We all have experienced this before. You know what I’m talking about. There’s a band that you kind of lost touch with over the years that meant a lot to you at some pinnacle point in your life. Over time, you lost that connection with that particular band and moved on in life. You grew older, you experienced new things, you met new people but then all of the sudden, one day, you find yourself running into this band again only to be reminded of the deep rooted connection that you had with this band. It’s a truly powerful thing when this happens and I had to share this story with you all.
Now before you go hating, it’s from a fan of Dave Matthews Band but this is less about Dave Matthews Band and more about the moving reunion between this person and one of her favorite bands from the past. Emmalyn is a friend of my wife’s and when she told me about this Emmalyn’s post on Facebook I had to share it.
Tonight was one of those magical NYC nights…For various reasons it’s been difficult to make plans the last few months, and my social calendar has been a little light, but around 6:45 pm today, I bought a last minute ticket to see Dave Matthews Band at MSG. No one was interested or able to go so I went solo because I felt the need to reconnect with happier times. From my college friends’ room where we read the lyrics to Ants Marching over and… over til we learned every word to my post-college friends, roommates, boyfriends, and California crew, there was a DMB song to fit almost any occasion, emotion, or car ride. DMB was a soundtrack to so many years of my life (I know many of you feel the same), but I drifted away over the last decade.
And tonight I was back- in a great seat with a few open seats around me, and when I came back from the bathroom a guy with an iPad and fancy earphones was in my row jamming. The iPad had the lyrics on it for the song Dave was playing, and I actually thought he was hard of hearing bc he had the lyrics and seemed like he could really feel the music. A few minutes later he turns to me and holds out something in his hand- it’s a guitar pick. I smile and before I say anything he’s gone.
He comes back later, and I ask why he gave me the pick- he told me he thought I’d like it. We introduced ourselves and chatted a bit. I asked if he was with the band- he laughed and said, “Oh yeah, I’m with the band.” At one point the guy in front of me turned around and shook hands with my new friend- they knew each other. We chatted a bit more and he said he’d be back.
A few songs later I tapped the guy in front of me and asked who the guy was: Dave’s vocal coach- that explained the fancy headphones and iPad!
During the encore, my friend came back and handed me a set list and a drumstick. I was flabbergasted. We hugged, and he was gone. A few minutes later the show ended and a guy across the aisle offered to buy the set list from me on our way out. No way.
I’m not sure what to do with one drumstick , but I’m pretty sure I’ll hold on to that setlist and pick for a while- a reminder that the most amazing things happen in NYC on a random Thursday night, especially when you venture out on your own and are open to the kindness of others.
Consider this just another reason I love where I live!
This is a story I think we can all relate to and I hope that maybe someone will at some point reconnect with a band that meant a lot to them at some point in life but lost touch with. Rekindling that connection is a powerful, moving thing that I hope you all can experience at least once. Thanks to Emmalyn for allowing me to share her story.
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