Brittany Hibbs

I came across your Dave Matthews Band Fan Portrait Project, and I knew I had to reach out.. because DMB isn’t just music to me, it’s been a constant thread through my entire life.

I was introduced in middle school when my brother made me a mixed CD, and the first song I remember hearing was the American Baby Intro and American Baby. From there, I loaded as much DMB as I could onto my little iPod shuffle. I couldn’t even see what song was playing next-I just had to listen. It was all feeling, no control, just the music meeting me exactly where I was. That’s how it started.

My first concerts were at Deer Creek in high school, and that place has felt like home ever since. One of those early shows is still etched into me- June 18, 2010. I had just turned 18- it was the summer before my senior year of high school, that in-between moment where you’re old enough to be on your own but still very much a kid. It was just me and my stepdad for a Father’s Day gift, and somewhere along the night I lost him in the crowd on the lawn- phones dead, rain pouring, everything completely soaked.And the vibes were AWESOME.

And instead of being scared, I felt completely taken care of. The people around me made sure I was okay, and was having an amazing time the entire night! I learned so much, met so many amazing people, and have cherished that night ever since. It was chaotic, muddy, storm-delayed…and still so perfect.

They opened with JTR that night. I cried tears of joy- what a PERFECT opener after waiting all that time in the severe weather! And I swear, there is nothing quite like standing in the rain, surrounded by strangers who feel like family, sliding down the mudslide on the lawn, hearing that song start. That was the moment I understood...this wasn’t just a concert. This was something bigger. MUCH bigger.

Since then, I’ve gone back to Deer Creek as much as I can, sometimes multiple nights in a row. Dancing on the lawn, singing at the top of my lungs- it’s the closest thing I can describe to a spiritual experience. It feels like the way people talk about praising in church- completely out-of-body, joyful, and grounding all at once.

DMB has been there through every version of me. In high school, I would play my Live at Central Park DVD onto my bedroom wall with my cute little projector I got for my birthday and danced for hours. I listened on the way to school, borrowed (and never returned) CDs from my brother and stepdad, and shared the music with anyone who would listen. I remember the loss of LeRoi Moore and how the community came together- even the kids at my high school who were also Dave fans, and later learning to love Jeff Coffin and everything he brought. Watching the band evolve- from LeRoi to Jeff, from Boyd to Buddy- has felt like growing up alongside them.

The music has been there through my biggest life moments too. I walked down the aisle to #34, and had my first dance to You & Me. That marriage didn’t last, but the meaning those songs hold for me never changed. DMB has always been something I could return to- something that grounds me, heals me, and lifts me back up. Every. single. time.

DMB’s music has saved me in so many rough seasons in my life. High school heartbreaks, learning to live 5 hours away from my family when I went to college, and growing pains of becoming an adult.  During COVID, when the world felt small and uncertain, I remember watching Dave play from home.still finding ways to connect, still bringing that same feeling through a screen. Going through the loss of my mom in 2023, and a divorce 6 months after, I was able to lean on my favorite band and find peace, comfort and joy in the lowest moments of my life. It reminds me that no matter what was going on in the world, that connection to the music- and to the community- never goes away.

Even now, I carry it into my everyday life. I’m an elementary music teacher, and I find ways to introduce DMB to my students in age-appropriate ways. I have connected with families at my school who are also Dave fans- I have a kiddo who will always wear his DMB shirts on the days he has music class! A sweet family made me an amazing sweatshirt with a tie dye firedancer on it. The girls in my family were never big Dave fans.. but I have made them learn to love DMB over the years. I had even turned Everyday into a lullaby for my nephew- “Hudson, Hudson, come and dance with me” and have caught my sister- who would SWEAR she wasn't a Dave fan- listen and sing along to Everyday.

Every season of my life has a DMB soundtrack. Some Devil will always feel like spring break, driving to Florida with my high school band. Dave and Tim Live at Radio City was the soundtrack to the following summer. My stepdad bought the Weekend on the Rocks CD and my brother and I would fight over who had it all throughout my senior year of high school. Certain live versions, certain intros, even the way Dave talks on stage- they’re all woven into my memory.. and often comes out as “vocal stems” for me 😂 I catch myself quoting things like “You all smell wonderful tonight” or "That's ok-shit!" or "CARTER BEAUFORD ON THE DRUMS! CARTER BEAUFORD ON THE DRUMS!" On the daily without even thinking.  

I don’t have tattoos (yet!) but every car I’ve ever owned has had a fire dancer on the back. It’s something small, but it represents something really big to me-identity, comfort, and a sense of home within the music.

I’ve attached a few photos that capture different parts of this journey-one of my first concert tickets, moments from that stormy night on the lawn at Deer Creek, and pieces of how this music has stayed with me over the years. Even when phones died, recordings and photos were lost, the memories- and the feeling- never did.

When I read your description about capturing “the ones with stories in their hearts and music in their bones,” I felt that deeply. Dave Matthews Band has been the soundtrack to my life, and I would be honored to be part of something that celebrates that kind of connection.

Thank you for creating something like this- it means so much 🩷

Peace and love,

Brittany Hibbs