Gallery, ReviewDitch This MagazineNovember 24, 2019gallery, live, melbourne, Gallery, review, Daniel Hanssen, Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, Darryl Braithwaite, Margaret Court, Sarah Rix

Rob Thomas + Darryl Braithwaite @ Margaret Court Arena 19-11-19

Gallery, ReviewDitch This MagazineNovember 24, 2019gallery, live, melbourne, Gallery, review, Daniel Hanssen, Rob Thomas, Matchbox Twenty, Darryl Braithwaite, Margaret Court, Sarah Rix

photos: Daniel Hanssen @danthegigman
words: Sarah Rix

Review

“…over the span of a nearly 30-year career, Thomas has become very good at what he does.”

Rob Thomas has been doing the whole live show thing for a while. You can tell by his ease on stage. Whether you know him from Matchbox Twenty (likely) or through a (perhaps surprisingly) impressive solo career spanning four full-length albums – including April 2019’s Chip Tooth Smile – he’s the textbook definition of a consummate professional.

For his second-to-last Australian show of his Chip Tooth Tour, Thomas stopped by Melbourne’s Margaret Court on a Tuesday night with his seven-piece backing band.

Opening the night was Darryl Braithwaite.

I feel like seeing Darryl Braithwaite live immediately makes you at least 17 per cent more Australian. I say this because as a Canadian, I had no idea who Darryl Braithwaite was until I went to a trivia night, got to the music room, had no idea what the song “The Horses” was, felt immediate shame, and then looked around the room at a bunch of Australian’s belting out the chorus.

While Braithwaite’s success at home – both with Sherbert and as a solo act – may not have translated to an overseas market, he and his five-piece band definitely found some friendly faces in the Rob Thomas crowd. From “Blueswalkin’”, with its western instrumentals, keyboard and guitar solos, and emphatic drum rolls, found early favour with those who made it to their seats in time.

The poppy hook of a new track – Braithwaite singing “I’ve been writing love songs since we broke up” was easy to pick up, though it was “Howzat!” (a cricket reference, I’m told) and the aforementioned “The Horses” that remain the perennial pleasers.

Rob Thomas made a name for himself amongst the tsunami of emotive pop rock that coloured the mid-to-late 90s. With Matchbox Twenty (a band, I should note, is still active today), hits like “Push”, “3 A.M.”, and “Disease” became alt-rock radio fodder – just edgy enough for you to feel the early onset of teen angst while still being clean enough for your mom to appreciate.

All that is to say: over the span of a nearly 30-year career, Thomas has become very good at what he does. Whether it was opening track “I Love It” – an upbeat number from his fourth solo record, Chip Tooth Smile – or a cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”, Thomas was an admirable showman. He bounced around on stage like a calisthenics instructor for 2009’s “Fire on the Mountain”; knew when to step aside for admirable instrumental work from his supporting band (who he’s toured with since 2005), particularly the bass on “Street Corner Symphony”; and deftly did some microphone twirling acrobatics as those in the front row cheered him on.

It’s slick, polished, and he’s there to deliver an enjoyable night out for couples who probably don’t need to hire a babysitter for their now teen-aged children at this point.

There’s a certain amount of unavoidable cheese that comes with his live show, if we’re being frank. It’s coming from a good place, but… he also comes on stage as the arena loudspeakers blast Matchbox Twenty’s “How Far We’ve Come”. Yes: his entrance music is one of his own songs. His stage banter also gives off the impression of American radio DJ. It’s practiced and thought-out – and there to inspire.

“We already have your money,” Thomas said to laughs early in the show, encouraging the crowd to have a good time in Melbourne. It’s an amp up speech that he’s been making for years, but it seems to still be working for him.

You also have to think that some of it is tongue-in-cheek.

“When I’m not with this family,” he’d later tell us, “I’m also the lead singer of the greatest pop rock band of all time, Matchbox Twenty.”

Indeed, it was the Matchbox Twenty songs that drew some of the loudest crowd reactions – “If you’re Gone”, “3 A.M.”, and “Unwell” all highlights of the night. “Lonely No More”, with its reggae-esque instrumentals and woah-ohs, also proved an early favourite, though it was Thomas’ 1999 Santana collaboration that ended things on a “Smooth”, sing-along high.

It’s interesting to think that in 30 years, Thomas will probably (and commendably) still be doing the same thing he’s doing now – jumping around on stage and delivering a well-rehearsed, vocally tight show. It won’t be cool then (it’s not cool now and it wasn’t cool in the 90s), but it’ll be slick. You can’t really ask for more – you can only accept the fact that now and again, it’s okay to participate in some easy listening, swing for the fences entertainment.