Crowd Soaks Up Dave Matthews' Tunes, Rain At Amphitheatre

It's summer in Florida and that means two things: rain and acoustic rock.

The Dave Matthews Band took center stage Wednesday at the Ford Amphitheatre after a short rain delay. Opening for DMB was the British indie rock band Gomez.

However, the headliners had to wait for Mother Nature, who played her own concert, complete with lightning, torrential rain and even a cheering crowd.

Concertgoers in soaked T-shirts sought refuge under the giant band shell while equipment technicians hurried to cover the soundboard with plastic to protect it from the rain blowing in from the west end.

A large screen of lights turned on like an oversized Lite-Brite about 8:30 p.m., signaling the start of the show and sending the crowd to their feet. The band kicked things off with "Don't Drink the Water" as thunder boomed in the background, erupting the crowd into cheer.

Matthews stood in the middle of the stage wearing a black button-down shirt with band members - Carter Beauford (drums), Stefan Lessard (bass), Boyd Tinsley (violin) and Rashawn Ross (trumpet) - flared out behind him. They also jammed out to "Seek Up," "So Damn Lucky" and "The Song That Jane Likes."

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones saxophonist Jeff Coffin replaced band mate LeRoi Moore, who was injured during an ATV accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Va.

Coffin will appear with DMB for the remainder of the summer tour. Also onstage was friend and guitarist Tim Reynolds, who recorded with the band on the 1998 album "Before These Crowded Streets."

A kaleidoscope of color danced on the underside of the band shell while the band got lost in the songs, which was encouraged by screaming fans. The players took their time allowing lengthy solos from one another.

Say what you want about DMB, these big boys came to play and they actually looked like they were enjoying themselves. At least the crowd of 16,941 was.