A car with "DMB BTCS" license plates in the middle of a traffic jam near Polaris could mean only one thing: The Dave Matthews Band was in town.

An unofficial Columbus summer event for more than a decade, Matthews’ annual visit to Germain Amphitheater is usually a two-night affair. But the band scheduled just one night this year and didn’t make up for the lack of an extra show.

The performance started out promisingly. Matthews greeted those in the almost-sold-out venue by sticking out his hand to catch an imaginary raindrop. The umbrella-wielding fans laughed as the band started the set with a taste of Pantala Naga Pampa from Before These Crowded Streets, then launched into a funky take on Rapunzel. A segue into a downright jazzy One Sweet World kept the beat going for five minutes.

The band moved on to its biggest hit, Crash Into Me — a surprise so early in the evening. Even fans who had been hollering for live favorites Warehouse and #41 screamed their approval. The excitement peaked when Matthews sang the song’s first "crash!" in his signature whisper and the backdrop curtains came tumbling down to reveal his already-sweaty face on three TV screens.

The surprises were over.

After the divine Crash Into Me, a 10-minute Lie in Our Graves featured an extended violin riff from the toothy Boyd Tinsley and a boring four-minute piano dirge. The tempo for the rest of the show was fairly downbeat, save for a tight JTR and a one-two punch of So Much To Say and Too Much, which brought fans to their feet, clapping in unison.

The band even slammed on the brakes for a few moments of slow-motion jamming during Too Much, another all-too-rare moment of spontaneity.

Two so-so new tunes and a lengthy Crush drew the set to a close, but not before a lively Stay (Wasting Time) revived the energy for an encore of by-thenumbers versions of Digging a Ditch and Tripping Billies to send Matthews’ followers home happy.

Although the band made no room for All Along the Watchtower or any other cover, the show was not devoid of impromptu remakes.

Openers G. Love & Special Sauce treated early birds to a delightfully n-word-free rendition of Kanye West’s Gold Digger.

ahampp@dispatch.com