Steady As We Go
By now, you've probably heard about Emily Kraus, the crazy-lucky fan, who got the surprise of her life last Saturday, when she stopped to help a stranded cyclist on the way to a DMB show in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The cyclist, of course, was Dave, himself, out for his routine pre-concert bike-ride, without a cell-phone. Dave, grateful for the ride, provided Emily and her boyfriend with dinner, front-row seats, back-stage passes, and signed tickets that read, "Thanks for the ride."
Then, as if all that wasn't enough, during the intro to "Granny," Dave described the incident, saying that he got a flat tire on his bicycle and thought, "Awww, sh#$@t," before being picked up by the Good Samaritan.
The story has caught the eye of major news networks, because, if you didn't "know" Dave, it would seem very peculiar for a rock-star to be out on his bike without security, or, at the very least, a way to contact anyone. But to ants like us, it's really just another testament to why we love this man so much.
The other gem in this story is Emily, herself. She reports that she was running late to the show, but that she stopped to help the cyclist anyway. Her actions demonstrate the LoVE that we believe emanates from, and around, this band. Being a DMB fan starts out as being all about the music, but, for most people, it evolves into something much larger. As a community, we believe in helping others, and in peace for all nations, a belief system that, I believe, trickles down from Dave's pacifist roots.
Everyone has her ideas of what meeting Dave might be like. Many fans have been lucky enough to have this experience, one way or another. But Emily's story is both mundane and spectacular at the same time. Who among us hasn't stopped to help someone stranded on the side of the road? And yet, how many times has that wayward traveler been a Grammy Award winning musician?
For me, there's also great meaning in the fact that Dave decided to tell this story right before "Granny," a song that is all about love. It also happens to be the very song that I have been trying to hear live since 1997. The same song that I am praying will make the setlist for Charlotte this year. No, I'm not a setlist complainer, but a girl can wish, right?
In any event, I love that the nation got a taste of why DMB fans are "rabid," as Dave said in a recent interview. Simply put, the LoVE is contagious! And, in my opinion, any news that has the potential to encourage people to help one-another is fantastic news. When it comes to the media, fear and violence sells, but, as luck would have it, so does good Karma.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bicycle rack to install on my car.
Hayley Bauman, Psy.D.