Last night at the show Dave dedicated a song to his wife. That got me thinking about all the women I have dated and especially about those I wanted to marry. I had a long elaborate post planned out, but as I sat down to write the thing I couldn’t figure out how to say what I feel. I do know that all the women I dated, and some that I was just friends with, are all amazing. Somehow I have had been able to convince these women to date me. Still trying to figure that one out. Those that are married have great husbands [who are way better for them than I ever would have been] and those that aren’t one day will [and those guys will also be a way better fit than I ever could have been]. I don’t regret any relationship I have had. There are things I would go back and do differently, but I wouldn’t change who I’ve dated.
Anyway, I have heard Dave talk about his daughter as he announces a song called “Butterfly” but and his sisters occasionally, but I have never heard him talk about his wife in relation to his music. So when he dedicated this song to his wife I was a bit taken aback. I had heard the song a lot, but paid more attention to the words last night. The song stuck a cord with me and describes how I have felt about the relationships I have had. As the song was ending all I could think was that I hope to someday find someone with a pair of Loving Wings.
"My heart was made of broken bones
My soul a bag of stick and stones
Then you along this dusty road
Have come, my love, to take me home
And I give to you my everything
Because you've given me these loving wings
And angels have all gathered 'round
To hear me sing my love out loud
You lightly lifted me away
Out of a darkness cold and gray
And I work beneath the midday sun
A cold blue water, you have come
And I give to you my everything
Because you've given me these loving wings
And angels have all gathered 'round
To hear me sing my love out loud
So take your place here next to me
And I'll take my place there next to thee
No matter how far we may roam
It's by your side I make my home
And I give to you my everything
Because you've given me these loving wings
And angels have all gathered 'round
To hear me sing my love out loud."
-DJM
Monday, September 1, 2008
Gorge 2008
Labor Day Weekend has usually meant one thing over the past several years: a trip to Wenatchee, WA. It is a small town in central Washington with some pretty amazing scenery. It is right along the Colombia river and pretty close to the mountain ranges of Western Washington. There are some great golf courses around the area, and some of the best hamburger joints in the country. But the real reason I have been here every Labor Day Weekend for the last 6 years is that the Dave Matthews Band has an annual concert series just down the road at the Gorge Amphitheatre. Last night was my 15th show at the Gorge and it was one of the most unusual shows I have ever seen of DMB. About 10 days ago, their saxophonist, LeRoi Moore passed away. It was pretty unexpected, and the Band and fan base was fairly shocked. DMB played 4 shows after his death, and then canceled two shows this week to attend the funeral of their brother, friend, and band member. Last night was the first show back after the funeral. The mood in the air was definitely somber.
Before the show started my brother and I talked to one of our friends who works on the crew. He said that the week had sucked. They had flown across the country for a funeral, and flown back across the country for the shows at the Gorge. Not only were they exhausted from the travel, but they were emotionally drained from everything the had to deal with during the week. It was pretty amazing they were able to put on a show, and play as well as they did.
The first night about midway through the show they put up Roi’s photo on their video screens and just stopped everything. The crowd went nuts. Throwing glowstick, chanting out “Le-Roi, Le-Roi,” screaming; things were just wild. I had a pretty good view of the stage and it looked like the band was trying to have a moment of respect for Roi. I think the crowd went beyond anything they were expecting, and at one point Dave was looking to calm a few people down. This went on for about 5 minutes, and in the end it was a nice moment Roi.
The second nice tribute they had for Roi, and they did this all three nights, was to have a video montage of photos and video of Roi growing up and his time with the band on the video screens during the encore break. The music they set this to was the song #34, which is purely instrumental and really features Roi on the horns. That was actually really cool to see glimpses of Roi off the stage and see what he was involved in before the band started.
And finally, on the second night they sang a song called “Sugar Will.” But on this night Dave had changed all the words except for the chorus and made the song about Roi and his life. It was pretty awesome, and hopefully I’ll be able to track down a copy of it somewhere online.
