Any Matthew Sweet fans??
CHANGEinWAVES
Posts: 10,169
I've been a big fan since high school... gave him a rest for awhile, but now I've been immersing myself in his tunes.
"I'm not present, I'm a drug that makes you dream"
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Chief Lackey @ Mind Over Matter Records
Charlotte 03
Asheville 04
Atlanta 12
Greenville 16, Columbia 16
Seattle 18
Nashville 22
Ohana Festival 24 x2
does that count as being a fan? ........if you only have a hit cd mix?
i'd say no....
sorry for the babble. hehehe
http://www.matthewsweet.com/matthew-sweet-on-tour/
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG1FSt9Tm-k
” Over the last 35 years, Matthew Sweet’s life has been a whirlwind of world tours and sold-out shows. The ‘Girlfriend’ singer, originally from Lincoln, Nebraska, had just kicked off his latest tour when a stroke forced him to put his performances on hold. After driving to Toronto, Canada, Matthew knew something was wrong.
“We hadn’t even checked into the hotel,” Matthew said. “Our road manager was checking in and I said, ‘Call an ambulance.’”
Matthew says he remembers breaking out in a cold sweat, hearing loud white noise, and then feeling his eyes “scrambling.” Doctors in Toronto informed him he had a stroke, likely due to high blood pressure. Living in Omaha, Nebraska, Matthew knew he needed to get home to Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals’ world-class stroke rehabilitation program as soon as possible. He arrived at Madonna’s Omaha Campus via a private medical transport plane.
Matthew’s stroke occurred in the pons region of his brain, in the back. It impacted his left side and his speech. When he arrived at Madonna in October, he needed two people to help him sit up in bed. He feared he would never walk, play an instrument, or perform again.
“It’s a hard thing to realize what the stroke means in your life,” Matthew said. “It’s so daunting to think if your arm will work again or your leg will work again.”
Just like a hit song starts with a single note, Matthew’s rehabilitation journey started with a little bit of determination. His physician-led care team got him up and moving as quickly as possible to maximize his recovery. Using specialized technology like the LiteGait bodyweight support system, he was able to take a few steps.
“It eliminates that risk of falling and allowed him to increase the number of repetitions he could get with walking and just really build that brain-body connection again,” Kailyn Wiseman, PT, DPT, Matthew’s physical therapist said. “There’s a lot of ways we could challenge him with that technology, whether that was putting weights on his ankles, having him walk up an incline on the treadmill or even singing while walking.”
The first time Wiseman asked him to walk with a walker, Matthew says he thought she was crazy. He was convinced he wouldn’t be able to take steps on his own.
“It was just terrifying,” Matthew said. “It was like, there’s no way I’ll ever do this. It was kind of that way with everything. I really owe it to Madonna for my rehab and keeping me going and steady in that, just by whatever my attitude was that day.”
While physical therapy focused on regaining strength and balance in his legs, occupational therapy emphasized the development of Matthew’s arms and vision.
“We used our ArmeoSpring, which is a robotic device that helps to support the arm making it lighter and easier to move,” Ronnie Clark, MOT, OTR/L, Matthew’s occupational therapist, said. “For Matthew, we used this a lot to help with his grasp and release and just the control of his arm as well since he was pretty uncoordinated.”
Hand-eye coordination is key when it comes to playing instruments, so Clark made sure to have Matthew participate in vision therapy and visit with Madonna’s on-site neuro-optometrist, Dr. Tanner Gates.
Every ounce of therapy was dedicated to getting Matthew closer to his dream of returning to the stage. His physical therapy team had him singing while walking to mimic what he does as a performing artist. After some convincing, his recreation therapy team encouraged him to pick up a guitar and strum a few chords.
“The first time I tried was really hard, you know?” he said. “I just thought, ‘I will never play guitar again.’ Now I think, ‘Well, maybe I’ll play guitar again.’”
Recreation therapy also helped Matthew get back into painting, another creative outlet he picked up in recent years. The movements of the brush helped improve his coordination and confidence. Even when he was unsure of himself, Matthew’s care team says he was always willing to try the things they asked him to do. He and Wiseman set smaller weekly goals to celebrate and acknowledge his progress toward his overall goal of independence.
“Physically, Matthew went from not even being able to sit up on his own to walking 400 to 500 feet with an assistive device, which is pretty phenomenal,” Wiseman said. “But what I really saw rewarding was the progress that he made emotionally and mentally as well. I could tell initially it was hard for Matthew to understand, this is my reality now, but he stayed resilient and pushed through all the emotions that come with such a life-altering event like this and just gave 100 percent of what he had each day for us.”
Matthew credits ‘Choices,’ a class led by Madonna’s neuropsychology department that all patients are encouraged to take, for his mental and emotional growth.
“At first, I would dread it because it was the real, hard truth,” Matthew said. “It was where they really told you what a stroke was and how it affected you and things you might expect from it, but I value it very much now because it’s why I understand as well as I do where I’m at with it. All of those things come with stroke rehabilitation and Madonna is really great at it.”
To celebrate his progress and highlight his effort, Matthew’s care team presented him with a Madonna Spirit Award before he returned home in time for Thanksgiving. He’s grateful to be spending the holidays at home, but he is already thinking about his goals for 2025 and outpatient therapy.
“A lot rides on whether you keep going and keep making progress toward walking and being able to care for yourself,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without Madonna and without all the fans who supported me. We’re going to do the best we can, which is what you do in life.”
https://www.madonna.org/stories/nebraska-musician-matthew-sweet-recovers-from-stroke-at-madonna/