Boyd signs the LoVE sign in Germany / Photo courtesy of Kayla Fisher-Poling
Most of you probably know that it’s pretty hard to encapsulate the DMB experience in just a few words. But one fan, Matt Wadleigh, managed to do just that ever so succinctly and accurately: LoVE.
If you’ve frequented Southern California shows in the past few years, chances are you’ve seen Matt himself quietly holding up the his simple LoVE sign. And if you were at any show post mid-June 2009, chances are you saw one (or more) Love signs being held up proudly.
Following Matt’s passing in the summer of 2009, his simple message of love took wings as a duplicate of his sign was passed from one fan to the next, from venue to venue, ultimately working its way across the USA on DMB’s 2009 North American tour. In 2010, what has become widely known as the LoVE Movement went global, with the sign making a few cameo appearances in Europe.
Fans hold the LoVE sign in Vegas / Photo courtesy of Kayla Fisher-Poling
Although several LoVE signs have been in attendance at various shows since Matt’s passing, it is Kayla Fisher-Poling’s version that has accumulated the most mileage. Although she didn’t know Matt, Kayla was struck by his story. “Everyone just said he was such a great person,” she explains. “The fact that he would just hold a sign that said ‘LoVE,’ rather than asking for something just made it kind of special. And now, it’s like the sign represents Matt going around the world.” And, certainly, this sign gets around. Starting with the Syracuse show on August 4, 2009, the LoVE Movement began working its way through the tour, with Kayla’s sign passed on from one fan to the next, one show after another.
DMB itself has acknowledged Matt and his sign. At the June 17, 2009 St. Louis show, Dave Matthews dedicated Lie In Our Graves to Matt, saying:
“This song is for my late friend, Matt. He used to come to the show and hold up a sign that said LoVE. And it was good. Every time I saw that sign I’d think, ‘Man, that’s a generous gift just to come and show a sign that says nothing but love.’ And I just want to send this song out to him and all of his in gratitude for that generosity. And rest in peace, my brother.”
In addition to honoring a life well lived, the LoVE Movement also speaks to what’s so special about the DMB community. Kayla explains, “Everyone meeting and becoming friends at shows helps the sign travel around.”
A new version of the LoVE sign will be making the rounds for the 2010 tour as well. At the end of the tour, Kayla plans on auctioning it off and donating all proceeds to the Matt Wadleigh LoVE Foundation, a grant program started in Matt’s name to benefit “individuals in need of financial assistance who have demonstrated extraordinary acts of LoVE in their lives.” For more information on Matt, the LoVE sign, and the foundation, please visit MyLoveSign.com.
