Nicole

"There’s bad days, but that’s okay… just look for the love in it. Don’t burn the day away.” — DMB

This story belongs to Nicole, but it’s dedicated to someone who helped start it all:
Jason “Jay” Coppola.

Jay was a gentle giant kind, funny, and the kind of guy everyone knew. He co-owned a pizzeria on Main Street in Metuchen, but more than that, he was the kind of friend who made sure others were always included. He was a few years older than Nicole, a friend of her brother's and in 2001, he was part of the crew that brought her to her very first concert.

June 11, 2001. Giants Stadium. Dave Matthews Band.

That night changed everything.
Nicole still remembers the moment during the encore when “Two Step” came on and the sky opened up. It poured. And instead of running for cover, the crowd leaned in. It was one of those rare, perfect moments you never forget.

Since then, DMB has meant joy, grounding, and connection for Nicole music that somehow meets her wherever she is in life. On good days or bad, lyrics like these have helped her find center again:

“There’s bad days, but that’s okay… just look for the love in it. Don’t burn the day away.”
“Someone in the heavens looking back on me.”

It’s hard not to think of Jay when she hears those words now.
Jay passed away in 2022 from COVID, at just 47 years old. But his presence lives on in memories, in music, and in the energy he brought to every show.

They didn’t stop with that one concert.
Jay, Nicole’s brother, and their friends made it a tradition MSG fall tours, big nights, shared songs. Jay helped build those early memories that turned DMB from a band into a lifestyle.

At her session, Nicole brought a clear bowl of bracelets and stickers quiet treasures that tell her DMB story. We leaned into browns, tans, earthy warmth, and let her energy shape the mood calm, grounded, and full of love.

She said it best:

“The people you meet and the connections you make are never ending.”
“The crowd at the shows that know every word to every song is truly unmatched.”

For Nicole, DMB is a feeling.
It’s community.
It’s the sound of rain during a song you’ll never forget.
It’s Jay, still there in the music.
Still part of the story.