The Leader

Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Opinion

When your favorite band is as old as this year's incoming freshmen, it's time to face facts- you're getting old. Then, to drive the nail in deeper, a member of that band goes and dies. When I heard that Leroi Moore passed away, a bit of my youth went with him into that good night.

I originally wanted to write a piece about how I didn't go to Alpine Valley this year on account of the drunken teenagers I'm sick of dealing with. I was going to talk about how we sometimes outgrow bands or how they outgrow us. I was going to say I was glad I didn't go. After hearing of Moore's passing, I had to scrape that idea. I haven't outgrown the Dave Matthews Band and I doubt I ever will.

Death, of course, is as rock 'n' roll as sex and drugs. Buddy Holly had his legendary status cemented in that fatal plane crash. Kurt Cobain left a still-vacant throne at the top of the grunge hierarchy. Led Zeppelin and The Who were never the same, but Robert Plant and Daltrey didn't hang up their spurs. The music has to push on and evolve into something new and (hopefully) better.

Several years ago, Bobby Sheehan, bassist for Blues Traveler, passed away. He was replaced by the guitarist's brother, Tad Kinchla. Nepotism aside, the retooled group sounded better than ever and the song "Pretty Angry" was the dirge for their fallen band mate. I encourage everyone to download it if you haven't heard it already. It demonstrates how a band wrestles with the arbitrary nature of dying in a poetic and unbelievably heartfelt way.

As fans, we must do the same. We must accept the fact that our heroes go gray, retire, unretire, or simply fade into obscurity. Some of our icons balloon into mythical proportions, touring their immortality into a gravitational force we just take for granted. We never expect them to die, to change, but the shows have to go on and someone new has to step up to the mic. We should mourn the loss of the hero and the moments he brought. We also have to tolerate Van Halen's carousel of vocalists and Queen sans Freddie Mercury. I didn't say we had to like it. Not all second-stringers are as good as Brian Johnson replacing Bon Scott for AC/DC.

I don't think Dave Matthews can replace Moore though. He was too unique, too much a part of their spirit to have his spotlight taken. I will wait with eager ears for whatever comes next for that band. Remember: whatever your favorite band, whether it's My Morning Jacket, Gnarls Barkley, or Phil fucking Collins, odds are they aren't going to be around forever. When the time comes, let them go and be happy you were there for any of it. Then again, we're still waiting for Keith Richards to croak.

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