Dave Matthews Band is perhaps the biggest touring band in America right now. It can pretty much fill up any venue. That was the case Tuesday night at The Palace of Auburn Hills as the venue was filled from the floor to the nosebleed section.

Musically, the band sounded as strong as ever; however, those expecting to hear a non-stop marathon of greatest hits definitely walked away disappointed. With Dave Matthews Band, there is no guarantee that you are going to hear anything as the band is constantly changing its setlist. The band did have an encore with “The Space Between” and “Trippin’ Billies.” Those who left early should be kicking themselves about now.

With the exception of “The Space Between,” there was very little noticeable material from the Everyday album. What fans did get was a preview/performance of songs from the now infamous “Lillywhite Sessions.” However, there seemed to be fewer familiar songs and more obscure material and album cuts. Casual Dave Matthews fans probably walked away upset with that.

Many identify Matthews as the star of the band, but on this night violinist Boyd Tinsley stole the stage. He put everything into his playing, and his movements on stage put Dave’s footwork to shame.

What there was little debate about was opening act and a part of Dave’s ATO Records, Ben Kweller. He might sound good on CD, but on stage he was weak. Kweller came across as a half-assed Ben Folds wannabe. His opening song, which ripped off Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” was the wrong way to start the show. “Sha Sha” was even worse. It’s not uncommon for some empty seats to be present for an opening act, but the high number of empty seats says something. The audience also seemed to have little to no reaction to Kweller’s act, unless you count some of the verbal abuse coming from the nosebleed section.

Kweller’s set was so memorable that at times you forgot that there was even someone on stage. Not even a personal introduction from Dave himself could save the pitiful performance that followed.

Every Dave Matthews Band show is different, so the audience in Cleveland might have had a completely different experience than those who were at the Palace. For die-hard fans, it was great, while casual fans might have been less then happy. It’s these dynamics that make a Dave Matthews show so hard to review. Grade: Dave Matthews Band B-, Ben Kweller D