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Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, 51, looks back on a life in rock 'n' roll: 'I'm a mess! … I'm not suited for anything else.'

The frontman jokes that his "therapist is trying to work on that," but says he’s now “a much more controlled mess. … i got it out of my system, and then met my wife still at the beginning of this journey.".

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“You're just not the person in your fifties that you were in your twenties,” says Rob Thomas , speaking with Yahoo Entertainment from the tour bus that’s been his home away from home — and sometimes his only home — for most of his adult life.

The Matchbox Twenty frontman, 51, is back on the road to promote his band’s first album in 11 years, Where the Light Goes , which he says is “filled with questions about mortality and questions about the difference between where you are and where you think you're supposed to be. … Losing my mother was a really big thing for me. My relationship with my father is a really difficult thing for me. My wanting to be a good dad to my son, wanting to keep this career off the ground, wanting to keep my marriage going good — these are things that everybody deals with, you know? And I think if you don't spend time thinking about them and really giving them a good, thorough investigation, then you're probably not doing it right.”

There probably was a time when Thomas wondered if he’d even make it to 51. He had an incredibly unstable upbringing, with an alcoholic mother, an absentee father, and a grandma who sold moonshine and marijuana. “When I was 10 years old, I was at my grandmother's house learning how to separate seeds and stems, so I could make dime bags so she could sell weed,” Thomas chuckles. “When I got back into a ‘normal’ life… my mom, you know, had worked really, really hard to get us into a nice, middle-class life, but when I got around ‘normal’ people, I didn't know what that was like.” Eventually Thomas dropped out of high school, spent two months in county jail for stealing a car, got into drugs himself, and even ended up homeless for a while. But now he believes that his adolescence prepared him for the chaotic rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.

“I already had a little Gypsy in me,” muses Thomas. “I realize that if I had gone to Little League and had a ‘normal’ life, I wouldn't have the point of view that I was afforded at an early age. I find now in my fifties that so many curses along the way have been blessings. And so in a lot of ways, I think I look at it like a gift. ... And I wasn't shielded from it. I wasn't shielded from some really harsh things. But also the generosity of people, the kindness of people that are there to help you when you're in that kind of situation — I existed on the kindness of people who would take me in, so I saw that good in people too. I think if you're a guy who writes songs, and if your songs are about relationships and interpersonal relationships with people — not just romantic, obviously, but familial and platonic and every kind of way that people interact with each other — that's a blessing. And so, that's the kind of way I've always looked at it.”

Thomas also soon realized that a life in rock ‘n’ roll was the only life for him: There was no Plan B. “I'm not suited for anything else. I'm not really good at anything else. I don't have any skills — like, life skills,” he laughs. Before Matchbox Twenty exploded onto the mainstream in 1996 with their 12 million-selling debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You , he had “almost every kind of a job that you could have that wouldn't become a career , like any kind of a job that I could have that I could quit on a Friday if I had a gig, and then get a new job on a Monday. I did every kind of restaurant work, every kind of construction work, every kind of delivery jobs, driving stuff, building, making, futons, delivering beds, roofing, drywall. I just did pretty much anything I could do, because at that point I had just been navigating my way through a bad situation, kind of like floating around, living on park benches and hitchhiking around the Southeast, and really just kind of figuring myself out since I was like 17. If you don't have any infrastructure, you don't know where that's going to go. I was just lucky enough to settle myself into something, and I found a work ethic that I didn't know that I had — because it was just something that I enjoyed so much that I would spend 16 hours doing it all day, learning it and trying to perfect it and get better at it. And then I was like, ‘Oh, wow, I didn't realize I actually do have a work ethic!’ It just has to be something I like.”

Success came fast and furious for Thomas and his bandmates in the 1990s, which Thomas amusingly calls “the last good time,” and that success overlapped with Thomas’s unexpected and equally massive side career as a pop star — starting with his Carlos Santana collaboration “Smooth” in 1999, which won Grammys for Record and Song of the Year and still ranks as the third-most-successful song on Billboard's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs chart. (Fun fact: Thomas originally wrote “Smooth” with George Michael in mind. “I think he would've killed it, but if it wasn't going to be him, I'm glad it was me,” he quips.) And as Thomas’s star rose, he definitely indulged in his new rock-star perks. “There was a lot of drugs in the ‘90s; there's no other way to say it,” he shrugs. “So, there's a lot of blurry spots in that period, which I tend to think means I had a good time.”

Thomas isn’t totally sober now. “Oh, no, no. I'm a mess! My therapist is trying to work on that!” he laughs. However, he stresses, “I'm a much more controlled mess, you know? I've been married to my wife for 24 years. I am much more about home life and my dogs. I got it out of my system, and then met my wife still at the beginning of this journey.” Thomas says that since he and his wife, retired model Marisol Maldonado, fell in love at the height of his Matchbox Twenty fame, in 1997, they’ve “never been apart for more than two or three weeks, ever.”

