I am unable to find out anything about this so-called contributor to the Cincinnati Enquirer.  He apparently reviews concerts for the newspaper although why they print his material is anyone’s guess.  I looked for information regarding Varias and his background and such, but I came up completely empty.  The only things I could find are how people bash him for his inane reviews of concerts.

He reviewed last night’s DMB show in Cincinnati, and he is obviously not a fan.  Here are some excerpts:

If you missed this particular Dave Matthews Band show, but saw it the year before, or the year before that, or so on, you’re OK and you’re all caught up.

Actually not true at all.  There was no show last year, and the show the year before that was way different than this year’s show.

It’s certainly not for everyone, but it is for a lot of people. About 17,500 people turned out, another huge crowd for one of Matthews’ annual Riverbend appearances.

Perhaps the stupidest thing to write in a review of anything.  Nothing is for everyone, except perhaps water and oxygen. (my emphasis)

Selections ranged from relatively straight-ahead five-minute rock selections like “You Might Die Trying” to the endless-jam-slash-drum-solo “Two Step.” Matthews started the show playing a ukulele on “Sweet,” played a little bit of upright piano on the ballad “Mercy,” and closed things out with an “All Along the Watchtower” so bombastic that it made Jimi Hendrix’s version sound like Bob Dylan’s.

You Might Die Trying actually comes in at a bit over 8 minutes, while Two Step is slightly over 15 minutes, which, again for some people might be a long time, for most DMB fans, it is actually a bit shorter than normal.  I can’t even respond to the All Along The Watchtower comment because it is simply too idiotic.

The rest? Well, meh.  The guy obviously hates DMB.  Why and how he gets to review a show like that for a paper is ridiculous.  It would be like asking Herman Goring to pen an editorial on the virtues of Jews in society.

Here’s the absolute highlight of this post, in my opinion.  I found an act that Varias does like.

English: Barry Manilow at the premiere of Bette Midler's movie "The Rose", November 7, 1979 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Barry Manilow is still a hit with the girls, just like back in 1974, when he broke through with “Mandy.” His 90-minute concert at the Bank of Kentucky Center Friday night was punctuated with the same type of rapturous outbursts that might be heard from a crowd at a [Justin] Bieber show.

If you’ve got time to waste, I suggest reading through the comments on that DMB review.  DMB fans don’t take kindly to assholes dissing their favorite band.

Obviously.