Bartender (Dave Matthews Band song)

Infobox Song
Name = Bartender


Caption =
Type =
Artist = Dave Matthews Band
alt Artist =
Album = Busted Stuff
Published =
Released = July 16, 2002
track_no = 11
Recorded =
Genre = Rock
Length = 8:31
Writer = David J. Matthews
Composer = David J. Matthews
Label = RCA
Producer = Stephen Harris
Audio sample? = yes
Tracks =
prev = "Big Eyed Fish"
prev_no = 10
next = None
next_no =
Misc = Extra tracklisting
altAlbum = The Lillywhite Sessions
Type = studio
Length = 10:07
Label = RCA
prev_track = "Captain"
prev_no = Track 8
this_track = "Bartender"
track_no = Track 9
next_track = "Monkey Man"
next_no = Track 10"Bartender" is one of Virginia band Dave Matthews Band's most popular live songs featured on their studio album "Busted Stuff". The song was one of the many that carried over from the near-abandoned project that is "The Lillywhite Sessions".

The song is about a man, while talking to a bartender, dealing with thoughts of his own death. The man talks to his family, telling them not to have certain feelings about him if he goes before his time. If "The Lillywhite Sessions" album is considered a Dave Matthews Band studio album, then "Bartender" is the longest Dave Matthews Band song ever recorded and the only one over ten minutes.

Structurally, the song starts with a single note introduction before moving into the lyrical section with march-style drumming by Carter Beauford. After the lyrics finish, the song begins an extended jam session featuring emotional, improvised vocals by Dave Matthews.

Prior to the death of LeRoi Moore, the jam built into a loud climax before decrescendoing into a pennywhistle solo/outro. After Moore was incapacitated and was forced to leave the Summer 2008 tour shortly before his death, Jeff Coffin performed a similar solo in Moore's place, which was also split up with an electric guitar solo featuring Tim Reynolds. Since Moore's death, the song has so far maintained the original structure established during the Moore era.

When performed live, the song becomes much longer (sometimes 15+ minutes) and certain songs were interpolated into it by LeRoi Moore, such as "If I Only Had a Brain" (as heard on "Live Trax Vol. 6").

After the August 19, 2008 death of LeRoi Moore, the band dedicated the song to his memory. [Cite web |url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/article/10937/dave-matthews-bands-leroi-moore-passes-away/ |title=Dave Matthews Band’s LeRoi Moore Passes Away |publisher=Access Hollywood |date=2008-08-20 |accessdate=2008-08-20]

Music sample

References