Thomas refers to Maldonado as his “best friend” and “ride-or-die,” and the two have faced various struggles over the years due to Maldonado’s various medical issues, including a brain lesion that required surgery, several tick-borne diseases, Hashimoto’s disease, and atypical trigeminal neuralgia. “It's touch-and-go. It’s just a part of us now. I don't think it's going anywhere,” Thomas matter-of-factly says of his wife’s health these days. “I don't think there's a horizon that works like that. But it's something that you can learn to navigate, and she's unbelievably resilient and strong, so the second that she gets a good day, she runs with it.”

Thomas says that when he and Maldonado met at an afterparty in Montreal, “there was an instant attraction,” but he realizes that — just like with his decade-spanning professional success — the fact that he is in one of rock’s most enduring and stable marriages a quarter-century later can’t really be explained. “She was a model and I was 30 pounds heavier — and she still was into me,” he laughs. “But I mean, why would it last? It didn't make any sense. Like, I told her I was going marry her on our first date. It's just a recipe for disaster. But you know, there it was.”

When Matchbox Twenty resumed touring immediately after Thomas and Maldonado’s fateful first meeting, the singer would call his future wife from the road every night, and they’d stay up late chatting. “We had to find a f***ing landline ,” he laughs, remembering those simpler days before iPhones, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Zoom. “I'd have to wait till we got to a rest stop so I could get on a payphone so I could call her! At that time I just had a pager, which she said made me look like a drug dealer. But the pager was really just for girls that were on the road, so once I met her, I didn't need the pager anymore.”

By the time the couple finally went on that first date when he basically proposed marriage, they “just really knew each other, because we had just hours and hours and hours talking about everything. And so, I think that really helped a lot,” explains Thomas. “We were so in love with each other that [Matchbox Twenty bandmate] Paul [Doucette] got jealous, because up until then, Paul was ‘my girl’!”

And now, almost three decades later, Thomas is still in a contented marriage, Thomas and Doucette are still playing huge venues like the Hollywood Bowl on Matchbox Twenty's current Slow Dream Tour, and, in another against-all-odds development, Thomas is still enjoying parallel careers as a band frontman and solo star. “What's funny is when I went solo, there were so many voices coming at me telling me not to go solo, and then I went solo and it went really well, so then there were so many voices telling me not to go back to Matchbox Twenty!” Thomas says incredulously. “It's a very unique situation to be in, concurrently going back and forth between the band and solo and having it work. Honestly, it all depends on the generosity of the guys in this band allowing that to happen. And that's not always been easy.”

Thomas admits that when he and his Matchbox Twenty bandmates were “getting older and busy doing other things,” they once “kind of thought we weren't going make records anymore; we thought we would just go tour every now and then, maybe put out a song or two here and there.” (This isn’t the first big gap in their discography: the band’s third and fourth albums, More Than You Think You Are and 2012’s North , were spaced 10 years apart.) But when they were finally able to get back on the road after various pandemic-related delays, they were moved “by how many of our fans were still holding onto those tickets and waiting for when we finally went out,” so they decided, “Maybe we should just rethink about putting together a full record, so that when we come out we've got something new, instead of just a whole nostalgia tour.”

The result is the confessional Where the Light Goes , and Thomas is feeling proud of the result and just how far he’s come, personally and professionally. “It doesn't matter how often we do it,” he says of Matchbox Twenty’s sporadic recording and touring schedule. “It just matters that we do it when we're ready for it, so we can give it everything.”

For more information on Where the Light Goes and the Slow Dream Tour, visit matchboxtwenty.com .

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Breaking news, matchbox twenty is touring after postponing 3 times. we found tickets..

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Matchbox Twenty was hyped to go on tour in 2020, their first nationwide run of shows since 2017.

Then, due to the pandemic, the group postponed and made plans to tour in 2021.

Of course, they canceled in 2021.

Unfortunately, they had to push back one more year after canceling their 2022 tour too.

Now, with summer 2023 just a few months away, Rob Thomas and co. are finally about to embark on their long-awaited tour .

Better yet, the show fans get in 2023 will likely be much different than the one the group was set to tour with in 2020.

That’s because the group recently confirmed on Instagram that they’d be releasing their sixth studio album in tandem with the upcoming run of shows.

Not a bad way to kick off such a highly anticipated tour.

So, if you want to hear “3 AM,” “Push,” “Look How Far We’ve Come,” plus all their other hits— maybe even Rob Thomas’ “Smooth” — as well as the group’s new album, here’s everything you need to know.

