So, here I am, tucked in at home today, feeling a bit under the weather and letting Dave Matthews Band be my medicine. Funny enough, it brings me back to a night in 2021 on Northerly Island—one of those nights that turned into a story I never thought I’d tell.

I had tickets for the second night of the show. After so long locked down, not just because of COVID but because I’d grown a little wary of big crowds and the sheer wildness of people in that kind of setting, I was finally ready to step out. And what better organized chaos to embrace than a Dave Matthews Band concert, right?

But nature had other plans. The skies decided to put on a show of their own with winds, lightning, and rain that turned the whole evening into a hurricane-tornado-tsunami combo. Dave himself had to cancel the show. He was so heartbroken he actually cried on stage as he made the announcement. It was one of the most oddly beautiful moments, because here I was, finally ready to trust the world again, and the world just threw a storm party.

But here’s the magic: as we all walked off the island, people held hands, everyone stayed calm, and it felt like this incredible little bubble of humanity, after so long of being socially distanced apart. The concert didn’t happen, but something even more profound did. And now, on a sick day like this, as I listen to Dave Matthews at home, I remember that night and smile.

In remembrance of S. R. Fannin: thank you for sharing that moment with me. ❤