"It's always easier to leave than be left"

On Tuesday night, Dave Matthews Band mourned bandmate LeRoi Moore the only way they knew how: they played a show just hours after learning of his death.

"It's always easier to leave than be left."
- Dave Matthews, on his friend's passing



We're going to their concert tomorrow night, and I'll post my thoughts after the show. I asked John tonight, "Are you excited about going to the show tomorrow night?" but as soon as the words left my mouth I knew "excited" was the wrong word.

I am looking forward to seeing the band...but, to what? To wrap a big audience hug around them? Let them know we're in shock, and mourning, like they are? To show our support for LeRoi's memory and honor his music?

I don't know, but I'll share after the show.

What a Sad, Sad Day - DMB Member LeRoi Dies

I'm shocked and saddened by the unexpected death of Dave Matthews' Band member LeRoi Moore. I worked with the band on Live 8, and they're all really nice guys. LeRoi was very sweet, and my heart goes out to the band and fans everywhere. We were supposed to see them this Friday at Coors (Cricket) Amphitheatre in San Diego...I will miss what he brings to the band.

---

Dave Matthews Band sax player LeRoi Moore dies

By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, Associated Press Writer 7 minutes ago

LeRoi Moore, saxophone player for the Dave Matthews Band, died Tuesday of injuries suffered in an accident on an all-terrain vehicle in June. He was 46.

Moore died at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, the band said on its Web site.

He was initially hospitalized in late June after the accident on his farm outside Charlottesville, Va. He had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin physical rehabilitation when complications forced him back into the hospital July 17.

It was not immediately clear what the complications were. A message left with Hollywood Presbyterian was not immediately returned.

Ambrosia Healy, the band's publicist, says the group's show Tuesday night in Los Angeles has not been canceled.

Spring Awakening Blooms Downtown

Went downtown and saw "Spring Awakening" last night at the newly renovated Balboa Theatre. The show won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Musical and 7 other Tonys, and wow. What nipple and butt cheek sighting-ful! Seriously, though, I really enjoyed it.

The ad nauseum comparisons to "Rent" inevitably set it up for a little letdown for me, but overall the whole thing was wonderful. It really hit its stride on the song "Totally Fu#$%ed" and the actors were all spot-on. The Moritz character must be a blast to play - fun, yet extremely challenging. The kid who played him in the tour (Blake Bashoff) was actually Ben's daughter's boyfriend (Karl) on "Lost."

Regarding the "Rent" comparisons, I can see why. "Rent" changed the face of Broadway when it debuted. Last night, as I watched the show, I tried to remember how I felt at 21 when I saw the Original Broadway Cast (OBC) of Rent, and can see why kids are falling in love with "Spring Awakening" today.

"Rent" got the ball rolling on the $20 for front row ticket rush. SA takes it one step further and for $40 you can sit ON the stage. I was talking to the usher at intermission, who told me that some of the audience on the stage had seen it 70 or 80 times already. It makes me happy that this generation has something in theatre it can connect to and get excited about. I could go on and on, but here's more from Duncan Sheik, one of the creators:



The show does deal with some dark and heavy stuff - and does indeed have some onstage nudity - but I'm still amazed to this day how powerful theatre is. One of my majors in college was theatre (both the acting and technical tracks), but even now I'm touched by how good theatre makes you fall for and care about characters after one 45-minute act.

I'm still reeling from the energy of the show last night. One of the funniest bits didn't even occur on stage, though. After the climatic end to Act I (hee hee, climax), the three bald-headed bozos in front of me didn't return for Act II! I actually saw the one dude text his friend as the house lights came up: "Don't think you'll like this one...get a refund if you can."

HA! I love seeing wrinklies squirm.