The last thing anyone would have expected was Rob Thomas’ current Australian tour to be steeped in controversy. The man who came up in the 90’s as the voice of Tabitha’s Secret and Matchbox 20 falls into the category of inoffensive pop-rock that some may find inauthentic and fairly ordinary in the 2010’s – a decade where the majority of music tastes lay with slightly edgier squad-goal-inspiring, on fleek artistes like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift (yes, that’s sarcasm).
Still, Thomas remains a master craftsman at said inoffensive pop-rock, an exemplary and expressive songwriter who has consistently hit the mark as far as lyricism goes; even though, in terms of overall songs, things haven’t been as consistent for Thomas and his solo work, despite a few winners (“Ever the Same”, “Streetcorner Symphony”, and “Hold on Forever” being the best examples) here and there.
At his Melbourne concert, Thomas told what was essentially a lame dad joke, about how he can drink excessively to the point where he starts to think he is something that he is not (American becomes Australian, white becomes black, and a man becomes a little girl). Once he was made aware of the assumption he inadvertently made and was ignorant of, of a connection between drinking and being “black Australian”, he wrote a lengthy apology on his Facebook before any media backlash.
Despite that, the ever-profitable outrage train took off and we soon saw headlines purposely taking the joke out of context (even after the explanation), obnoxiously painting Rob as an insincere racist asshole who wrote a non-apology for PR purposes. Granted, initial anger over the remark was understandable, especially seeing as the original YouTube video cut off before the “joke” was complete, but to ignore the context after the full story, take the “joke” literally, and continue to drag his name through the mud is disingenuous and quite disgusting, something only made possible because the media can get away with whatever they want.
To take a quote from writer Coen Tate, who runs a blog called Walking Black:
Who we should be angry with is the media, who are continuing to milk us for clicks and ad revenue over this story which they have blown out of proportion. From the start news sources have misrepresented what Thomas said, quoting him out of context and portraying him as a racist. That is simply not a truthful retelling.
Media beat-ups aside, it was obvious that nothing could dampen Rob Thomas’ spirits at the first of two Sydney shows, this one located in the stunning Sydney Opera House Forecourt. His fans certainly weren’t deterred either, with the whole space filling up during support act Pete Murray who, on stage, translates the same tenderness and soul which made Feeler and See the Sun such huge hits in the early-to-mid 2000’s.
Despite a messy beginning with “Give Me the Meltdown”, Rob Thomas fired onto the stage with an infectious enthusiasm, backed by a tight seven piece band who were at their best on softer offerings like “Lonely No More” and “Her Diamonds”, not rising above Rob’s vocals but working with the relatively poor sound quality that comes with outdoor stages.
It’s clear that Rob values his talent for witty, concise songwriting before anything else, often stopping between songs to tell the stories behind them, whether they be heartfelt (“The Great Unknown”) or humorous (“Streetcorner Symphony”). Other than that, it was fairly straight-forward in way of performance, taking some of the best selections from his solo career and giving them to us with added oomph from the band, with the only bold move really being a cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, which remained a highlight throughout the set, Rob’s voice working remarkably well for the iconic song.
While the arrangements aren’t all that exciting, Rob Thomas’ solo career has brought in more blue-eyed soul and rhythm when compared to his darker sound with Matchbox 20, the vibrancy evident with sugary ballads like “Hold On Forever”, mid-tempo numbers like “I Think We’d Feel Good Together”, and the bombastic “Fire on the Mountain”, all of which were helped along by the obvious chemistry shared within the band. Though Rob Thomas is at his best when when you can actually hear the emotion in his voice, giving the band a bit of a break with acoustic renditions of “Little Wonders”, “Ever the Same”, and career-defining hit “3AM”, the latter featuring Rob slumped over a pure white piano, belting out the painful lyrics into the cloudless summer night sky.
Matchbox 20 hit “Unwell” would have been better had it not been rendered with the same acoustic style as “3AM”, but it was still good to hear the crowd singing along to one of the band’s most well-known hits. “Smooth” fared even worse with the latino-inflected instrumental not quite coming across as intended, leaving the encore’s high point for set-closer “This is How a Heart Breaks”, performed with Rob running through the crowd.
Rob Thomas and his charming band work well together and they put on a show which reflects just that. The more nuanced elements of blues and soul that you’ll find on a solo Rob Thomas record may be a bit lost in an outdoor stage, but as long as Thomas’ lyrics are there grounding the whole thing it’s hard not to be impressed by what this man is still doing after decades of being in the music industry.
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Set List:
Give Me the Meltdown
Fallin’ to Pieces
Lonely No More
Her Diamonds
Getting Late
Mockingbird
The Great Unknown
Ever the Same (Acoustic)
Someday
I Think We’d Feel Good Together
Fire on the Mountain
Let’s Dance (David Bowie Cover)
Pieces
Streetcorner Symphony
Hold on Forever
Little Wonders
3AM (Acoustic)
I Am An Illusion
Unwell (Acoustic)
Smooth
This is How a Heart Breaks
Rob Thomas performs a special intimate “Storytellers” style set at the Sydney State Theatre tonight. Tickets and more information are available HERE. See below for full remaining dates.
Friday 26th February
State Theatre, Sydney
Saturday 27th February
Hope State, Pokolbin NSW
Sunday 28th February
A Day on the Green – Sirromet Wines, Brisbane
Tuesday 2nd March
Pioneer Women’s Memorial Kings Park & Botanic Garden, West Perth
Friday 5th March
A Day on the Green – Rochford Wines, Coldstream VIC
Saturday 6th March
Clipsal 500, Adelaide
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