The Dave Matthews Band has been a part of Kevin’s and my story, pretty much from the beginning.  We both enjoy the music and while Kevin would not classify himself as a super fan, he probably is compared to the general population.  Before we were dating I would just listen to the CD’s and scan the radio stations until they would play a DMB song.  The ‘Before These Crowded Streets’ album got me through my first summer semester of college as I commuted back and forth to campus.

The summer of 2000, Kevin had 3rd row center seats for the Detroit show at Comerica Park.  My friends and I had bought tickets in the cheap seats, but the guy originally going with Kevin had to back out and I got to go.  Again, we were not dating and while I really wanted 3rd row center seats, I didn’t want to give Kevin the wrong idea.  I gave my ticket away to a friend.  I told him he could have it for free if he would ride with Kevin and me.  His job was to not stop talking.  He did his job flawlessly.  The concert was amazing!

Kevin and I started dating two months after that concert and we’ve been going to concerts ever since.  I don’t go every year, but we have gone to shows in New York, Nashville, Chicago and of course Detroit.  The shows are always great and I absolutely love the people watching.  We’ve grown up together.  We’ve gone from fun loving college kids making crazy decisions to middle-aged fans escaping their children for a night!

DMB gave Kevin and me the greatest concert experience in 2012.  Concert dates were released in January or February with the announcement that there would be a VIP package offered.  Kevin decided this was how he wanted to spend his Christmas money and asked if I would go with him.  We had been married for almost 10 years.  Technically, the ticket was mine if I wanted it, but he asked me to go because he knew I was afraid to go.  He wanted me to enjoy the VIP experience with him.

If you read my earlier post about Ethel than this next part will make sense to you.  If not, I will try to summarize.  When I was having episodes of memory loss, we had tickets to see Weezer.  I think it was a birthday present for Kevin.  During the opening act, I had an episode.  It definitely put a damper on the evening and made me fearful to go to concerts.  Kevin loves concerts and there was no way I was going to ruin a DMB concert for him.  I told him I would think about it, but to order the tickets.

A few months later he really needed to know if I was going because one of the items in the VIP package was a fleece, so he needed to give them my size.  I reluctantly said I would go and gave him the size and color of fleece I wanted.

The day of the show came and I was so nervous all day.  We had found out that that we were second row center and I really didn’t want to be a burden for Kevin.  I wanted him to enjoy every minute of the concert.  I prayed all day for peace.  I had not had an episode in a really long time, but the last time I was at a concert, something was triggered, so all I knew was something at the last concert was triggering, but I didn’t really know what it was.

I met Kevin at home.  He had a quick job he needed to do on the way to the show, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat, headed to his job and I waited in the car.  I don’t remember what I was doing while I waited but I was anxious.  He finished the job and we headed up to the DTE Energy Music Theater (Pine Knob for the old time Metro Detroiters).  I just quietly kept praying for peace.  We got off the freeway.  I kept praying.  We got closer to the venue.  I just kept praying.  We turned off the main road and a wave a peace washed over my body.  God had answered my prayer, I just needed to get there.  We found a parking spot and waited in line to go into the amphitheater.  Once inside we took a walk around, looked and some merch, found the VIP tent to collect our goodies and then started toward our seats.  (My man loves to get there super early, so he is one of the only people in his seat when the Dave comes out to announce the opening act.  It’s adorably nerdy.)  We showed the ushers our tickets and they told us what aisle to go down.  Then halfway down we showed our tickets again and they told us to keep walking.  We showed our tickets to a third usher and he escorted us to THE FRONT ROW!  We thought we were second, but it was first and we were just left of CENTER!  We could not believe it!

At some point four young ladies were escorted to the the seats next to us.  They had been awarded the seats through The Warehouse drawing.  Each show Warehouse members have the chance of being moved from the back of the venue to the front.  It’s pretty cool.  These ladies were so nice and so excited!  I think Brandi Carlile opened the show and Dave sang at least one song with her.  It was so weird to be so close.  When DMB came on to perform, Dave and I had intense eye contact throughout the night.  I wasn’t trying to be weird, but when he locked eyes with me I didn’t want to look away and be weird so I just kept looking . . . like a weirdo!  I’m giggling about it right now.

The show was great.  Kevin got amazing pictures and we were able to get a pick from Stefan and drumsticks from Carter, handed to us directly by each person.  Then after the encore, Dave came to the front of the stage and shook each of the ladies’ hands.  He then came to Kevin, shook his hand and said, “It was good to see you again.”  What!?!?  Like he knew him!  Then he came to me, shook my hand and said, “Thank you for coming tonight,” and walked off the stage.  Crazy!  It was the most perfect thing he could have said.  He had no way of knowing that 8 hours prior to him shaking my hand I was ready to give into my fear and have Kevin find someone else to go with him.  God did though.

I’m not saying every time we face our fears that God is going to reward you with a handshake from Dave Matthews.  What I am saying is fear is paralyzing.  Even when the fear is for good reasons.  I did not want to be a burden to Kevin.  That was me trying to be nice, but it was ultimately me being afraid and being shackled by fear.  That’s not a life I want to live.  God met me where I was and showed me that life is way better when we don’t give into fear.  Fear is not from Him.

I am so thankful that Kevin and I got to share that moment together.  It is a moment that lives on in our home to this day.  When we found out we had a baby boy coming home (he may or may not be named after a member of the DMB) we hung the concert poster from this night in his nursery as a reminder to us to live by faith and not fear.  When we found out we had another baby boy coming home (his middle name might be the name of another band member) we hung up the drumsticks from that night in his room.  My boys love to put on music and pretend they are a part of the DMB. It makes Kevin grin with glee.

We have been to other concerts since this night, (I have remained episode free in my concert goings) but I don’t think there will be another night to top this one.  There isn’t even the option to have front row seats anymore.  The next year they put in a general admission pit, (I have a lot to say about this.  Maybe another day.) so our seats are usually eight rows behind a crowd of people shoved into a gated off area.  That is not the life this nearly middle-aged woman wants to be a part of, so I sit in a seat that I paid the same amount of money they paid to stand for four hours.  At that point it is like I’m getting a chair for free!  OK…enough…rant over.