Dave Matthews Band celebrated the Fourth of July holiday at a familiar stop as the group headlined Saratoga Performing Arts Center for the 32nd and 33rd time in the band’s storied career and brought along with them an equally familiar collaborator–Bela Fleck. With seven musicians already on stage in DMB, it can be hard for an eighth to come on and make his/her presence known, but Fleck is one of those musicians who blends in with the band’s sound while also being able to carve out his own space within their songs.

This weekend at SPAC, while the music world fixated on the happenings at Soldier Field, Fleck and DMB teamed up for some of their finest collaborations to date as the banjo extraordinaire added another layer to some of DMB’s finest material such as “The Dreaming Tree,” “Typical Situation” and “#41.” The gem of the run, however, was a surprise cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil” on July 4th in the acoustic set. A fitting nod to the band playing their final shows in the Midwest and a DMB debut. 

Below are a few selections that have surfaced on YouTube thus far. Fleck also sat in on a roaring “Lie in Our Graves” as well as “Grace is Gone,” “Ants Marching,” “Satellite,” “Corn Bread,” “Grey Street” and “Don’t Drink the Water.” 

“Friend of the Devil”

“The Dreaming Tree”

“Typical Situation”

“#41”