Being near greatness

A call from brother Dave last week brought unbelievable news. Against all expectation he offered Jennifer and I two tickets to the Dave Matthews Band concert Friday night in Charlotte. Mystery surrounds the acquisition of these tickets. They were a gift and our gratitude is immense.

For any who don't know Dave Matthews is our vote for one of a handful of precious treasures of our generation. We wonder how he captures so acutely much of the essence of our existence and moves us deeply-his compositions, lyrics, melodies, rhythms striking chords and tuning moods in the deep parts of our hearts (sorry-too much honesty?).


We arrived at the Verizon Pavilion in Charlotte and walked through the crowds of tailgating fans to pick up our tickets. We were overwhelmed. Not only had brother Dave given us tickets but we had center section, front row seats. Let me repeat-there was no one except Dave Matthews in front of us. And, inside our ticket pack were two purple passes to the "lounge." We began to inquire about the use of such passes and eventually figured out that we had special access to free drinks and food. This was a relief given the $11 beer. And we did take advantage. So look closely. Those are genuine front row seats and special passes to DMB concert. We were royalty for an evening-- strutting our tickets and passes through the sections most had no access to.


No cameras were allowed in the pavilion but Jennifer snapped this shot from her cell phone (above). The show was incredible. We were right there. They played a mix of old tunes, including some of my favorites "So Damn Lucky" and "Crush," as well as some tunes from their soon to be released new album. The band performed from 8:30 to 10:30 without a stop and then came back for a two song encore. DMB plays with such intensity and energy. And they JAM like crazy so you get a different spin of solos and musical duels between each of the fantastic musicians.

We left tired and enchanted. This was a real special treat for our simple homely lifestyle. I am not much for accepting debt that can't be repaid but I'll happily live a debtor to a brother. Thanks Dave. Thanks also to dad and sister Anna for treating the girls to a movie and hanging out with them while we partied.