Article and Photos by: Andrés Alvarado
Atlanta, GA — Twenty years for Matchbox Twenty is the theme of the Orlando quartet’s latest tour. Yes, Rob Thomas and company have entertained the masses with their alternative-rock tunes for roughly two decades now and, if this show was any indication, they have plenty more left in the tank. Atlanta’s Lakewood Amphitheatre was jam-packed as they played host to MB20’s A Brief History of Everything Tour and quite a night it turned out to be. For 100 minutes, the Florida foursome guided their crowd through a visually and audibly grand journey of the band’s chart-toppers, plus a healthy mix of their under-appreciated yet riveting and lesser known singles.
Though in their forties, Rob Thomas, Kyle Cook, Paul Doucette and Brian Yale still exude the excitement of a band loving each moment they spend on stage together. Most notably Doucette during the joyful mastering of several musical instruments that range from shredding on his Epiphone guitar to excitedly manhandling the drums and piano. For their parts, Cook and Yale are as cool as the other side of the pillow and they know it. The Matchbox Twenty string-men appear larger than life when they strike a pose for the cameras or make several fan’s nights by tossing a guitar-pick or twenty onto the crowd.
Then there’s the iconic voice of MB20: Rob Thomas. The lean front-man runs a “smooth” operation. While the remaining band-members go above and beyond to fulfill their on-stage duties, it’s Thomas that creates and drives the highlights of the night. Brilliantly mashing-up Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” to Matchbox Twenty’s “Downfall” was simply the beginning and it brought the crowd to their feet to join Thomas for a thrilling sing-along.
Thomas proceeds to share a moment with one lucky fan. Borrowing said fan’s mobile phone to record the performance of mega-hit “Unwell” on the device’s camera. This action was sure to provide this attendee with quite a video to share on their social media sites, in addition to a memory that will last a lifetime.
Rounding off the night was the delightfully packed overall performance. Matchbox Twenty delivers a mesmerizing light show to complement their famous lyrics. Fans were treated to a cavalcade of big hits like “Bent,” “3AM,” “Push,” and “Disease” prior to Thomas delivering closing tune “Bright Lights” on piano duties, and while there were more than 15,000 enthralled fans on hand, the performance felt intimate and unique.
Back in 1996 Matchbox Twenty began a storied journey by taking the music industry by storm in dropping their now classic LP Yourself or Someone Like You. Now with 4 LPs to their name and several notable solo and side projects, the Central Floridians still possess the musical gusto that on this night made many fans reminisce about the feeling they had the first time they listened to Matchbox Twenty … and that’s a special talent.
For more on Matchbox Twenty and their A Brief History of Everything Tour alongside Counting Crows running through October visit their website at www.matchboxtwenty.com or head over to iTunes or Spotify to get reacquainted with Matchbox Twenty’s numerous hits.