Rob Thomas at The Paramount in Huntington, N.Y.
By SethM
Well, once again I was given the news that Rob Thomas’s/Matchbox 20’s people had denied me access to shoot a show or speak to their artist(s), but did that stop me or the Flashwounds staff? OF COURSE NOT!!
All of us here at Flashwounds enjoy a variety of music and we try to bring you as much varied coverage as possible and especially enjoy sharing our personal favorites with you…so although we don’t have any professional photos (see paragraph one…no chance of getting my photography equipment in…none, so the bad pictures are courtesy of my cell phone) from Monday night’s Rob Thomas solo performance, I still wanted to let you know how the show went.
First, I should note that A) I am an MB20 fan going back to when they were first signed and B) I think Rob is probably one of the best song writers to come out of the past two decades. Covering all music genres and writing for people like country star Travis Tritt, Marc Anthony, Tom Petty and many more, he has proven his talent again and again so it’s no surprise he is on the verge of a third solo album.
Many artist would just put out an album, tour, etc., but Rob decided to do things a little differently by playing a month of more intimate acoustic solo shows prior to entering the studio. It goes without saying that, given his popularity, his Long Island show (and most of the others) sold out almost immediately.
His show is quite unpretentious: a couple of stools for him and his bandmates, some acoustic guitars, a grand piano, and very simple lighting. Rob comes out and gets right down to business, featuring songs from MB20, his first two solo albums, and some unreleased, soon-to-be-recorded songs.
While hits like “This is How a Heart Breaks” and “Disease” got the crowd going a bit other songs like “Getting Late” and a great rendition of “Fallin’ to Pieces” didn’t seem to hold people’s attention; Rob wasn’t oblivious to what was going on and he politely said something to the effect that they shouldn’t be talking because if that’s what they wanted to do, there was another bar down the street where he wasn’t playing.
As the set continued, Rob introduced songs as he had throughout the show, sometimes sharing little anecdotes from his past and speaking to the half seated crowd. Although one of my biggest gripes from the past was Rob’s stage presence (he would just walk around pounding on his chest and playing/pulling on his sweater), I was able to overlook it because he has such a great voice.
Fortunately, Rob’s stage presence has improved drastically and apparently he’d practiced his stage shtick for this tour. One of the highlights was the introduction to “Streetcorner Symphony,” which he called his “Lionel Richie song,” and went into a verse of Richie’s “Easy.” He then told a story about seeing Richie in a hotel, going over to him, and thanking him for writing great songs that had gotten him laid; Rob still remembers that Richie responded “without hesitation,” “ME TOO!!” Rob gave the audience another good laugh when he spoke of a song he had written for Mick Jagger and how Jagger had left him a message which Rob has saved for when people come over so that it seems like Mick calls him all the time.
In regards to his storytelling and banter, I found the most interesting moments to be when Rob talked about Matchbox Twenty’s breakthrough hit “3 A.M.” He revealed that song was about him growing up with a single mother who was battling cancer. He then performed an arrangement I had never heard that coupled very well with the meaning I, and I imagine most, had never known. Ironically, I had never wondered about the lyrics to “3 A.M.” but now it has more meaning and makes more sense as well.
Overall, it was a really, really good show and Rob sounded great. “Smooth” was probably the one song he could have pulled from the set as I didn’t think it translated into the night’s format. With all that said, if you’re a fan of Rob or MB20, you would definitely have enjoyed this show; it was perfect for a mellow Monday night.
As a faithful fan, I will keep going to see Rob and maybe “Someday” (he played that, too), his management will see fit to allow me to take pictures and interview the man himself.
Keep up with Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty by following them on Facebook as well as on their websites.
…and don’t forget that we at Flashwounds always give it our all to entertain you, so follow us, too!