Matchbox Twenty 2023 tour schedule

From May 16 to Aug. 6, Matchbox Twenty has 51 huge concerts at amphitheaters and arenas all over North America lined up.

Just a few of their most choice gigs include stops at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl (May 22), Phoenix’s Ak-Chin Pavilion (May 31), Denver’s Ball Arena (June 6), Holmdel, NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center (July 16) and Wantagh, NY’s Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater (July 18).

The run ends at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL .

A complete calendar featuring all tour dates, venues, show start times and links to buy tickets can be found here .

Matchbox Twenty opening act

It’s not 100% confirmed, but it is likely that fellow ’90s legends The Wallflowers will open for Matchbox Twenty on tour. They were initially slated to serve as the support group in 2020.

Led by Jakob Dylan, the band is known for hits “One Headlight,” “6th Avenue Heartache” and “Three Marlenas.”

If you want to catch up with their recent output, check out their 2021 album “Exit Wounds.”

Pitchfork said the album is full of “highway ballads and Saturday afternoon rockers… (they sound) like the classic rock band they’ve always ached to be.”

Huge rock tours in 2023

Matchbox Twenty will be joined by a number of rock legends on the road next year.

Here are just five of our favorites you cannot miss when they come to a city near you.

•  Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

•  Metallica

•  Blink 182

•  Red Hot Chili Peppers

•  Muse

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Rob Thomas talks Matchbox Twenty, solo career and being ‘complete idiots’

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It is not uncommon for established rock stars to stretch out and explore new creative pursuits or business projects. Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas is most assuredly not one of them.

“I don’t have plans for other careers,” he said. “I don’t want to act, or produce, or work for a record label and try and figure out how to crush other people’s dreams. I’m just going with my dream.”

That dream has two distinct musical sides.

The first is Matchbox Twenty.

The Florida-bred band struck gold with its 1996 debut album, “Yourself or Someone Like You.” Fueled by such audience favorites as the songs “Push,” “3 A.M.” and “Back 2 Good,” it has sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. alone.

The second is Thomas’ solo career.

Eager to spread his creative wings, he has made three albums in the past 12 years. That’s two more than Matchbox Twenty has made in the past 16 years.

“The next thing I’m doing after this tour is a solo record,” said Thomas, who performs Friday at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre in Chula Vista on a double-bill with Counting Crows.

“I haven’t thought any farther than that. It’s just that I’ve been writing a (new) record I’m really proud of — and that’s where my head is. There’s a certain autonomy I’m appreciating now as a writer and performer being able to make my own schedule.”

‘A double-edged sword’

But balancing the band and his solo career can be tricky.

“Rob’s success obviously keeps our name out there,” Matchbox Twenty drummer-turned-guitarist Paul Doucette acknowledged in a 2011 Union-Tribune interview.

“But his success also keeps us from working as a band, which is not so great, so it’s a double-edged sword. But that’s the way it is, and we’re willing to work with it.”

Thomas is well aware of how his dual-pronged career impacts not only his work as a solo artist and with the band, but also the way he is perceived.

“You get to a point where people are like: ‘You’re going solo (again)? Why do you hate Matchbox?’ I don’t think it’s one or the other,” he stressed.

“Between this year and next year, there’s only one me. I can only do one thing at a time. I have these (new) songs I’m loving and I will just do them.”

But Thomas leaves no doubt about his devotion to Matchbox Twenty. He, Doucette and bassist Brian Yale formed the band in 1995, after their previous group, Tabitha’s Secret, broke up.

“I think we’re one of the best pop-rock bands on the face of the earth,” Thomas said, speaking from his tour bus, en route from Montana to a tour stop in Oregon. “And, live, we do what we do as well — if not better — than most people. So it’s important that when we come out on stage, we bring it on that level.

“There’s a level of confidence we have now, with all the time we’ve put in the game and our quality of musicianship, where — even on a bad night — we feel like we’re pretty good. On a great night, we feel like we’re untouchable.”

On stage, in slow motion

But how do Thomas and his Matchbox Twenty bandmates accurately gauge the quality of their performances? And isn’t it even more challenging to do so when audiences often react with similar enthusiasm to superior and so-so performances alike?

“There’s a moment happening between you and the crowd, and you judge it by that energy being reciprocated,” he replied. “Not just (because) their hands are up in the air, which is great, if that’s all it is. But if the energy is building and you hit it — and they hit it — then you feel that link where everything just starts happening in ‘The Matrix’ time.

“Sometimes, a show goes by you and someone says it was the best they ever saw, and you don’t know. For you, it’s when it happens in slow motion. … There have been nights where the whole band agrees that we just sucked. And, maybe, someone else doesn’t feel that way. But if we don’t feel it, it doesn’t matter how they feel.”

