CES 2014: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Light Up Rayovac Party

With attendees of the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show settled into the appropriate nightlife rhythm of Las Vegas after Tuesday evening’s round of opening night parties (including, as we brought you, a killer show by John Legend at the Sound United bash), Wednesday night is when the party scene really gets serious.

But with all due respect to some of the cool shows that had CESers bouncing Wednesday (such as a rollicking 75-minute set by legendary rockers Fleetwood Mac at Monster’s 2014 Retailer Awards over at the Paris Hotel), no ticket was hotter than an invite to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 

And, as always, CraveOnline was there to witness what happens when A-level talent and corporate VPs and their wives collide.

Matthews and Reynolds, headliners at the Rayovac corporate party in honor of the company’s charitable work, were met with an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd of several hundred partiers as they opened with a spirited dueling guitar session on “So Damn Lucky” from Matthews’ 2003 solo debut.

But over the course of their 90-minute performance, the night belonged to many of the crowd-pleasers in the DMB catalog as the long-time collaborators unspooled a bevy of Dave Matthews Band hits, including the soaring “Satellite,” the slow-burning ramble of “Don’t Drink the Water” and the arm-in-arm camaraderie of the sing-along favorite “You & Me.”

While performers of Matthews’ caliber don’t always feel compelled to connect and banter with their audience much at paid corporate gigs like this one, Matthews seemed genuinely engaged, entertaining the crowd with stories of eating live ants in Africa, cowboys in “the Vegas” and the odd allure of a man with two penises growing out of his head (trust us — it didn’t make much more sense to those in attendance, either).

The audience (which, in addition to Rayovac bigwigs and CES attendees, also included a gaggle of well-lubricated, boisterous and obviously well-connected DMB superfans in the first few rows) even turned the tables on Matthews, belting out a heart-felt, if slightly aggressive and throaty rendition of “Happy Birthday” in honor of the singer’s 47th birthday Thursday.

Making note that many fans clearly had taken advantage of the party’s open-bar here in “the Vegas,” a sheepish Matthews thanked the well-wishers for their “deep masculine love” and even admitted, “I’m enjoying it in a slightly frightening way.”

While the crowd remained seated for more than half of the set (it was still a corporate gig, don’t forget), a few brave souls venturing toward the stage, coupled with no immediate threat from security, opened the floodgates as the crowd surged forward to fill “the space between” the seats and the now fan-encircled stage.

Matthews took it in stride, talking directly to many fans now just 5-10 feet away from him before he and Reynolds capped the night with “Lie in Our Graves,” a gripping 8-minute version of “Crush” and returning to the stage for the jam-tastic encore “Two Step.”

SETLIST:

So Damn Lucky
Grace is Gone
Satellite
Don’t Drink the Water
If Only
You & Me
Take Me to Tomorrow
Save Me
Lie In Our Graves
Crush
Two Step

Thanks to the fine folks at Rayovac for the invite!

CES 2014: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds Live; Rayovac Party, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, 1/8/14