DMB Fan Picks Up Hitchhiking Dave Matthews After Bike Accident

Lifelong Dave Matthews Band fans, Emily Kraus and her boyfriend had tickets for the DMB concert in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Saturday night. After a comedy of errors, they were on their way to the show and running a bit late when they spotted a man with a flat bike tire by the side of the road. Given the precarious time situation, most people likely would have passed right on by, but these two decided to stop, which wound up being a brilliant idea because the stranded traveler was none other than Dave Matthews himself.

The beloved singer was at the venue in Hershey earlier in the day when he decided to go for a pre-gig trek on his bike. As per usual, he didn’t bring his cell phone, but unusually, that decision wound up being a mistake. The musician popped a bike tire some distance from where he needed to return, and without a useable mode of transportation or a way to contact someone who could help, he was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers. Luckily for him, there are plenty of good Samaritans in Pennsylvania.

After helping Matthews get his bike back on the rack, the couple, who recognized him almost immediately, made small talk about other stops on his tour and discussed his daughters going to camp this summer. According to CNN, both found Matthews to be extremely nice and humble, and they were thrilled when he asked the two backstage to have dinner and subsequently upgraded their seats to the front row. During the gig, Matthews also recounted the story for his fans and made sure to thank Emily by name for what she’d done.

Some people say meeting your idols is always bad because they prove to be assholes or exactly like you, but there are far worse things in the world than finding out a beloved musician is a normal dude with a big heart. In fact, something tells me Emily and her boyfriend will cherish that car ride far more than they would holding an inauthentic version of Matthews up onto some unattainable pedestal filled with hilarious quips and a never-ending flow of brilliant, Earth-shattering thoughts.

Matthews and his bandmates have toured relentlessly over the past decade plus, but in recent years, the singer has branched out a bit to take the occasional acting role and to make the occasional political appearance. That sorta branching out is pretty common among highly successful creative types, but it’s a great tribute to Matthews that he’s never let any of these alternate pursuits get in the way of playing for his fans on an extremely regular basis.

I’m not going to advise picking up any hitchhikers you might see. That seems like a recipe to get robbed, but if you happen to head past a kind-looking biker with a flat tire, offering assistance is the kind thing to do. Sometimes you get rewarded for gestures like that too.