Butch Taylor performed with Dave Matthews Band for the first time in nine years at tonight’s A Concert for Charlottesville.

DMB and Butch took the stage at the charity event the band organized in its hometown, and he stayed on for the entire set. Prior to tonight, Butch’s last performance with DMB was on April 1, 2008; his still-unexplained departure from the band came the next month, a day before the summer tour kicked off.

Butch played keyboards on DMB’s 1998 album Before These Crowded Streets and began performing live with DMB that year. He joined the band on the road full-time starting in 2001, and he also appeared on the 2005 album Stand Up.

DMB organized A Concert for Charlottesville to help the city heal after this summer’s racially charged protests and violence. It is the band’s only performance in what was supposed to be its first off year. Tickets were free and made available primarily to area residents and the University of Virginia community.

Dave Matthews kicked off the show with a solo version of “Mercy,” and Coldplay’s Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland showed up to perform a surprise acoustic set. Other performers at A Concert for Charlottesville included Cage the Elephant, The Roots, Brittany Howard, Pharrell Williams, Chris Stapleton, Ariana Grande and Justin Timberlake.

Photo (cc) by Quinn Dombrowski