After Julia Roberts gave a speech, Dave Matthews Band joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the Class of 2024, with their frontman speaking for them.
Dave Matthews shared memories from their start in Charlottesville, thanked past and present band members, and praised fans for helping them get into the Hall of Fame.
Below is what Matthews said during his speech:
To start, being part of the Class of 2024 feels like diving into deep waters, and we are so thankful to be included with such amazing people.
A funny thing happened last weekend. I met someone I hadn’t seen in 30 years, and they found an old Tribe Called Quest album I had given them. It was ironic because we’re being inducted alongside A Tribe Called Quest, whom I really admire.
I already told Peter how much he means to me; he’s incredible and has influenced my life. Once, Ozzy Osbourne was next to me on a treadmill at the gym. He’s genuinely one of the kindest people, despite his wild shows. I took my son to see Black Sabbath, and while it was intense, it was also wonderful.
Sharing the stage with these guys every night is a huge honor. Things have changed, but Carter Beauford, Stefan Lessard, Leroi Moore—we miss you. Tim Reynolds, Rashawn Ross, Buddy Strong, Jeff Coffin, I love you all. Boyd Tinsley, wherever you are, hope you’re happy. Butch Taylor, who played keys for us, thank you. And to Peter Greisar, our first keyboardist, thanks for your time with us.
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Quick shoutout to our crew. Too many people to name. We all started at Millers, where I was a bartender and met the original guys. Steve Thorpe, who owned that bar, let us form the band there. John D’earth, thanks for encouraging me to share my music with Carter and Roy, my heroes. They said, ‘Sure, we’ll play with you when we can.’
We spent a lot of time practicing at Steve’s, enjoying free drinks since I was the bartender. Carter, Roy, and I lived with our moms, but Stefan had his own place as he was still in high school. Carter and Roy once suggested getting Rashawn to join us. Jeff Coffin, our friend from the Flecktones, stepped in for Roy when he got hurt and stayed after he passed. We appreciate him for that.
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Buddy joining us brought fresh energy. I had notes prepared, but the teleprompter operator must be wondering what’s going on. Thanks to Chip Hooper for guiding us and Ross Hoffman for pushing me to finish songs. My family, our families—we love you all.
The most important thing about this band, and likely others, is our fans. It’s wild how persistent they are. We won the fan vote before but didn’t get in. This time, thanks to them, we did. I joked about not getting in again because it would be a story, but we’re thrilled now. Thanks to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, all artists here, and everyone. Oops, messed up the speech. Thanks to Julia Roberts and everyone else.
I know many are leaving, so we’ll play some farewell music now.
