With July 4 weirdly on a Wednesday, this week’s Tuesday night is basically a Friday. Since the following day is Independence Day, there’s no reason to get all Eeyore-like around 10 p.m. Plus, Tuesday marks the return of Dave Matthews Band to Darien Lake after a year hiatus, which means even the post-show traffic jam won’t ruin your holiday buzz.

DMB is joined by alternative country and folk rock star Brandi Carlile on the bill, and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available through Live Nation, even though many of the front sections have already filled up.

Given Steve Israel’s Record Online review of DMB’s show in Bethel, NY, there’s substantial momentum following Matthews’ tour. Even if the front-man was a little under the weather, violinist Boyd Tinsley and drummer Carter Beauford were lively and entertaining as usual.

While the familiar tunes like “Ants Marching,” “Crash into Me” and “Two Step” are almost always included in the set, DMB is especially worth seeing live because of the extensive soloing and improv spread throughout the nearly three-hour-long performance. Matthews’ cover of Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” is usually a crowd favorite, too, and if you stick around after the show, you may be able to catch Beauford’s dozens of drumsticks that he flings into the audience.

During the band’s break, though, Tinsley was most active; his experimental indie film “Faces in the Mirror”—a mostly silent piece modeled after the style of Alfred Hitchcock—was screened in early June in New York City, Rolling Stone reported. Because the characters rarely speak, the film’s emphasis is on the soundtrack, which was scored by Tinsley and performed by DMB, Shawn Smith of Brad and Seattle band Maktub.

This Tuesday has an awful lot of potential.

(Header photo from Flickr / Macangelamy).