Have you ever dreamt of sitting on stage alongside your favorite musicians watching on as a crowd of tens of thousands of people pummel each other for a better view? There you sit free from sweaty bodies, no crowd surfing Chuck’s sneaking up to smash the back of your head, and the dreaded domino effect of a tipping mosh pit is only distant.

This scenario isn’t impossible. And no, not saying you need to spend a two week paycheck on V.I.P concert passes. With the overwhelming popularity of 3D digital movies, blockbusters are getting kicked up a notch. This past December Dave Matthews in 3D: Larger Than Life graced theaters for one week only. Featuring Gogol Bordello, and Ben Harper and Relentless 7, this film gave an up close and personal look at festival performances from the three bands, in 3D.

The film opens inside a gear trailer. As you walk out the swinging doors and hop down to the grassy ground below, roars of screams echo to your left. Pushing your 3D glasses up the bridge of your nose you lift your feet up onto the empty theater seat in front of you. You are relaxing in your local theater, yet Ben Harper stands to your right and high fives his crew preparing to take stage. And this is only the beginning.

The Gogol Bordello and Ben Harper sets lasted approximately twenty minutes a piece. And delightfully, that annoying fifteen minute set change you’d get at the real thing was non-existent. With the 3D vibe completely kicked in, it was easy to forget you are really lounged in an air conditioned room of movie-goers. Now nighttime, the stage was brightly lit as the view changes from an eagle eye of the screaming crowd to a close up of a mind-blowingly diverse drum kit that will soon seat the legendary Carter Beuford.

The Dave Mathews set featured a number of songs from their newest album Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, as well as a few classics. The hit single “Funny the Way It Is,” got the ball rolling, followed by “So Damn Lucky,” “Shake Me Like A Monkey,” and an emotional “Why I Am” (just to name a few). By the time the performance was halfway done the band members were drenched in sweat, both an enjoyable and not-so-pretty site to see when feeling so up-close. Three inches from the fingers of Boyd Tinsley you watch as he spits his bow up and down his electric violin. You’re so close to Carter Beauford you can walk right up and pop the big pink bubble he blows with his bubble gum. All along jamming as the band kicks into a full blown jam session before closing their set with “Ants Marching.” After rustling alongside the band as they prepare to exit the stage you are back in the crowd awaiting Carter to toss you his drumstick. You throw your hand up, and just before catching the stick, snap back to reality.

For those who love getting lost in the concert experience, Dave Matthews in 3D: Larger Than Life is the first of its kind. Leave the hassles an uncomfortable moments of concert pits at their amphitheaters. Crisp details, sharp imagery, and 3D made every moment of the concert visually unlike any concert you would physically be at. With a concept that could have been hit or miss, the Dave Matthews 3D Concert was a hit by far. Although nothing trumps the experience of being right their in the crowd for a live performance, this new concept is absolutely the next best thing. And all it requires is a quick drive to a nearby theater. Though only in theaters for seven days, this 3D concert experience is not likely to be the last of its kind.