I almost didn’t find the right bottle.
I was rushing through the isles of Harris Teeter, scanning labels for the right one. At the end of the Napa Valley section I found what I’ve been searching for- a Virginia wine. I took home a local chardonnay but we’ll get back to that later.
I had another rant in mind for today but there’s some sad news I just have to write about. I found this morning that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist in the Dave Matthews Band, had died. I found out when I logged into Facebook and read the news feed of my friends (once again Facebook never fails to inform me of major events.)
LeRoi was injured in an ATV accident on June 30th in Charlottesville. He was in town after the band played in Bristow (the last show I attended.) He was later discharged from the hospital following the accident and was back at his home in LA to start rehab but returned to the hospital in mid July. The news out right now is that he died from complications from the accident.
Everyone has been tight lipped about the exact details so it could of been anything from a blood clot to an infection- but nobody knows the exact severity of his condition.
Working today was interesting. I was stopped many times by co-workers who had heard the news. Other co-workers walked into my office to see if I was ok. At the time I was so busy and stressed about work that I haven’t found the time to let the news sink in. I was amazed at how many people thought of me when they heard the news. Besides condolences from co-workers I also received e-mails and Facebook messages from others.
It’s clear that my love for the Dave Matthews Band is something I proudly wear. For those privileged to have been in my house can tell my love on the walls of my room. For most others it’s the fact that I see the band annually and have currently seen them over 30 times (this number is nothing compared to the bigger fans.) Few others know that my love for their music is the only reason I still keep an electric violin. Fewer have heard me play (it’s a small personal tidbit I keep to myself.)
I wanted to make sure that I reached out to others like how others reached out to me. The majority of my fellow DMB fans are part of a community I was very active in around 2005 called Am I Dreaming. The site has since been stagnant with the forums less active than before. I was surprised to see a brand new image of LeRoi on the homepage of the site. The forums have also been reawakened with the tragic the news. I read the thread about LeRoi’s death. The conversation first went from denial to confusion to shock. It was facinating to see changes in the thread as more news became public.
The Dave Matthews Band is a very close knit group with a big extended family of bands that have worked with the group. One thing that has touched me was the messages from other musicians. Everyone from Phish, to O.A.R. had something to say. An image that really moved me was Robert Randolph’s photo of an empty sky and LeRoi’s saxophones in the foreground.
My friend Noel had this to say:
“I think this will either be the end, or it will spark a rash of creativity that will make them good again. But only time will tell.”
It is too soon to think about my favorite band breaking up but let me talk about that word- favorite.
While I was a teenager I didn’t have a whole lot of favorite things. I was very indifferent, very un-passionate towards anything. I didn’t really have a favorite book, TV show, or food. Today that couldn’t be further from the truth. The one thing that I can say I have been passionate about was DMB.
Their critics will say that their recent material isn’t up to par with the hits that launched them into fame. I will agree that I do like a lot of their older material compared to their newer works. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop going to their shows or stop buying their CDs. I have a loyaty with Dave Matthews Band that is rare in today’s world of free agency. I’ve been a fan back when I was 14 and I am still a fan at 24. It’s that everlasting passion that I have spread to other areas in my life.
LeRoi was a very talented musician and it is clear he had many fans and that he will truly be missed.
Life has been extremely stressful for me. I struggle between the balance of work life and personal life. I stay up at night trying working on personal projects only to leave them unfinished for tomorrow. I feel like I don’t have enough hours in the day to get anything done.
LeRoi’s death has made me want to just stop for just a moment and just reflect on the beautiful thing that is life.
Now it’s time to open that bottle.
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