Dave Matthews Band

Love him or hate him, Dave Matthews puts on a hell of a concert. The beloved, balding troubadour of contemporary folk pop and his band have had ears for well-composed songs since their glistening Under the Table and Dreaming album was released to acclaim in 1994. College kids loved it, parents loved it, practically everyone who heard it loved it. The Dave Matthews Band became international stars seemingly overnight. Their follow-up, Crash, held the new anthems for suburban teenagers; in some burgs, if you didn't like DMB in the mid-'90s, you definitely weren't getting laid. They've slowed down some over the years, not in quality but in media visibility, and are more involved these days with live recordings and good causes. When it comes to putting music and fame in service to charity, Matthews has become the American Bono — and like Bono, there are lots of people who can't stand him too. When he and the band hit South Florida this week, they'll be fresh from a benefit concert for the victims of the shootings at Virginia Tech last spring. Matthews caught some slack for inviting Nas on that gig — conservatives cried foul; Fox whined — but he stuck to his guns. If you're feeling his new song "Eh Hee," watch him perform it live. And if Matthews isn't your thing, consider this: Legendary reggae group the Wailers are opening.