Dave Matthews Band and fans meet for the first show at the Ruoff Music Center

These guys are obviously so in tune with each other, and I don’t just mean their instruments. I mean emotionally, spiritually, mentally. They’re also great artists and know how to make music that moves together and moves people. From the keys and guitars to the drums, trumpet and saxophone (and flute!), everything was top notch.

Want more? Here are all the acts coming to the Ruoff Music Center this summer

I’m tired of Dave Matthews

What he does is not easy.

Three hours of singing, screaming, slight wiggling, and a single jump might not sound like much, but consider that it was 90 degrees outside and quite humid when he took the stage. And he does it twice in Indianapolis, and has been touring the Midwest with it for the past few weeks. The quality of his voice is fantastic for someone who pushes his vocal instrument so hard almost every night. But as physically exhausted as he surely was, Matthew’s stage presence is delightful. He is a charismatic artist who clearly loves what he does.

One thing surprised me, and this is more of a neutral comment than a criticism of his stage presence: Although fans seem to have a close relationship with Matthews as a frontman and artist, he spent very little time talking to the audience. Aside from greeting the crowd and thanking everyone for coming, the first time he said anything substantive to the audience was about an hour and a half in when he introduced “Black and Blue Bird.” Although there was a lot of interaction between Matthews and his audience during the sing-along Friday night, I’m not sure I’ve ever been to a concert where there was as little chatter on stage as there was at Friday night’s show.