In a 1998 Union-Tribune interview, Thomas described Matchbox Twenty without a hint of pretense, saying: “We’re just a bunch of idiots. We’re the same jerks we were when we started.”

Nearly 20 years have passed since then. Are Thomas and his bandmates different idiots and jerks now?

“Yeah, we have to be,” he replied. “Because, if we weren’t we would be idiots. When I was talking to you back then, it was purely about the idea that we had some success — and can that change you?

“Now, I’m 45. And, if it doesn’t change you, you have a problem. We have wives and families, and have had experiences far beyond selling records. And we are complete idiots, in that we live in a world and have jobs that allow us to not fully grow up. But, now, we’re idiots in our forties.”

Thomas, clearly, is quick with a quip.

Recalling his early days as a budding singer, he said: “When I sang, I wanted to be a hybrid between Elton John and Tracy Chapman. In the end, I ended up (sounding) like Cher.”

But Thomas is serious about his craft, which — in addition to his Matchbox Twenty and solo work — has seen him co-write memorable songs for Santana (“Smooth”), Willie Nelson (“Maria, Shut Up and Kiss Me”), Mick Jagger (“Vision of Paradise”), Travis Tritt (“What if Love Hangs On”), and others.

A fan of numerous musical styles and approaches, he speaks knowledgeably about the work of such disparate artists as Joni Mitchell, Merle Haggard, John Coltrane, My Morning Jacket and Perry Como.

“I’m not sure if I listen to all that for inspiration, or because I like all kinds of music,” he said. “To some degree, if you’re making and writing music, everything you hear and see throws itself into that sphere you’re in and becomes part of the gumbo.

“Like, the other day, I couldn’t stop listening to my Burt Bacharach box set and Perry Como’s “Magic Moments.’ What a great song that is! Then I got into a rabbit hole of Bacharach. ... You go out and live your life, and find what hits your button at that moment. ...

“It still feels like you’re chasing that one song. You don’t know what it sounds like, but I’ll know it when I find it. Maybe it’s a false horizon that you are always heading toward. Then you put together another batch of work, and maybe you like it. But the person who made it is different, so you have to satisfy that new person you’ve become. So, as long as you grow, your idea of what is good will keep growing and changing.”

Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows: “A Brief History of Everything Tour,” with Rivers & Rust

When: 6:45 p.m. Friday

Where: Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista

Tickets: $29.50-$99.50 (plus service charges)

Phone: (800) 745-3000

Online: livenation.com

[email protected]

Twitter @georgevarga

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Rob Thomas on how Matchbox 20 found that 'certain DNA' again on 1st new album in 11 years

By the time Rob Thomas hit the road in 2017 on a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Matchbox Twenty , he was feeling pretty comfortable with the idea that they’d never make another album.

It had been five years since “North” and he was getting used to the idea of just touring on the hits.

“In 2012, our plan was that we weren't gonna make records anymore,” he says. “We were gonna just every few years tour and maybe put out a song or two. That was kind of the business model.”

Thomas had his solo work to keep him busy . Drummer Paul Doucette was scoring films. Guitarist Kyle Cook was a year out from releasing his first solo album.

No one needed Matchbox Twenty in their lives as a creative outlet.

“That just seemed like where we were in our career,” Thomas says with an audible shrug.

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How COVID-19 put Matchbox 20 in the studio for their 1st album in 11 years

Then COVID-19 happened, causing them to postpone all their Matchbox Twenty touring plans for 2020 and again in 2021 and 2022.

“ In 2022, people went out again, but we weren't ready ,” Thomas says.

“We had some people with some health issues, and we didn't feel safe enough yet. That’s when we decided we have all these fans, we're fortunate that they've been holding onto tickets, they're still waiting. Maybe when we come out, it shouldn't just be a nostalgia tour.”

That’s why they're releasing “Where the Light Goes,” their first album in 11 years, to give the fans “something to listen to.”

The decision to step away from the creative process was based on the feeling that they weren’t invested enough in making Matchbox Twenty records anymore.

“And we didn't want to do something that we weren't 1,000% invested in,” Thomas recalls.

“But I think we just misjudged the bandwidth that we had to give to this situation. And once we did get back together and realized how much we enjoy working together and how much it was something we all wanted, it was an easy decision.”

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'There's a genuine love that we have for each other,' Rob Thomas says

Working on this album was a positive experience for everyone in Matchbox Twenty, with absence having made the heart grow fonder.

“There's a genuine love that we have for each other,” Thomas says. “We're an easy laugh and we genuinely care about each other. I think that goes a long way.”

