From a fellow DMB fan and friend...

"So glad our paths crossed this time today....on our way into the night" -DMB

As you may know, Matt was very passionate about the music of the Dave Matthews Band.

My fiance' Craig Willoughby and I are both huge DMB fans and are pretty well known in the DMB community. We are both 1998 Warehouse fanclub members, just like Matt, and have always had seats a row or 2 directly in front of Matt. I do not remember exactly how we met Matt at first a few years ago - perhaps he was a subscriber to my newsletter and we began chatting at a show one day? Perhaps he started to talk to Craig as he was setting up his taping gear? I am unsure of how we began. But I do know one thing - Matt's light shined brightly at shows and will continue to do so. I remember many times at shows looking back and seeing his smiling face - and seeing the LOVE! sign that he always held up. He has definitely touched us as music fans....we shared a connection at shows that can only be understood by fellow fans - the looks and smiles at each other during certain songs - just KNOWING when we were seeing something special on a certain night without having to say a word. The last show we saw him at was the Vegas show - and what an amazing show he got to see! 

We also feel very thankful that he got to hear one of the best albums that DMB has put out. "Big Whiskey and the Grugrux King" has made a lot of fans fall in love with the band all over again, myself included.
Please feel good knowing that he got to see 2 amazing shows in Vegas with some of the songs from that album played live.

This past Friday Craig and I were out celebrating my birthday with a few friends. I thought about texting Matt, since I had texted all my friends I knew in the area to come out, and hadn't seen Matt in awhile. But for some odd reason I thought he lived in Manhattan Beach and not Hermosa and assumed that he would be busy there with friends. So I did not text him. (I knew that he was in Northern CA for sometime and knew that he moved back to the area, but for some reason I still thought it was Manhattan Beach.) After going to 2 places for Happy Hour, we decided to call it a night early. We passed a restaurant called Mediterraneo in Hermosa Beach. We were not going to go to any more places, especially knowing that Mediterraneo stopped serving drinks early - but SOMETHING drew us there. We walked onto the outdoor patio and out popped Matt from the inside area! I was surprised to see him, especially since I had thought about inviting him out just hours before. He gave me a big hug and his big Matt smile. I remember telling my friend Janet "Wow, I really am having a great birthday  -I am even getting to see Matt!!"  We talked for a few minutes about the Vegas shows, about our love of the new album, I told him a bit about school (I am a first grade teacher,) and then he told us that he lived closeby to us in Hermosa. Craig and I were so excited to hear that he lived so close - we couldn't believe that we never realized it before!! The three of us vowed to spend more time together, then we went our own ways . He was ready to leave at that point, but I am not sure if he followed us out to go home or if he went back inside.

After I found out about his passing, I felt lucky that I had the chance to see him again. I felt as though it was a weird twist of fate that brought us to that particular place at that particular time. He was his normal, happy, smiling Matt self when we saw him - please know that. His smile will be forever etched in my mind from that night.  Please know that before walking home, he got to smile, laugh, and share happy talk about the amazing music of DMB. He got to feel that rush of excitement that we all feel when we see our "DMB people."  I hope that knowing this helps family and friends feel some comfort during this incredibly difficult time.

We will always remember Matt, especially at shows and whenever we sit outside at Mediterraneo to watch the colors of the sky during Hermosa sunsets. His smile and passion for music will live on in our hearts.

Debbie Bodnar
debbie@dmbrr.com