matthews Band | The Gorge Amphitheatre | George, WA | 9/5/26 Set: Pantala Naga Pampa > Grey Street, Joyride, Kit Kat Jam, Warehouse, Lover Lay Down, Broken Things, The Only Thing, Don't Drink the Water, Raven, Sweet Up and Down, Satellite [1], Grace Is Gone [1], Fool in the Rain (Led Zeppelin) [2], Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin), Pig [3], Lie in Our Graves [3], Ants Marching [1] [3] Encore: Oh Sister (Bob Dylan) [1] [3], American Baby Intro > American Baby [1] w/ Tatiana Hargreaves [2] w/ Mike McCready [3] w/ Casey Driessen Setlist: Dave Matthews Band | The Gorge Amphitheatre | George, WA | 9/6/26 Set: Eh Hee, Typical Situation > Drive In Drive Out, Cha Cha, Dancing Nancies, Come Tomorrow, What Would You Say, The Maker (Daniel Lanois) [1], I Did It, One Sweet World, Looking for a Vein, So Damn Lucky, Long Black Veil (Marijohn Wilkin, Danny Dill) [2], Spoon [2] [3], The Last Stop [2], Cry Freedom [4], Tripping Billies [3] [4], Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (Sly & The Family Stone) Encore: Papertown [2] [3] [4], Two Step, Good Good Time [5] [1] w/ Jesse Welles [2] w/ Sierra Hull [3] w/ Casey Driessen [4] w/ Tatiana Hargreaves [5] Dave solo