Goodbye LeRoi Moore: Man With A Soul

It was a sad day for the Dave Matthews Band as they lost founding member, LeRoi Moore. I didn't know LeRoi Moore from Mary Tyler Moore or Michael Moore since I rarely listen to the group. The most experience I have have had with the "who's who" in the band came a number of years ago. Dave Matthews performed at GM Place and, I must be honest, it wasn't that good. I was annoyed with Dave's lack of stage presence and I attempted to calculate the enjoyment to ticket cost ratio. But, I never was really good at math, so, I remained in my seat.

Dave stood in one spot during both sets. He made oral love to his microphone yet barely moved. There may have been a little toe tapping here and there but he could have been a corpse with a high quality recording playing from the back of his throat. Axl Rose without arms, legs and with his own throat torn out would have been able to carry the stage better than what I saw that night. (Of course, there was that one time I had that forty-five minute adventure down the Grand Canyon and I enjoyed hearing familiar music as I whisked along in a pseudo-helicopter ride and I had a bit more respect for the band afterwards.)

But, back to the night in question.

As I sat there being bored and trying to decipher a single reason for why Dave Matthews existed - I noticed something off to his left. I remember asking Allyson:

"Who is the dude with the dreads and the sax?"

I spent the rest of the show watching him and giving even less of a damn for Dave Matthews safety. I remember that show simply because of LeRoi. He was moving around, absorbed in the music and the enjoying the performance. He gestured to the audience, started people clapping and moved around the stage and interacted with the other members of the band. It was obvious to me that LeRoi was the heart of that band. He gave it all at that one Vancouver show and I was happier because of it. Watching him enjoy himself was the only thing that stopped me from hurling my shoes at Dave's head.

In our household, it is Allyson who is the rabid fan and it makes me sad that she has also lost a bit of the Dave Matthews Band. It is hard to find a group that is able to hold the stage these days. A lot of groups try (sorry, Sting, your performance was decent but your kid blew you geezers away) but seldom do they come close enough to catch my attention. I would love to blame television but I can't. Keeping a solid presence during a live performance is much harder than anything you can do in the performing arts.

Sorry for your loss, Dave Matthews Band and LeRoi's family.

Technorati Tags: dave matthews, leroi moore, death, jazz