Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour

It wouldn’t be summer without Dave Matthews & Company. This year’s tour begins at the end of May and runs through September with special guests including Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Felice Brothers and Zac Brown Band appearing on select dates.

Not only is Dave Matthews Band one of the biggest touring acts in the world, but the group is also the No. 1 touring band of the past 10 years, selling 11.6 million tickets from 1999 to 2009 and taking in $529.1 million at the turnstiles.

Photo: AP Photo

Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin, TX

But that shouldn’t surprise any DMB fan, for great albums supported by steady touring is still a tried-and-true method for success.

The summer tour begins with two nights in Hartford, Conn. – May 28-29 – at the Comcast Theatre. On June 1 the band plays Toronto’s Molson Amphitheatre followed by the Darien Lake Performing Arts Center at Darien Center, N.Y., June 2 and two nights at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., June 4-5.

Other stops include Mansfield, Ma. (June 7-8), Cincinnati (June 15), Noblesville (Indianapolis market – June 18-19), Clarkston (Detroit market – June 23) Pittsburgh (July 10) and Wichita (Aug. 14). Last DMB date is Sept. 15 in St. Paul,. Minn., at the Xcel Energy Center.

The band will also play a free show at the Usana Amphitheatre in West Valley City, Utah, Aug. 17 to make up for canceling a 2009 gig at the same venue. Fans who purchased tickets for last year’s concert will be contacted with instructions on how to obtain free tickets for this summer’s concert. After last year’s ticketholders are taken care of, DMB will open up the remaining tickets to the public through a special offering to be announced.

As with any Dave Matthews Band tour, the artists appearing as guests on the bill are definitely worth noting.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings appear May 28-29; The Felice Brothers Jun 1-5; Yonder Mountain String Band June 7-8; Robert Earl Keen June 15-22; Martin Sexton June 23-July 1; Zac Brown Band July 3-10, July 16-17 & July 23; Amos Lee July 13-14 & July 20-21; Gov’t Mule July 27-31; Black Joe Louis & The Honeybears Aug. 14, Sept. 10-15; Brett Dennen Aug. 17-21; Raphael Saadiq Aug. 23-28 and Ben Harper and Relentless7 Sept. 3-5.

An online ticket request period begins Jan. 28 and continues through Feb. 8. General public onsale begin Feb. 26. For more information, click here for the Dave Matthews Band Web site.

Click here for Pollstar’s top 50 tours of the decade.