One of the hardest touring bands in music is charting its concert dates for its annual summer tour. Dave Matthews and company will kick off their North American tour in at Hartford, Connecticut’s Comcast Theatre on May 28 and subsequently wrap things up at St Paul’s Xcel Energy Center on September 15. The band will hit 40 cities in total. Tickets go onsale to the general public on February 26 via Ticketmaster. Warehouse members, Dave Matthews fan club members, will have the chance to request tickets starting Thursday (1/28). Full Dave Matthews Band tour dates are listed below.

They have plenty of support joining them for the upcoming tour. Depending on the stop you may see the likes of Zac Brown Band, Ben Harper, Gov’t Mule, Brett Dennen or Raphael Saadiq among others. The band is set to perform at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night (1/31) and their latest album ‘Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King’ is up for two Grammys – Album of the Year and Best Rock Album.

The band will officially kick off its 2010 tour in Hamburg, Germany on February 16 which will fold into a month long outing in Europe.

2010 Dave Matthews Band
May 2010
28, 29 – Hartford, CT – Comcast Theatre

June 2010
1 – Toronto, Ontario – Molson Amphitheatre
2 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
4, 5 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
7, 8 – Mansfield, MA – Comcast Center
15 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
16 – Maryland Heights, MO – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
18, 19 – Noblesville, IN – Verizon Wireless Music Center
22 – Columbus, OH – Huntington Park
23 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Center
25 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center
30 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center

July 2010
1 – Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
3, 4 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre
9 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
10- Pittsburgh, PA – PNC Park
13- Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
14- Scranton, PA – Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
16, 17 – New York, NY – Citi Field
20 – Virginia Beach, VA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
21 – Charlotte, NC – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
23 – Washington, DC – Nationals Park
25 – Louisville, KY – Churchill Downs Music Festival
27 – Atlanta, GA – Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
28 – Tampa, FL – Ford Amphitheatre
30, 31 – West Palm Beach, FL – Cruzan Amphitheatre

August 2010
14 – Wichita, KS – InTrust Bank Arena
17 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
20 – Chula Vista, CA – Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
21 – Irvine, CA – Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
23 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
25 – Concord, CA – Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
27 – Marysville, CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre
28 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
31 – Boise, ID – Taco Bell Arena

September 2010
3-5 – George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre
10 – Woodlands, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
11 – Dallas, TX – Superpages.com Center
14 – Omaha, NE – Qwest Center
15 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center

Well it’s official. 2009 is days away from coming to a close so it’s time to pull out all of those best of the decade lists. They are exhaustive, tedious and largely subjective, but this one is interesting. Pollstar has released a list of the most successful touring artists over the past decade judged by box office receipts. The touring machine that is Dave Matthews Band took top honors pulling in $529.1 million on 11.6 million tickets sold. Celine Dion, Kenny Chesney, Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones round out the top 5 with James Taylor sliding into the number 50 slot. $116.3 million still isn’t a bad haul for a man long past his prime. There aren’t too many surprises snuck in here. Most of your arena bands are represented. Who will be the topping the charts when we look back in 2019? Only time will tell.

1. Dave Matthews Band; $529.1 million; 11.6 million.
2. Celine Dion; $522.2; 4.
3. Kenny Chesney; $455.6; 8.6.
4. Bruce Springsteen; $444.3; 5.7.
5. The Rolling Stones; $426.9; 3.2.
6. U2; $391; 4.4.
7. Madonna; $325.3; 2.1.
8. Eagles; $313.4; 2.8.
9. Elton John; $286.4; 2.5.
10. Jimmy Buffett; $285.8; 4.5.
11. Toby Keith; $273.8; 6.4.
12. Cher; $263.5; 3.5.
13. Elton John/Billy Joel; $261.6; 2.3.
14. Bon Jovi; $241.4; 3.2.
15. Metallica; $225.5; 3.6.
16. Rascal Flatts; $222.4; 4.5.
17. Paul McCartney; $221.4; 1.4.
18. NSYNC; 196.4; 3.8.
19. Britney Spears; $195.7; 3.5.
20. Trans-Siberian Orchestra; $194.9; 4.7.
21. Aerosmith; $193.2; 3.2.
22. Tim McGraw/Faith Hill; $189.9; 2.7.
23. George Strait; $184.7; 3.1
24. The Police; $181.2; 1.7.
25. Neil Diamond; $179.4; 2.7.
26. Barry Manilow; $173.9; 1.7.
27. Bob Dylan; $161.1; 3.4.
28. “American Idols Live”; $156.8; 3.
29. “Ozzfest”; $154.9; 3.4.
30. Rod Stewart; $153.9; 2.1.
31. “Vans Warped Tour”; $152.9; 5.1.
32. Van Halen; $147.8; 1.6.
33. Fleetwood Mac; $146.2; 1.7.
34. Brooks & Dunn; $144.4; 3.8.
35. AC/DC; $144.3; 2.1.
36. Coldplay; $142.9; 2.6.
37. Eric Clapton; $139.3; 1.9.
38. Luis Miguel; $137; 2.1.
39. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers; $136; 3.
40. Nickelback; $135.8; 3.3.
41. Dixie Chicks; $134.9; 2.6.
42. Tim McGraw; $133.7; 2.7.
43. Backstreet Boys; $132.4; 2.6.
44. Brad Paisley; $129.7; 3.3.
45. Tina Turner; $127.9; 1.7.
46. Bette Midler; $126; 1.1.
47. Billy Joel; $123.4; 1.4.
48. Barbra Streisand; $119.5; 0.4.
49. Phish; $116.7; 2.6.
50. James Taylor; $116.3; 2.6.

