RSSReview: Matchbox Twenty, Agganis Arena
Sep 30
Matchbox Twenty
Agganis Arena, Boston University
September 29, 2007
Just minutes before Matchbox Twenty took the stage as headliners of MixFest 2007, the song Jungle Boogie blared out from the speakers. The song spun itself out and the band nonchalantly took the stage and launched into Long Day. It was a laid-back reunion, the first of a handful of tour dates in promotion of their greatest hits set Exile on Mainstream.
If the band has been away for a while, you can probably put a lot of the blame on Rob Thomas. The band was on hiatus while Thomas decided to take his act solo, collaborating with other artists and releasing Something to Be in 2005. He effortlessly established himself as a premier pop song writer and solo artist.
The question is whether Matchbox Twenty can sustain any momentum after an almost 5 year hiatus, especially given that Thomas has already says he has plans to write and record a second solo album. Or has Matchbox Twenty went relegated to a nostalgia band of the nineties?
If the crowd was any evidence, which was far more forty- and fifty-year olds than teenagers, you might be tempted to question their mainstream relevancy. But all that was pushed aside for the hour long set of hits plus a couple of new tunes. It was a rousing singalong from start to finish and the crowd was very into it. It was evident after a lackluster response to Colbie Caillat and Mat Kearney (mostly nobody was in the audience during Blue October’s blistering set.) The crowd came alive for Daughtry, but they exalted in Thomas and co.
Thomas was a bundle of good vibrations. He danced to the beat of the music, engaging the crowd with winks and expressions of delight perfectly captured on the video screens (and likely hundreds of camera phones.) He’s an ultra-expressive performer, it pays to be close enough to watch his face as well as his grooves. But the thing that struck most about Matchbox Twenty’s leading man is how normal he seems, the guy next door type. He came across instantly approachable and likable. He chatted a lot during the set, as much to his bandmates as to the crowd, and whizzed through familiar songs like 3am and If You’re Gone.
New tracks held up well against the old material, but amazingly, they seemed to have a more relaxed bent than some of the older songs. The lyrics to How Far We’ve Come seem like the typical Matchbox Twenty downer ballad, but the energy and the pulse of the song just don’t fit their old image the way Unwell and Bent perfectly encapsulated it. And they wedged the downright playful song I’ll Believe You When in between Bright Lights and the set closer Push. The energy picked up further into the set, especially Real World, Back to Good. The extended jam version of Bright Lights featured Kyle Cook and Paul Doucette (now playing guitar) taking turns on lead vocals.
The question of whether Matchbox Twenty can remain relevant lies with Rob Thomas. Though their songwriting may now be more of a collaborative affair, his energy leaves a distinct signature on their studio work and their live show. But even if they eventually do get labeled a nostalgia act, tonight was a testament that it’s a pretty damn good one.
Matchbox Twenty Setlist
Long Day
Disease
How Far We’ve Come
3am
Unwell
If You’re Gone
Bent
These Hard Times
Real World
Back to Good
Bright Lights
I’ll Believe You When
Push
