When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame released the names of special guests coming to the ceremony this year, quite a few people were surprised to see Julia Roberts listed alongside the likes of Questlove and Tom Morello. But Dave Matthews Band fans knew Roberts was a long time DMB superfan and correctly guessed she’d deliver their induction speech.
Roberts is such a big fan of the group that she appeared in their 2005 “Dreamgirl” video as a woman with very unsettling dreams. “The idea, originally, was there would be this dream and this woman stumbling through, being pursued by a group of people, which would be unusual for Julia,” Matthews told MTV in 2005. “We thought, ‘We could be those dark, creepy people,’ and then, ‘No, maybe we could separate ourselves, and be the characters helping her through the dream.’” Check out Roberts’ speech for the Dave Mathews band.
Hello, hello, hello. All right, well, the good news is we are halfway through. When I was asked to come here tonight to perform the heart-racing task of inducting the Dave Matthews Band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I asked one — what felt obvious and critical — question: Is there anything that I should not do or say? Right?
Music people can be funny about things, and I just didn’t want to do anything wrong right off the bat. A few days later, I got a message with the answer, and it said, when it comes to talking about the band, don’t play favorites. I thought, “Don’t play favorites? I’ve got three kids. I’m in show business. Favorites? I don’t play favorites.” Car — I wouldn’t do that. Carter. So here we are. Carter, I said it, spit out my cough drop when I said it, but I said it. So, here we are on this magical night, and I am deeply honored to be part of heralding these men: Dave Matthews, LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, and Boyd Tinsley. Holding up for all time the Dave Matthews Band.
I will speak just briefly here about the beginning: 1991 Virginia, these young men were all just kicking around with their individual musical dreams. Some guy knows Dave, who’s a bartender, and he introduces him to Carter, who I think knew LeRoi. Then came Stefan, and last but never least, Boyd enters the picture. Now this is only worth mentioning, because it’s just so simple, so gentle, so un-electrifying. But then they somehow became a band, one that is commonly referred to as phenomenal, stupendous, magnificent, and for me, personally, life-affirming.
It’s no wonder that they have arrived here at the Hall of Fame. The musical talent, the originality, the sheer quantity of genres they perform, it’s mind-blowing. And I’ve been lucky enough to attend many a Dave Matthews Band concert, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard any of their songs played the same way twice. Right? The songs, the stories of love and loss, of humanity and deep connections, and resonating responsibilities, it’s all there and more. The joyous, spontaneous abandon with which they play is part of how they have become one of the most enduring and beloved bands of the last 30-plus years.
The first time I ever danced with my husband was almost 25 years ago to a Dave Matthews Band song. And that was a winning combination, as I have been swooning over my husband and this band ever since. You can clap for that — swooning — you can clap for swooning. Fans of the Dave Matthews Band, we’re not just fans. We are lifelong fans, avid, ardent fans, devoted fans, walk-heaven-and-earth-to-be-there fans. This is intense. You people are wild. Let’s go!
All right now, simmer down for a minute, because now I’m going to tell a little story. Being a friend and a die-hard fan over these many years, I was enchanted to learn a few things when I was doing a little homework for tonight. I thought I would ask some questions, find out a little bit more about the members of the band. I found out some interesting things.
Stefan Lessard, for example, left high school his junior year and apparently has a number of aliases. I didn’t see that coming. Then there’s Carter, Carter, Carter, Carter. Everybody loves Carter. Carter is a fellow Scorpio — happy almost-birthday. Now, one thing the internet seems to go on and on about, but never answers, is the question of whether or not Carter is left-handed. There are pages devoted to this pondering. There is analysis. It’s so funny, I am left-handed, and I will tell anybody who asks me. But Carter, it’s a mystery.
And finally, there is David Matthews. Don’t Google him. Don’t. Really. I did it, and I was immediately filled with regret. The first story that comes up about Dave Matthews is how he suffered a stroke, and I was stunned. I called my best friend, Paige, who’s here tonight — also a die-hard fan. And I said, “Oh, sweet mother of God. Dave Matthews had a stroke? Did you know this? I didn’t know this.” And as I’m going on and on, she, of course, wisely, has Googled it and tells me that, in fact, if I had read on, I would have seen that it was a man named Dave Matthews in New Zealand in his sixties. He might be musical. We’ll never know. He had suffered a stroke, but was making a beautiful recovery.
I was very relieved, and Googled on to discover — oh, friends with Adam Sandler, didn’t know that, there was no mention of — anyway, he and Ashley have a winery, cool label, good price point. Didn’t know. And then it reads, “When did Dave Matthews come out?” But that refers to when the band first came out, as you know, a band. So these are the things that happen when you name the band after yourself.
I’m also going to take a moment just to add one big, robust congratulatory inclusion to four more incredible gents: Tim Reynolds, Jeff Coffin, Rashawn Ross, and Buddy Strong — who, over the years, have brought their outrageous talents to the Dave Matthews Band family and we are ever so grateful for it. And finally, I just want to personally give thanks and praise to a woman who I see as the central pillar, the tentpole holding up this wild circus tent: the exceptional Ashley Harper Matthews. Now, I give you the music and the story of the band that changed my life.