The Dave Matthews Band in concert at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN on July 1st.
I finally went to a Dave Matthews Band concert last week. I have been afraid to go for fear of disappointment. I have been a pretty serious fan since 1995. Their music has meant so much to me over the years. Dave Matthews’ lyrics also have had a powerful impact. I hear company in both their music and his lyrics. They have been with me through some very hard times, during the writing of my first book, and spurring my hunger for hope, darkness, and connection.
My 17-year-old cousin Laura introduced me to their music. She came out to visit me while I was living in Santa Barbara, CA and practicing yoga as my main focus. She brought Under the Table and Dreaming. It was great to share music with my younger cousin, as she was not long for this world. For her yearbook quote, she picked Dave’s line from the song Two Step, “Celebrate we will. Cuz life is short but sweet for certain.” Laura was named after my sister who also died young but in 1978. My cousin Laura had an extremely rare auto-immune disease that attacked her lungs. She had countless close encounters with death throughout her life. By the time she picked the quote, she had had enough. She decided to party up with her friends and truly live a life that was short and sweet for certain. She died at 22.
As you can see, there are many layers built into my love of the Dave Matthews Band…
There are many highlights from the concert that I won’t bore you with. A few are worth mentioning. First, they played for nearly 4 hours…they decided to be their own warm-up band. The first set was entirely acoustic. It shared vulnerability and set the mood. When the whole band came out for the third song, they stood in a straight line across the stage, even the drummer was off to the side (See photo above). Their actions seemed to be saying that no member of the band was more important than any other. I loved that. Then Dave stood there silent as the expectation and excitement was building. The amount of musical talent standing on that stage was incredible. If you don’t know, the members of the band – all of them – are fantastic musicians. They don’t need to impress the audience with showmanship or gimmicks. They just need to play. So we are all waiting and the tension is growing. A treat is coming, intensified because the entire band is just standing there and smiling. Dave leans forward toward the microphone and says the one word that sums up the moment perfectly, “Yes.” So true on so many levels. More people should say yes more often in their lifetimes. By this time, I have both a smile and tears in my eyes. Dave Matthews is company for me. The band proceeds to play for 85 minutes in a mostly straight line and I begin dancing up a storm. The final 2 and ½ electric set blows my mind.
There is a line in the final song of the first set that I truly hear for the first time. It is from Typical Situation, “Everybody’s happy. Everybody’s free. Keep the big door open. Everyone will come around.” Now there’s a line I want to believe: Keep the big door open…everyone will come around. Yes.
Needless to say, I was not disappointed by the concert. I am writing my next book and The Dave Matthews Band is definitely keeping me company. I hope you find yours.