Thomas calls Doucette his “best friend in the world,” more than three decades into a friendship that started in Tabitha’s Secret , a band that also featured future Matchbox Twenty bassist Brian Yale. Doucette is Matchbox Twenty’s other primary songwriter, often collaborating with Thomas.

“We have probably only had, like, one personal fight that didn't involve scheduling or musical differences or something like that,” Thomas says of Doucette. “I mean, don't get me wrong. I think that fight lasted a year and a half. But then we patched it up.”

In addition to his solo records, Thomas found success outside of Matchbox Twenty as the songwriter behind Santana’s Grammy-winning, multiplatinum comeback single, “Smooth,” which spent 12 weeks at No. 1 and featured Thomas on lead vocals.

“It’s a credit to Paul that in 30 years, I've never recorded or sung other people's songs — other than doing a cover — except for Paul,” he says. “We always joke. I'm like, 'Dude, this song is so good. And you know what's great? Everybody's gonna think I wrote it.'”

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'There's just a certain DNA when we all get together'

For Thomas, the writing is constant and he never really thinks of it in terms of writing solo songs or Matchbox Twenty songs. They’re all just songs.

“If it's time for a Matchbox record, that just means I'll play some of the stuff that I've been writing that I think the guys might like, and if they like it, we do it,” Thomas says. “And if they don't, we don't.”

It’s what his bandmates add to what he writes that makes it sound like Matchbox Twenty. The title track to "Where the Light Goes," for instance.

“I gave it to Paul as just a little demo,” Thomas says. “So Paul redid it in a reimagined way, then sent it to Kyle, who put some guitars on it and reimagined it a little more his way. And when it got back to me, I was like, '(Expletive), this sounds like Matchbox Twenty now!' There's just a certain DNA when we all get together.”

How Rob Thomas has grown as a songwriter since '3AM' and 'Push'

Having more than one creative outlet for his songs has definitely had an impact on his writing.

“Everything you do — every experience you have — expands what a blank page could be, right?” Thomas says.

“When you start off, you've had limited experiences and you're kind of writing about love and loss, but it's mostly speculation because you're young and you haven't really loved or lost anything. Then you start to get older and you have things in your life that really matter to you and things you want to hold onto.”

It also helps, Thomas says, to have people you want to impress.

“That drives you to do a little better,” he says. “Like, when we get together with Matchbox, we want to do something that makes the other guys go, '(Expletive) yeah!' Wanting to impress your friends starts on the playground and just never goes away.”

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How Matchbox 20 arrived at the reflective tone of 'Where the Light Goes'

There’s a reflective tone to many of the more compelling songs on “Where the Light Goes,” which Thomas sees as a natural outgrowth of that aging process.

“When you're younger and you’re writing songs about aging, it's like a disease,” he says. “It's like the Stones saying, 'What a drag it is getting old,' right?

"Then, as you get older, you realize what a privilege it is to be able to get older. We've had friends that didn't get to have that. And we think about them all the time. So we write about aging with a reverence now, a feeling of accomplishment. I think that's a really big change between guys in their 20s and guys in their 50s writing music.”

As to whether they had any goals going into the session, Thomas says, “We go into every situation and tell ourselves 'You're in the greatest pop-rock band in the world,' right? So now go make that record.”

On writing hit songs: 'Thank God that's not our job anymore'

It’s easier now that they’re not swinging for Hot 100 fences

“There are certain expectations as far as success in this modern age that we don't have on ourselves, and no one has on us,” Thomas says.

“Like, there's a certain kind of hit we're never gonna make and we're never expected to make and it's not our job to make. It's a certain muscle of pop that we don't have and we don't have to worry about.”

That allowed them to focus on making the kind of record they would want the world’s greatest pop-rock band to make.

“We could just write music that really appealed to us while having the conversation we wanted to have and not feel like, 'Well, we've got to find those hits,’” Thomas says. “And I think there's a freedom in that feeling of, 'Thank God that's not our job anymore.'”

That used to be their job, of course, when they were launching their career with “Yourself or Someone Like You,” the 12-times platinum debut that hit the streets in 1996.

“That's where you get the currency to spend later in life if you're lucky enough to find that moment where what you're doing is culturally relevant in the national conversation, or the international conversation,” Thomas says.

“Then maybe one day what you're doing isn't a part of that conversation. But you've already amassed a diligent group of initiated people that want to see what you're doing.”

How it feels having early songs like 'Push' in the setlist on tour in 2023

He still likes singing breakthrough singles “Push” and “3AM."

“I'm OK if I never heard those songs ever again,” he says. “But I'm OK with playing them every night.

