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Crashing into Dave Matthews

Music Industry students go behind the scenes of a DMB show

By SUNY Oneonta

December 8^th, 2018

More than 20 SUNY Oneonta music industry students and two faculty members got a behind-the-scenes tour of a Dave Matthews Band concert on Dec. 5 at the Albany Times Union Center -– including a surprise Q&A with Matthews himself.

You and me and all our friends

The trip came about through a connection with SUNY Oneonta grad Rit Venerus, the band’s business manager. Venerus is founder and president of Cal Financial Group, a business management firm that serves entertainers in music, film and television, as well as professional athletes.

Music Professor Janet Nepkie, who accompanied the students on the tour, remembers Venerus from her Legal Issues in the Music Industry class. Nancy Tarr, music industry lecturer and fellow Oneonta alum, works with Venerus on a music industry internship nonprofit partially funded by the Bonnaroo Works Fund. The two discovered their SUNY Oneonta connections after Tarr's appointment as executive director of the Well Dunn Foundation, a San Francisco-based organization that helps students across the country land and prepare for internships at top music entertainment industry companies.

Dave Matthews poses for photos with SUNY Oneonta students, faculty and alumus Rit Venerus (second row, last on the right), who arranged the behind-the-scenes tour.

“Meeting an alum who is successful in the industry I am striving to work for was inspiring. It was so cool to meet him because he was literally in our exact shoes! I think it proved to me and to all of my classmates that, ‘Look, you can reach that goal,’ because this alumnus did it with the same education we have.”

--Natalie Costanza '20, Penfield, NY

Look Up, Look Down, All Around

The group spent four hours touring the venue and meeting with staff involved in various aspects of the production, including the DMB tour director, head of security and the production manager, who shared his experiences working with bands such as Queen and Michael Jackson. Most of the employees had been with the band more than 20 years.

The students also learned about lighting design and the process of running lights and hanging projectors for video production. The front-of-house sound operator discussed setting up stage monitors, hanging speakers and how to provide the best sound for the audience.

“It was incredible not only meeting the man behind the Dave Matthews Band's productions but also getting a behind-the-scenes look at a venue of that caliber. I graduated this past Sunday and this trip made me even more eager (if that's even possible) to enter the industry full time."

--Paige Pomerantz '18, High Falls, NY

SO much to say

When Dave Matthews walked into the room, no one was more surprised and excited than Natalie Costanza, a longtime fan who has seen the band five times. Before posing for a group picture, Matthews pulled up a chair and answered questions ranging from why he has always allowed “tapers” to record and share his live music, to how he maintains his creative spark.

Natalie Costanza asks Dave Matthews a question during a surprise Q and A opportunity.

“Meeting Dave Matthews was a dream in its own right. He’s been a hero of mine since I was young, so having the honor of meeting him was breathtaking.”

--David Ormiston ’19, Johnstown, NY

“Meeting Dave Matthews was one of the best moments of my life. I've been listening to him since I was 5 years old. My dad played and still plays in a bunch of cover bands, and he played in a DMB tribute band once or twice. I was hooked!”

--Alex Marro ’19, Ilion, NY

people in every direction

The entire group got pit wristbands and watched the concert a few rows from the stage. The 2+-hour show included four songs from the band’s most recent album, which was released in June and made DMB the first group in history to have seven consecutive albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The concert featured a mix of songs dating back to the band’s first album in 1993, including fan favorites “What Would You Say” and “Don’t Drink the Water,” as well as covers of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion” and Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.” The night ended with an encore performance of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” -- with a splash of the Led Zeppelin classic “Stairway to Heaven” mixed in.

“Seeing the performance live and up close really brought everything we learned in the classroom full circle. I was able to see things like the light and audio production firsthand. It was also valuable to see the stage set up and how stage design truly can encompass a performance. It was cool to be up so close to the stage because you could really see the performers PERFORM. You could see their expressions and how they communicated with each other, which was awesome.”

--Natalie Costanza '20, Penfield, NY

One Sweet Souvenir

Emily Peter was one of the lucky few to catch a guitar pick bearing the Dave Matthews Band "fire dancer" at the end of the show!

"The tour, the guitar pick and the VIP tickets were all just an added bonus after getting to hear everyone speak. Hearing all the different paths the crew took was very inspiring. I'm not exactly sure where I want to go or what I want to do, and it’s comforting knowing so many successful people get to where they are, sometimes, just by chance. ”