He went over to the couple who paid the big bucks first, so i just stood there and watched his smiling, beautiful face as he spoke to them. as he started to approach our table, i felt the biggest rush of excitement / nervousness as i realized that dave is even more beautiful than i ever imagined he would be that close up. He began to talk to the 2 other people standing near our table so i just kept looking over, continuing to soak up every moment of his presence. While he was talking to one of those people, he looked over the person's shoulder towards me, WINKED and smiled at me! needless to say, that is an image forever etched in my mind (although it was soon to be repeated several times throughout the meet and greet!)
Next, he came over to shannon and began talking to her...once again, another wink and smile in my direction. by this time he was so close to me i could feel my eyes start to well up a bit. (i did not want to tear up, but when you are standing 2 feet in front of the man whose music has completely changed your life, it's hard not to get a bit sappy.)
Shannon then turned around to introduce me. his presence was so comforting that i instantly felt a bit more at ease. he is everything i have ever read about - extremely kind, caring and genuine. dave then gave me a huge hug and i got a chance to whisper my thank-you to him for everything he has given to me through his music. (my exact words spoken throughout this dave meeting are very personal to me, so you'll have to excuse the fact that i am not including the exact dialogue here...hope you understand.) After the hug he looked me right in the eyes and said in a very sexy voice, "no...thank YOU."
After that, Dave signed our things. i brought one of my most prized possessions (BTCS vinyl) as well as the sympathy card for joe's family and something for christine and anthony. I told him about the tragedy with Joe, but he seemed to have already known about it. We spoke for a few more minutes as he signed shannon's things (he drew a picture of a ballerina skirt on himself for her giants stadium newspaper ad, and said 'there...now i'm wearing a tu-tu'.) Then shannon told him a little about dmbrr. He smiled some more at me, said a few things and then asked me, "Do you have anything with your name and stuff on it...a card or something?" I don't have any business cards or anything, but that was the perfect opportunity for me to give him the letter i had written and tell him that the letter included everything else that i did not have time to talk to him about. He took the letter from me, looked me in the eyes again and said, "I'll definitely be reading this..." Then....out of nowhere...he leaned over and planted the nicest KISS on my LIPS!!!!!!! (for the ladies...yes, his lips are just as velvety soft and gorgeous as you probably imagine!) At this point, i think i went into complete shock because i was definitely not expecting that kiss! Then he walked over to talk to the rest of the warehouse people and i swear to you (shannon witnessed this as well) he continued to wink over at me and smile while he was talking to other people! talk about wanting to just melt on the spot!
After he made his rounds, they took a group shot of all of us for the warehouse i got one last chance to get close to Dave, since shannon and i somehow managed to be on either side of dave for the warehouse group shot! after that i had one last quick chance to thank him (as i held onto his hand!) and then they whisked him away....
I got the picture back that shannon took of us, but unfortunately i need to get a different cord to use my scanner with my e-mac. i will try my best to have it posted for you guys tomorrow. i could not have asked for a better picture - it came out perfectly (thank you shannon!!!!) That evening was by far one of the best of my life...meeting dave, seeing the show from 5th row center (thank you again, richie!!!) and being around the greatest group of people before / after the show. :)
peace, DMB and a dave wink to you all,
~debbie
Debbie's Story, July 2002
It has always been one of my dreams to meet Dave Matthews, just to be able to thank him personally for all he has brought into my life through his music. My dream finally came true on 7.25.02.
Many of you have been patiently waiting to hear about the meet and greet... Here goes....
First of all I must thank shannon for inviting me to go with her. she said that she did it as a way to thank me, but i cannot thank HER enough for helping to make one of my dreams come true. I always knew that if I was patient, it would happen one day...and it did! thank you shannon for being so incredibly kind and generous and for experiencing such a wonderful moment with me! :)
For some reason, this is one of the hardest things i have ever had to write about. I almost feel like this experience is a part of me that is actually more about feelings than actual events and words if that makes any sense to you.... The meeting took place right after dave announced the opening act. We were brought backstage to an area with a few tables and couches set up with a bar and some food. Shannon and I took a spot standing at a table to wait with 8 other warehouse people scattered around the area. (there was also a couple who paid 5 grand for the meet and greet as well, but i am not sure if they were warehouse members.) When Dave walked in, I felt completely overwhelmed with emotion. There were so many things going through my head...trying to soak up every bit of the moment, while trying to keep my cool and remember everything i needed to say to him. Luckily, I had written him a nice letter that afternoon, which said all of the things that I needed to in case I was too nervous to get everything out of my mouth. He went over to the couple who paid the big bucks first, so i just stood there and watched his smiling, beautiful face as he spoke to them. as he started to approach our table, i felt the biggest rush of excitement / nervousness as i realized that dave is even more beautiful than i ever imagined he would be that close up. He began to talk to the 2 other people standing near our table so i just kept looking over, continuing to soak up every moment of his presence. While he was talking to one of those people, he looked over the person's shoulder towards me, WINKED and smiled at me! needless to say, that is an image forever etched in my mind (although it was soon to be repeated several times throughout the meet and greet!)