When you’ve got a sprawling complex like Churchill Downs, you’ve got to figure out how to get more use out of it than a few horse races a year. The home of the famous Kentucky Derby is opening its gates for stars of the musical variety this coming summer. It will play host to a 3-day music festival called HullabaLOU set for July 23-25. A host of big name acts have already attached themselves to the festival including Kenny Chesney, Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews Band. 65 bands are said to play the festival and they will range from country and bluegrass to classic rock and adult contemporary. Other bands associated with the event include Loretta Lynn, the Black Crowes, Kansas, the Steve Miller Band, The Doobie Brothers, Dwight Yoakam, Michael McDonald, Gladys Knight, Steppenwolf, 38 Special, Taj Mahal and The O’Jays.

There will be five stages setup throughout the 147-acre facility, and the event promoters plan on this becoming an annual event at Churchill Downs. Officials see the event pulling in 30,000 people each of the 3 days, and the economic impact on the Louisville area is said to clock in around $38 million. The event is largely an effort for Churchill Downs to assert itself as an industry leader in live entertainment. In recent years, Churchill Downs has played host to major headlining acts like the Rolling Stones and the Police. It has also been drumming up additional revenue via hosting night horse races.

Tickets go onsale Friday on Ticketmaster and range from a single day pass for $60 up to a VIP 3-day package for $975 for the high rollers.

2010 HullabaLOU Festival Schedule
July 2010
23 – Louisville, KY – Churchill Downs
24 – Louisville, KY – Churchill Downs
25 – Louisville, KY – Churchill Downs

The Dave Matthews Band latest album, “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King” debuted in the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s US album chart after selling 424,000 copies in the first week out in stores.

It was this year’s third highest first week sales, behind “Relapse” by Eminem which sold 608,000 copies and ”No Line on the Horizon” by U2 which sold 484,000 copies, based on retail figures from Nielsen SoundScan reported by Billboard.

“Relapse,” after holding the No. 1 spot for two weeks, dropped down to No. 2 with sales of 141,000 copies. “Uplifter” from 311 debuted in the No. 3 spot with its first week sales of 60,000. The self-titled debut from Chickenfoot, despite having a short first week due to its release on Friday, debuted on the chart with the No. 4 spot after selling 52,000 copies.

“21st Century Breakdown” from Green Day and the soundtrack for “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” each dropped two spots into No. 4 and No. 5 with respective sales of 52,000 and 50,000 copies.

The top 10 rounds out with “New Again” from Taking Back Sunday, debuting at No. 7 with sales of 48,000 copies; “The Fame” from Lady GaGa in the No. 8 spot with 47,000 copies sold; “Greatest Hits II” from Kenny Chesney at No. 9 with sales of 39,000 copies; and “Fearless” from Taylor Swift in the No. 10 spot with sales of 36,000 copies.

The Dave Matthews Band, with a spring and summer tour that is already quite extensive underway, is giving their fans an online free preview of their upcoming set “Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King.”

Currently, the entire album is streaming via Pandora. The band kicked a run of dates off in Darien Center, NY on May 27. “Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King” will be released on June 2. It will mark the band’s first studio album in four years as well as the first since saxophonist LeRoi Moore’s passing last summer.

The Dave Matthews Band continues their work out on the road on May 29 with two nights at Fenway Park in Boston along with Willie Nelson & Family. In late June and early July the band will cross the pond for a European leg before they return to the United States for 34 festival, amphitheater and theater performances through the early part of October. Dave Matthews Band will be featured on the PBS show “Austin City Limits” for their season premiere on October 3 and will be headlining the show’s festival as well that same night.

To celebrate the June 2 release of their new album, the band will be playing a benefit concert at Beacon Theatre in New York City on June 1. Proceeds will go to Bama Works Fund. The nonprofit organization provide grants for a wide range of artistic, educational, environmental and humanitarian programs. The performance will be airing live as well as commercial free on Fuse, the music network, starting at 9 pm EST. It will also be shown on Hulu.com, the first live music concert ever for Hulu.

