So Much To Say: Dave Matthews Band 20 years On the Road by Nikki Van Noy

(Simon and Schuster) One of the most telling things about the book is how clear it makes it that the size and devotion and financial commitment of the Dave Matthews Band fanbase/fanclub is remarkable. Van Noy is an admitted DMB superfan, which means that the book’s gushy praise is sincere, but it doesn’t mean that this history/tour diary/love letter isn’t a cynical cash in book that turns a less-than-critical eye at a band  to please the gotta-have-it customers/fans. I’m not personally bit by the DMB bug, but I did once spent a half-hour having Charlie Benante of Anthrax try to convince me I should be, so I’m minutely susceptible, and I will say one thing that this book convinced me of (which may make me give a second listen): the dynamic descriptions of the concerts evoke less Grateful Dead and more E-Street band, which is a lot more appealing.