It started off as an innocent interest in my early twenties, but over the years it’s spiraled out of control, becoming an obsession - much the same way it has with millions of college students on campuses throughout the country. Dave Matthews Band, or DMB as most Dave-lovers know it, is an addiction for many young people - and for those who are just young at heart.

Headed up by the band’s namesake - the 40-year-old vocalist whose soulful, deep and often sultry voice and thoughtful and reflective lyrics are so contagious they tend to leave fans jumping up and down and demanding an encore at the end of shows - the Dave Matthews Band once again proved Friday, Sept. 28 at Chula Vista’s Coors Amphitheatre that they have what it takes to give an unforgettable performance.

Dave Matthews Band was ranked fourth by Pollstar in the top five grossing concert tours of the year, with his live performances drawing in more than $1,302,309. And although the band has never had a single in the top ten, it continues to sell out concerts throughout the country and has drawn in more than $57 million alone during its 2005 North American tour, according to an article published Sept. 28 by the San Diego Union Tribune.

Playing on Friday for an audience of screaming and swaying fans who were up in their seats bouncing around and dancing wildly during the first song of the evening “Grey Street,” the Dave Matthews Band played for a nearly sold out crowd in the warm Southern California community - minutes away from the Tijuana border. Women cried and begged for their favorite songs -many of which, including “Dream Girl” and “Crush,” were played by the talented musicians during their nearly-three-hour set - and many Dave fanatics high-fived and stomped around happily when Dave and Co. broke out into big-time jam sessions during “Warehouse,” “Jimi Thing” and “So Much to Say.”

For this second-time Dave concert-goer, the set he played couldn’t have got much better - aside from not playing “Two Step,” “Lie In Our Graves” and the signature “Watchtower,” DMB amazed and mesmerized the audience with his resonating voice and talented band mates, including ultimate breakdowns form drummer Carter Beauford and Boyd Tinsley’s violin solos. Opening the show with “Grey Street” blew most people’s minds, as rows and rows of fans turned to each other in amazement and erupted into a roar so loud it could likely be heard in Mexico.

“When I look out past the first five rows at our concerts and the faces in the crowd are younger, it (shows) that what we’re doing is honest enough that people can look past the labels,” Matthews said in an interview during a North Carolina tour stop, days before arriving to play in sunny San Diego. “I’m not saying ‘honest’ about what I’m singing, although I hope I’m that way, but in how we present ourselves. We don’t play anything that we don’t feel is essential and honest.”

With lights flashing and huge screen projections of Dave and the band on stage for those in the back rows, Mr. Matthews - frequently a man of few words while performing with the band as opposed to his solo gigs - told the audience he was happy to see so many faces that had united and come together that evening, especially during a time when war and split opinions were so rampant.

Taking very few breaks in between songs, Dave busted through an energetic set, including “Everyday,” “Dancing Nancies,” “Stay (Wasting Time),” and emerged ten minutes after leaving the stage to play an acoustic rendition of “Gravedigger” and was then backed up by band mates, sending fans on their way with a final “Tripping Billies”- relating the message “So why would you care to get out of this place? You and me and all our friends, such a happy human race;” perhaps a nod to the singer’s message earlier in the show.

The chemistry between band members is a huge part of what keeps fans coming back for more and after playing for more than a decade and half together, the group’s close ties and musical intuitions while on stage are expected and quite evident.

In 1991, that Dave Matthews and band members Boyd Tinsley (violin), Carter Beauford (drums), LeRoi Moore (saxophone) and Stefan Lessard (bass) all came together in Charlottesville, Virginia. Matthews, who was trying to record several songs he’d written, joined forces with Moore and Beauford and the result was a phenomenon that has carried over through more than a decade and dedicated fans that can’t get enough of the bands performances, which are always unusual in the variations and combinations of songs and guest artists, such as Warren Haynes of the jam band Allman Brothers.

Although they have perfected the ultimate performance strategies, DMB will always continue to be meticulous with their music, according to Matthews. The group recently released the single “Eh Hee” along with a music video to accompany it that Matthews self-produced. Self-criticism in his work is key, he said.

“I do think that it’s really always going to be a battle to try and get it right,” Matthews said during the North Carolina interview. “So I attempt to survive it and come out not too humiliated by the experience, which is weird because I know that, generally, it’s a very positive thing. But I think that I judge myself fairly severely. At the same time, I have the tendency to delegate responsibility, which is part of what the greatness of the band is - that we all give away responsibility - although I struggle with the idea of how successfully I’m participating. And it’s just rock ‘n’ roll is what the bottom line should be. So I should let it go, but I can’t be anything but what I am. If this is what I do, then I have to do it well.”

One thing is for sure: Dave and the boys don’t appear to be taking their responsibility to entertain very lightly. This DMB fanatic couldn’t help skipping out of Coors and couldn’t help feeling - as the band played its last few chords and Dave belted “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we’ll die” -that at that moment, I couldn’t have been more alive.