In addition on June 1-8 on Sirius XM, the band will be hosting their own music channel. The 24 hour, week long broadcast will be featuring material from then entire catalog of the band’s spanning over almost two decades.

Austin City Limits Festival, after roster rumors that went on for month, has announced their official lineup. It includes Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Beastie Boys and Pearl Jam.

The eighth edition for the three day event will take place at Zilker Park in Austin on October 2-4. The festival will feature 130 bands playing on eight stages. Also on the bill are the Toadies, The B-52′s, Sonic Youth, John Legend, Thievery Corporation, Relentless7 and Ben Harper, along with The Dead Weather, the latest musical endeavor from Jack White.

Three day general admission passes can be purchased at the festival’s website along with VIP credentials. In upcoming weeks single day tickets are going to be made available.

The festival is based on “Austin City Limits,” the public television program that films live musician performances from the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. It is the longest running program of concert music on television today. The show first went on the air in 1976.

On April 14 via Twitter, the Dave Matthews Band made an announcement that fans will be able to download “Funny the Way It Is,” the latest single from the band, next week for free.

The single is the first track on the forthcoming album from the band “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King” that will be released on June 2. The download will be available on the website for RCA Records.

The announcement was made over Twitter, the social networking platform, as a tweet. Stefan Lessard, bassist, and Dave Matthews are both big fans of Twitter. The message stated that they wanted to start the day off giving their fans some new music and gave the free download link for “Funny The Way It Is.”

“Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King” is the first studio album from the band since saxophonist LeRoi Moore died last summer. Tim Reynolds, guitarist, returned to record with the band. It was the first time since recording “Before These Crowded Streets” with Dave Matthews Band in 1998.

Dave Matthews Band is kicking off their new tour on April 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City to support their upcoming album. The expansive outing will keep the band on road across the United States through early October.

The Dave Matthews Band has announced that they will be playing two shows in Boston at Fenway Park during their upcoming tour.

The shows at Fenway will be on May 29th and 30th. Supporting the concerts will be Willie Nelson & Family. It will be the first appearances for the band at the ballpark since they performed two sold out concerts in 2006.

Members of Dave Matthews Band fan club will have the first opportunity to get tickets for the shows in Boston. Requests through their fan association website can be made through March 11. A random drawing will select fans that are eligible for buying four tickets each for the two performances.

The tour will kick off in New York City on April 14. The spring leg will conclude in Las Vegas on May 9. The summer and fall part of the trek will get underway in Darien Center, NY on May 27 and wrap up in Tulsa, OK on October 2.

A number of different acts will be taking turns as the opener on the tour, including Femi Kuti & the Positive Force, Hold Steady, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Robert Earl Keen, The Avett Brothers, Old Crow Medicine Show and Jason Mraz. On the band’s website are details showing which acts will be appearing for each show.

The Dave Matthews Band on their upcoming tour will be backing their new studio album. “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King” will be released to stores on June 2. Rob Cavallo (My Chemical Romance, Green Day) produced the set. It follows “Stand Up” from 2005, the fourth Dave Matthews Band album in a row to debut at No. 1 on the US album chart.

Band members Dave Matthews (guitar, vocals), Boyd Tinsley (violin), Stefan Lessard (bass), and Carter Beauford (drums), will be joined by Tim Reynolds, guitarist on the road and album, as well as saxophonist Jeff Coffin and trumpeter Rashawn Ross.

The band is continuing to cope with their loss of LeRoi Moore, founding band member and saxophonist, who died due to complications from injuries suffered last summer during a vehicle accident. The forthcoming set from the group, “Live Trax Vol. 14” will be capturing the final concert performance of the saxophonist last summer in Bristow, VA. According to the Dave Matthews Band website, recording proceeds will be going to the charitable organizations best reflecting the passions and spirit of Moore.

Dave Matthews Band, Wilco and Widespread Panic (playing two nights) will be the headliners for 10,000 Lakes Festival to be held July 22-25 in Detroit Lakes, MN at Soo Pass Ranch.

The lineup of acts that have been confirmed for the four day 7th annual camping and music event also includes Railroad Earth, Junior Brown, Tea Leaf Green, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings and Umphrey’s McGee among many other acts.

According to a festival press release, the 500 acre grounds of Soo Pass Ranch feature many conveniences, including permanent bathroom facilities, 100 showers with hot water and running water stations.

Upgrade VIP packages and general admission Tier 1 tickets are available now. VIP packages include two VIP box seating areas at the Main Stage, drink tickets, catered hot meals and a preferential camping spot that is located right behind the Main Stage. Additional information can be found on the website for the event.