They come from all kinds of places: UNI, dorm rooms, head shops, even fraternities.

Members of Alpha Tau Omega report their “they” numbers around 15, while Sigma Chi says theirs is a bit closer to 10.

“They,” being the Dave Matthews Band fans, will all converge on Hilton Coliseum Tuesday. Dave and the rest of the band will roll through Ames on the latest leg of his constant tour supporting last June’s release “Everyday.”

This show, along with next Saturday’s Weezer concert, has been one of the most requested and anticipated in recent years.

Casey Doepp, sophomore in animal ecology, couldn’t agree more.

“Of course I’m looking forward to it, my friends and I have been counting down the days ever since the concert was announced,” he says.

Doepp says he’s glad Matthews is finally coming through Ames. He has seen Matthews three times previously and has no problem making a long drive to catch a concert.

“It’s nice to have a show that’s actually close. Last time we had to drive to Tennessee. It was great, totally worth the 12-hour drive. We had really good seats and Dave played a 30 minute long `#41′, one of the highlights of my life. How pathetic is that?”

The Dave Matthews Band has become known for its live performance prowess.

A DMB show is notorious for long extended jams and set times bordering on three hours.

Doepp says he missed the show the last time Dave Matthews Band came through Iowa.

“We had trouble getting tickets,” he says. “There were long lines, just to get into the raffle to get into long lines.”

For Tuesday’s show, Doepp chose an alternative method to get his seats.

“This time I just got tickets off eBay. I paid like $86 per ticket for four tickets. But they’re pretty good seats and a Dave concert is priceless.”

Tickets bought at face value for Tuesday’s show ran closer to $50 apiece, a price Doepp and others were obviously willing to pay. Hilton was sold out as of press time.

Travis Knapp, undecided freshman and member of Sigma Chi fraternity, says the ticket price wasn’t too steep considering the act behind the charge.

“With growing popularity, ticket prices are going to go up,” he says. “It’s not too bad; he makes it worth it, which makes it easier to buy a ticket.”

Doepp agrees, noting he’d be willing to pay much more to see a Dave Matthews concert.

“If they were really good seats, something like the first six rows or so, I’d be willing to pay upwards of $200,” he says. “I just wouldn’t be able to eat for about a month. But hey, you do what you gotta do when you’re a poor college student.”

Doepp laughs, noting the skew of his priorities. He said things probably take precedence in this order: Dave, food, shelter, self-actualization, etc.

“Yeah, that’s definitely the right order. Stick academics in there at the end,” he jokes.

Doepp said he’s anticipating seeing the songs off the infamously-bootlegged “Lillywhite Sessions,” the album Dave Matthews Band scrapped in order to head into the studio with Glen Ballard to record “Everyday.”

Quite a few DMB fans have expressed dissatisfaction with the direction the band took on “Everyday.” But support seems to exist in Ames for the change.

“At first I was kind of iffy on it,” Knapp said. “But I like it quite a bit. There has been controversy with the switch to electric guitar. It brings a new style of music.”

Doepp says the new approach was probably necessary for the band.

“I think `Everyday’ was something that Dave and maybe the whole band needed to do,” he said. “It’s quite a stretch from their usual stuff. After reading the article in Rolling Stone, it seems like it was kind of therapeutic.”

But after hearing the unreleased material recorded with long-time DMB producer Steve Lillywhite, most fans agree that work was more in line with what they hope for from a Dave Matthews album. In reaction to the bootlegging and fan opinions, most of these songs will appear on DMB’s new album, due in June.

Doepp says he was a little uncomfortable when he first heard the tracks.

“I love the Lillywhites but I have to say that I did feel a bit guilty downloading them. Maybe I’ll buy two of the new CD just to clear my conscience.”

The show starts at Hilton Coliseum Tuesday night at 7 p.m.