"Like, there's a living, breathing energy we're sharing with everybody through these songs that have just kind of been around in their life for 27 years. There's no other way for us to look at it other than it's like a member of your family. It doesn't matter whether you like their politics or their conversation at dinner, they're in the (expletive) family."

His bandmates are like family, too. They did grow older together, after all.

“I mean, we're not all a bunch of sloppy drunk messes now,” Thomas says. “That's pretty good. We're grown men. We have families out here.”

Each member travels on his own bus these days.

“But like right now, we're parked in some parking lot somewhere at a hotel with all our buses kind of lined up texting each other," Thomas says with a laugh. "'Hey, what are you guys doing? You guys want to get something to eat?' It's very civilized out here.’"

Matchbox Twenty

When:  7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 31.

Where: Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave., Phoenix.

Admission: $30 and up.

Details: 602-254-7200,  livenation.com .

Reach the reporter at  [email protected]  or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter  @ EdMasley .

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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Rob Thomas  

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Robert Thomas is the recipient of three Grammy Awards, just for the triple-platinum hit single “Smooth” alone. He is a fifth of the band Matchbox Twenty, who have released hit singles consistently since 1995.

After being in the band Matchbox Twenty for ten years, he embarked on his own career, releasing a body of material written by himself. His debut album “…Something to Be” made it to number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, whilst the debut single from the album entitled “Lonely No More” made it to number 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Building on his chart success, he appeared at the Live 8 concert in Philadelphia, singing on his own, and also a duet of “Higher Ground” with Stevie Wonder. He made an appearance on the MTV Katrina Relief Concert, which aired on September 10th 2005. On his first solo tour entitled the Something to Be tour, he was joined by Jewel and Toby Lightman.

His single “Streetcorner Symphony” in fact came from featuring in promotion ads on the network, ABC of its Thursday night lineup. Thomas released the single “Little Wonders” which featured on the Disney film “Meet the Robinsons”. The single reached number 5 on the Mediabase Hot Adult Contemporary chart.

In 2007, Thomas returned to his band Matchbox Twenty to release a brand new album, “Exile on Mainstream”. From the album, they released the three singles “How Far We’ve Come”, “All Your Reasons” and “These Hard Times”.

“Her Diamonds” was the first release from his forth-coming sophomore album “Cradlesong”. He was fortunate enough to perform the track on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “Cradlesong” was ultimately released on June 30th 2009. It debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200.

Thomas was invited to be a guest performer on Daryl Hall’s concert series, “Live from Daryl’s House”, the pair performed the Matchbox Twenty hit singles “3 AM” and “Disease”, and then his solo songs “Someday” and “Ever the Same”. The rest of their set list consisted of the Hall and Oates hit singles “She’s Gone” Kiss on My List” and Marvin Gaye’s, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

Live reviews

I've been following Rob Thomas for almost 20 years with both matchbox twenty and solo tours, and this tour was just as exceptional of the other times I've seen Rob. He puts on a high energy performance everytime. He's very fan friendly and interacts with the crowd often.

Rob's opening act, Vinyl Station, were exceptional too. Hailing from Phoenix, these guys are super talented. I'd equate them of a cross between Radiohead and Coldplay. Their songs are heartfelt and Matthew has a beautiful voice. They are also very fan friendly, taking time both between sets and after to talk to the crowd, sign CDs, and take photos.

The Louisville Palace Theater is absolutely beautiful and coincidentally, the theater I saw matchbox twenty in during their North Winter Tour 2013.

The Set list:

Rob Thomas set list 10/27/15 - Louisville, KY

Fallin' to pieces

Lonely no more

Mockingbird

It's getting late with That's alright momma cover

Her diamonds

The great unknown

Let's dance

Little wonders

Ever the same

Hold on forever

Fire on the mountain

Streetcorner symphony

Rocket man with Vinyl Station

Heaven help me

I am an illusion

This is how a heart breaks

He also did Blue Moon of KY I think and some song called shine on but I can't remember when.

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Matchbox Twenty was a hugely successful 90s rock band and frontman Rob Thomas used that momentum to launch his successful solo career. But in all honesty, Matchbox Twenty was successful because of Thomas, and it wasn’t so much a solo career as an extension of what he was already doing. He had established himself so well by writing songs for the band, as well as for various other pop-stars like Tom Petty and, more recently, Taylor Hicks. The guy is so multi-talented, playing sold-out shows at huge venues to a crowd that absolutely goes mental when he sings.

I caught him at the Red Rocks Amphitheater’s summer performances, which is quite possible the most beautiful setting you could possibly ask for. The set-up for the show made them really small due to the massiveness of the stage, but the sound was perfect and I never had a moment where I couldn’t hear his distinctive voice. The added feature of having a live band really kicked his songs up a notch. He played an hour long set, in which “we’re going to cram as many songs as we possible can before they kick us off the stage,” resulting in the crowd going wild. Solid show from beginning to end!

