RIP LeRoi
I’ve been a pretty big slacker lately with the celebrity obits on this site, but when it came to the passing of Dave Matthews Band saxophonist LeRoi Moore, I just had to write something. As many of my friends know, I’m an unabashed DMB fan  the owner of several bootlegs, t-shirts, and the occasional poster. Their music has pretty much served as a soundtrack for my life since high school, and while there are many who deride the band (a.k.a. most of my friends), I still am fiercely loyal. Tonight (or rather, last night) I went to my twentieth concert, and I’m not gonna lie â€â€Ã‚ I was actually not looking forward to it. I thought the concert was supposed to be on Wednesday; so when my friend called and said “You still on for tonight?” I had to suddenly rearrange all my plans and writing schedule in order to trek down to the Staples Center in downtown. Point is, I wasn’t in a concert mindset. But boy am I glad that I went.
I won’t go into an extensive blow-by-blow account of the setlist, but I will say that the band opened up with one of my favorite DMB songs of all time, “Bartender.” I’ve heard this song in concert a good number of times, but this go around, I could specifically tell that there was something different about it  the band seemed more invested; the music more powerful. There was an emotional undercurrent that was stronger than usual, and not knowing what the band was going through, I simply ascribed it to the guys being “in it.” This would be a good concert, I noted. Midway through the song, someone with me asked where LeRoi was. I told her that he had been in an ATV accident earlier this summer and had been in serious condition, but was now apparently on the road to recovery.
When the song ended, however, Dave Matthews announced that earlier that day, LeRoi had in fact died. Everyone was shocked. I couldn’t believe that the band was even playing. Suddenly the emotion in the first song all made sense. The guys were in fact mourning through the music, playing in LeRoi’s honor, and never was this more apparent than in the very next song, “Proudest Monkey.” On the big screens above the stage, everyone could clearly see each person on stage struggling to keep his composure. They were all practically crying. It was totally surreal, and I couldn’t believe I was seeing something so raw.
However, the guys were remarkably resilient, and the concert didn’t turn into a weepfest. Instead, they wound up playing with smiles on their faces most of the time, which undoubtedly thrilled the girl who was near me, dancing and screaming “yeaaahhhhhhh!!!” even during some of the slower, more introspective songs. I just wanted to STRANGLE her. But that would have been mean.
What was unique is that those slow and introspective songs usually kill the momentum at a Dave concert, but tonight, they were almost the highlights. That was when we as the audience could really see the band connecting with the music and their grief. Later, Dave Matthews revealed that the band was playing all of LeRoi’s favorite songs that night, which made everything all the more touching. Dave also shared various anecdotes with the audience, more so than usual. He thanked us for keeping their spirits high, noting that it’s always easier leaving than being left, and towards the end of the show, he relayed the story of how he first met LeRoi Moore. As attendees of past concerts know, the full extent of Dave’s talking points tends to be a series of strange noises, hiccups, and brief phrases; so to see him now on my twentieth show actually trying to relate to the audience beyond just music was fascinating, exciting, and quite honestly, moving. To some of you, I realize this sounds a bit ridiculous  “Oooh, Dave spoke!” but again, given the circumstances that someone in the band had just died hours prior, I think even non-fans can appreciate the experience.
Anyway, it really was a beautiful and touching show  bittersweet to the fullest extent of the word. The final song of the evening, “Two Step,” which prominently features the lyric, “Celebrate we will / ‘Cause life is short but sweet for certain,” seemed to truly resonate with the band, who again seemed on the verge of breaking down. At one point, Dave’s face appeared on the JumboTron, and it was unclear if he had tears rolling down his cheek or if it was merely sweat (or maybe both). Most people seemed to think it was tears. Who knows. I was just grateful to have witnessed such an emotionally powerful event. And if we as an audience were actually able to help them in some way, then I’m glad to have been able to “give back,” as it were (at the expense of sounding super cheesy).
Afterwards, I saw a guy puking in a parking lot. Just a subtle reminder that life goes on…
Look, it’s not all poetic.
For more information on LeRoi’s death, click here.