Every few years Dave Matthews comes up with a memorable song -- the math-jam anthem ''Stay (Wasting Time)," a peppy dirge like ''Ants Marching," sweet, sexy ''Crash Into Me." The rest of the time the mild-mannered road warrior and his excellent band create tight grooves and musical moments -- three hours of them on Thursday a

For the young party animals packing the arena, the opening notes of anything were cause to wave cellphones connected to best friends stuck at home. For others, the lengthy stretches of polished, cautious improvisation and generic melodicism proved less dazzling.

Despite the fact that he fronts one of the most successful touring outfits in the world, Matthews is no frontman. DMB is a democracy, and the group's namesake contributes less to its collective charisma than electric fiddler Boyd Tinsley (whose vivacious sawing, tragically buried in the mix, was more visual aid than aural treat) and drummer Carter Beauford, who evidently requires a kit the size of a small town to keep the classy world rhythms flowing.

Peaks were few and far between during a set heavy on tracks from this year's sleek, muted ''Stand Up." ''Everybody wake up!" Matthews cajoled, strumming good-naturedly on the song of the same name. But even the interpretive dancers, as directionless as the band, lost the beat. After each member took tidy little four-bar solos on ''Recently" and pseudo-noodled through a 20-minute extrapolation of ''Seek Up" -- a model of banal virtuosity -- the modest light show during ''Pig" hit like pure, unhinged emotion.

Tight and reliable to a fault, DMB is testament to the remarkable divide between aptitude and inspiration. For a dose of the latter they need look no further than their own opening act, Mike Doughty, the former Soul Coughing frontman who records for Matthews' ATO label. Charming, quirky, and soulful, Doughty commandeered the arena airspace with deep songs and real personality -- neither of which can be replaced by complicated time signatures.