Rob Thomas, best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for Matchbox Twenty. He is an incredibly critically esteemed artist due to lending his songwriting to the likes of Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger and Santana, the collaboration with the latter saw him win three Grammy awards.

So with an impressive solo discography, a successful band and a host of collaborators one may wonder exactly what Thomas would play during his live performance. This curiosity sees his shows continue to sell out globally and keeps the man onstage doing what he adores. The crowd cheers loudly as he steps into view and proudly takes the microphone for 'Mockingbird' and 'Sunday Morning, New York Blue'. The audience remains responsive to the artist and Rob enjoys interacting with them throughout his show, the biggest cheer of the night thus far is for 'Disease' by Matchbox Twenty which Rob has stripped back to a more acoustic shell.

This reinterpretation means the gig has a nice level of consistency and the crowd cheer, sing and applaud in equal measure for his own hits such as 'Lonely No More' as well as Matchbox Twenty's 'Bright Lights'.

With his backing band bringing the roof down behind him and the flashing strobe lights bouncing of all the walls, Rob Thomas’s concert was as spectacular as I had imagined it to be, if not more so. The whole stage was a spectacle of light, sound and colour that added to the crazy and electric atmosphere of the show, allowing the audience to really be thrust into Thomas’ music and his world. We were all there to see the man himself, and amongst all the craziness he stood out as only he knows how. Thomas is the recipient of an incredible three Grammy Awards after all, not to mention the lead singer of hit 90s band Matchbox Twenty, a band that achieved huge success and largely because of Thomas’ song writing and vocal skills. Thomas took to the stage like a dolphin in water, at ease in his natural habitat. He put his years of experience to good use and delighted the crowd all night, performing hit singles such as ‘Smooth’ and ‘Lonely No More’ which he knew would have us begging for more.

Although he was ill, had some sort of cold and he could barely talk, Rob Thomas killed it! He is absolutely amazing and a complete trooper. I love when a musician still performs a show, instead of cancelling which is what he was going to do, and it sticks in your mind forever.

Artists like Rob Thomas truly love what they do, and it shows. Poor guy was so sick! But he did NOT disappoint! He played extra songs just for us. The entire audience was on their feet for the majority of the show, didn't leave early or start packing up until he was done.

This was truly a concert I will never forget! And I will definitely see Rob Thomas (and Matchbox 20) again and again!

xo and thanks Rob!!!

Rob Thomas knows how to entertain a crowd. From his opening song off his new album CHIP TOOTH SMILE, I LOVE IT got the audience screaming to his end song, THIS IS HOW A HEART BREAKS, where the fans were bouncing in unison with this energetic man. His undulating moves throughout kept unending screams of adulation just proving how hypnotic and sexy this guy can be. Thank you Rob Thomas and your band for a concert to remember. The new addition to the band of the goo goo dolls saxophonist is a well worthy addition whatever the cost. A sax added into the mix was great. Again. Thank you Rob Thomas and your band, outstanding night in Salt Lake City!

What an amazing show! The venue was smaller than most which made it very intimate. Our seats were some of the best value for the distance. We could almost touch him if we wanted to!

The actual song choice was great. Thomas chose a lot of his hits from his early solo career along with his time in Matchbox. There was hardly a song where everyone wasn't dancing to or singing along.

On one of his songs, he jumped off stage and began running around the crowd and the audience went nuts!. Overall, an amazing intimate performance which made for a memorable experience. Would highly recommend!

Rob of course was amazing like usual ,I been to probably a dozen shows between Rob and matchbox 20 ,and last night was right up with the rest for a great time to forget what's going on in this crazy world.Rob really connected with the audience like he always does.his time singing away from the stage about halfway into crowd was for sure a highlight.( could reach out and touch him!! I just love his music he gives it his all . since the first time I seen Matchbox in 98 till now and sure beyond .He is my favorite singer/ song writer..can't wait till next time!!!

Wow not only a great songwriter and believe me i am very critical as i am also a songwriter, but also a uniquely genuine person who made me feel like i was the only person in the room during the performance i felt he noticed me there, even though i was in the back, his performance of his songs lacked nothing it may as well have been in Madison square garden. this was a birthday present to my lovely wife Lori, man she was stoked.

Thanks Rob and the whole crew from SongKick

we love you guys

peace Jeff Denny

Wow! I’ve seen many concerts in my time but this has to have been one of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Rob Thomas is an incredible performer and musician. He engages the audience, sounds amazing live, and performed more songs than any other act I’ve seen live.