Apart from the shows, this was surprisingly a very emotional weekend for me. I found myself on the verge of tears often. I know why, but I was surprised at how strongly I reacted and how powerful the emotions were. For the past several months I have been working compiling the photos we have of my dad and getting them in a book. A few weeks ago I decided to try and put the life history he wrote in the same book, and so I have been going through his life history and editing it. Nothing too major, just fixing some misspelled words and correcting some basic grammar. But I have spent a lot of time thinking about my dad and how much he means to me. [Side note. Growing up he used to edit all my school papers. It was a bit surreal to be editing his history. The role reversal was unexpected and an interesting experience] Now, a lot of Dave’s songs deal with death and God. So after spending all that time working on Dad’s history, and then being at a concert that was a tribute to the fallen band member, it brought out a lot of emotion. I found myself thinking more about Dad this weekend than I have in a long time. It was a good experience, but an emotional one.
The second reason this weekend was so emotional is that the songs Dave sings that aren’t about death are about love and relationships. This weekend, way more so than at previous shows, those songs spoke to me quite a bit. Dave has such a unique way of writing and describing love, and there were several moments were I caught myself thinking about past relationships and what might have been. I’ve loved and lost more than once, each time the end has been quite painful. But the love I’ve felt during the good times is greater than the pain that comes with the end. And if the possibility of an ending and the pain the comes with it is what you have to risk for the beautiful times, then that is a risk I am willing to take.
"You and me, have a better time than most can dream of, better than the best…. whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done, we’ll make the best of what’s around. Turns out not where but who you’re with that really matters. And hurts not much when you’re around…"
-DJM
Before the show started my brother and I talked to one of our friends who works on the crew. He said that the week had sucked. They had flown across the country for a funeral, and flown back across the country for the shows at the Gorge. Not only were they exhausted from the travel, but they were emotionally drained from everything the had to deal with during the week. It was pretty amazing they were able to put on a show, and play as well as they did.
The first night about midway through the show they put up Roi’s photo on their video screens and just stopped everything. The crowd went nuts. Throwing glowstick, chanting out “Le-Roi, Le-Roi,” screaming; things were just wild. I had a pretty good view of the stage and it looked like the band was trying to have a moment of respect for Roi. I think the crowd went beyond anything they were expecting, and at one point Dave was looking to calm a few people down. This went on for about 5 minutes, and in the end it was a nice moment Roi.
The second nice tribute they had for Roi, and they did this all three nights, was to have a video montage of photos and video of Roi growing up and his time with the band on the video screens during the encore break. The music they set this to was the song #34, which is purely instrumental and really features Roi on the horns. That was actually really cool to see glimpses of Roi off the stage and see what he was involved in before the band started.
And finally, on the second night they sang a song called “Sugar Will.” But on this night Dave had changed all the words except for the chorus and made the song about Roi and his life. It was pretty awesome, and hopefully I’ll be able to track down a copy of it somewhere online.
Apart from the shows, this was surprisingly a very emotional weekend for me. I found myself on the verge of tears often. I know why, but I was surprised at how strongly I reacted and how powerful the emotions were. For the past several months I have been working compiling the photos we have of my dad and getting them in a book. A few weeks ago I decided to try and put the life history he wrote in the same book, and so I have been going through his life history and editing it. Nothing too major, just fixing some misspelled words and correcting some basic grammar. But I have spent a lot of time thinking about my dad and how much he means to me. [Side note. Growing up he used to edit all my school papers. It was a bit surreal to be editing his history. The role reversal was unexpected and an interesting experience] Now, a lot of Dave’s songs deal with death and God. So after spending all that time working on Dad’s history, and then being at a concert that was a tribute to the fallen band member, it brought out a lot of emotion. I found myself thinking more about Dad this weekend than I have in a long time. It was a good experience, but an emotional one.
The second reason this weekend was so emotional is that the songs Dave sings that aren’t about death are about love and relationships. This weekend, way more so than at previous shows, those songs spoke to me quite a bit. Dave has such a unique way of writing and describing love, and there were several moments were I caught myself thinking about past relationships and what might have been. I’ve loved and lost more than once, each time the end has been quite painful. But the love I’ve felt during the good times is greater than the pain that comes with the end. And if the possibility of an ending and the pain the comes with it is what you have to risk for the beautiful times, then that is a risk I am willing to take.
"You and me, have a better time than most can dream of, better than the best…. whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done, we’ll make the best of what’s around. Turns out not where but who you’re with that really matters. And hurts not much when you’re around…"
-DJM
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