I Wore a Savannah Bananas Jersey to a Dave Matthews Band Concert in Denver. The Fans Got It Immediately.

When I pulled a bright yellow Savannah Bananas jersey out of my suitcase in Denver, I wasn’t trying to conduct a social experiment.

I was simply heading to Fiddler’s Green for two nights of Dave Matthews Band and wanted to celebrate two things I love.

Then people started stopping me.

The jersey looked like a traditional Bananas jersey, but the back said LIPSMEYER and the number 41—a nod to one of Dave Matthews Band’s most beloved songs and one of my personal favorites.

The timing could not have been better.

The Bananas had played Coors Field just two weeks earlier, and the DMB fans I met in Denver immediately understood the crossover.

A recent Savannah Bananas on SI article “Why Jesse Cole Credits Dave Matthews Band With Helping Build the Savannah Bananas” explored the larger business similarities between Jesse Cole’s Savannah Bananas and Dave Matthews Band.

Wearing that jersey showed me those similarities from a different angle:

From inside the crowd.

For example, DMB fans “call plays,” too.

In baseball, a called play tells players what to do.

At a Dave Matthews Band show, calling the play means trying to predict the next song by watching which guitar Dave is handed, where the band members move or which instruments appear.

It takes a little studying.

Or, in my case, more than 80 shows.

Apparently, you eventually start picking up on things.

Sports jerseys are already part of the atmosphere at Banana Ball games, and DMB fans have built a similar tradition of their own.

Carter Beauford is known for wearing jerseys behind the drums, and fans often recreate that look or design custom jerseys using song titles, favorite numbers and other DMB references.

Both DMB and the Savannah Bananas sell official jerseys and merchandise online, and merchandise is part of the fan experience at both concerts and games.

So when I wore my custom Bananas/DMB jersey in Denver, it felt like the perfect mix of both worlds.

Sports and music were sharing the same space.

Handing down our passions

On The Space Between Podcast, I have interviewed DMB fans who discovered the band through an older sibling, parent, friend or spouse.

Then, years later, they often become the person introducing someone else.

Baseball has always carried that same kind of story:

A dad taking a child to their first game.

Families sitting together in the stands.

Memories tied to a scoreboard and a summer night.

Banana Ball takes that family feeling and turns the volume up.

Music is everywhere.

Players dance.

Walk-ups become productions.

Celebrations become performances.

The audience is not asked to sit quietly and observe.

Neither is a DMB crowd.

Making music such a large part of Banana Ball was one of Jesse Cole’s smartest moves.

Music can change a room before anyone says a word.

It can make people laugh, cry, dance or remember someone they have not thought about in years.

DMB fans know that feeling well.

You rarely remember only a setlist.

You remember who was standing beside you and what was happening in your life when those songs found you.

And since we are talking about dancing, I will simply say this:

Women over 40, I see you.

A baseball roster full of athletes who can also dance is not exactly a terrible entertainment decision.

And DMB fans certainly understand that particular part of the equation.

Dave Matthews has had generations of women showing up to concerts who appreciate more than just the music.

There.

I said it.

What struck me most in Denver, though, was the joy.

Every time someone stopped me to talk about the Bananas, their face lit up.

They wanted to tell me when they had seen them, who they went with, what made them laugh and why they wanted to go again.

I walked away from every conversation smiling.

That is the connection I kept seeing all weekend.

People do not simply attend these things. They carry them. Then they hand them to somebody else.

Banana Ball has a two-hour clock.

Dave Matthews Band has a different kind of clock.

DMB will not tour forever, which is why I keep telling people:

Go now.

Take someone you love.

Wear the jersey.

Call the plays.

Dance when the music starts.

Some games you never want to end.

But when they finally do, “Celebrate we will.”

Renae Lipsmeyer is the creator and host of The Space Between Podcast, a show dedicated to documenting the stories and experiences of Dave Matthews Band fans.

See additional Savannah Bananas On SI content!

Why Jesse Cole Credits Dave Matthews Band With Helping Build the Savannah Bananas

Jesse Cole Reveals When He Knew Banana Ball Could Be Bigger Than Baseball

How Bananas Foster Uses Banana Ball to Support Foster Families