I was pleased with both opening acts and am now tuned in to performers I may have never listened to otherwise. If you have an opportunity to see Rob Thomas live, do not pass it up. You will not be disappointed!

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Rob Thomas Tour Dates

Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas has announced a massive 45-city tour across America supporting his next solo album 'Chip Tooth Smile' . His Chip Tooth Tour kicks off March 29th in Santa Ynez and runs into September visiting major markets like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York. Joining the tour in support will be special guest Abby Anderson . The singer-songwriter hasn't launched a solo tour since 2015's The Great Unknown Tour which was joined by Plain White T's and Vinyl Station.

Thomas will be releasing his fourth solo album 'Chip Tooth Smile' on April 26th, 2019 via Atlantic Records. The new album follows up 2015's 'The Great Unknown' which reached #6 on the Billboard 200. Back in 2017, Matchbox Twenty launched their Twentieth Anniversary Tour before teaming up with Counting Crows for another version of their A Brief History Of Everything Tour across North America. Since 1998, the band has been nominated for 4 Grammy Awards and 5 American Music Awards.

Rob Thomas Concert Schedule

No events =(, about rob thomas tour albums.

Rob Thomas arrived on the Pop / Rock scene with the appearance of the album 'A New York Christmas' released on November 18, 2003. The song 'A New York Christmas' was instantly a success and made Rob Thomas one of the fastest growing talents at that time. After that, Rob Thomas came out with the hugely popular album '...Something to Be' which features some of the most well-known music from the Rob Thomas catalog. '...Something to Be' includes the song 'This Is How a Heart Breaks' which has made itself the most sought-after for followers to enjoy during the performances. Apart from 'This Is How a Heart Breaks' , many of other songs from '...Something to Be' have also become well-known as a result. Some of Rob Thomas's most beloved tour albums and songs are seen below. After 13 years since releasing 'A New York Christmas' and making a massive impact in the industry, music lovers continue to unite to hear Rob Thomas in person to play favorites from the complete discography.

Rob Thomas Tour Albums and Songs

Rob Thomas: ...Something to Be

• This Is How a Heart ...
• Lonely No More
• Ever The Same
• I Am an Illusion
• When The Heartache Ends
• Something To Be
• All That I Am
• Problem Girl
• Fallin' to Pieces
• Streetcorner Symphony
• Now Comes the Night

Rob Thomas: Something to Be

Rob Thomas: Cradlesong

• Her Diamonds
• Give Me the Meltdown
• Mockingbird
• Real World '09
• Fire on the Mountain
• Hard on You
• Still Ain't Over You

Rob Thomas: Little Wonders

• Little Wonders (Radi...
• There's a Great Big ...
• From The Past To The...

Rob Thomas: The Great Unknown

• I Think We'd Feel Go...
• Hold On Forever
• The Great Unknown
• Absence of Affection
• Things You Said
• Paper Dolls
• Heaven Help Me

Rob Thomas Concert Tour Questions & Comments

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The Real-Life Diet of Rob Thomas, Who Started Working Out—and Going to Therapy—in His 40s

By Raymond Ang

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There are few opening lines as immediately evocative of summer as Rob Thomas crooning “Man, it’s a hot one,” on the Santana comeback hit “Smooth,” the world-conquering smash that launched Thomas into solo stardom at the turn of the millennium. Since then, he has established himself as an in-demand songwriter (for acts as wide-ranging as Mick Jagger and Marc Anthony) and a elder-statesman musician, toggling between Grammy-nominated solo star and frontman for the multi-platinum rock Matchbox Twenty, the band he burst onto the scene with in the mid ‘90s.

This year, Thomas is having another big summer. Back at his day job with Matchbox Twenty, he’s currently touring North America on the heels of their new album Where the Light Goes . And last weekend, the band somehow found themselves in the center of ‘Barbenheimer’ weekend, when their ‘90s hit “Push” popped up in a crucial scene in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie , as the song Ryan Gosling’s Ken uses to serenade Margot Robbie’s Barbie .

“When I got the call for Barbie , they told me, ‘Ken’s by the fireside, he’s playing the song and it’s his favorite band.’ So I did this thinking I’d be the butt of the joke, and I was fine with that. I’m pretty thick-skinned,” Thomas recently told USA Today . Instead, the scene seems to have endeared the song to a new generation of listeners, in much the same way that Gerwig’s Lady Bird did for Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash Into Me.”

It’s been almost three decades since Matchbox Twenty crashed the charts with hits like “Push” and in rock music—between shifting cultural tastes and a generational appetite for self-destruction—that longevity is no small feat. Thomas recently talked to GQ to discuss touring in middle age, the importance of sleep, and why it took him 10 years after writing “Unwell” to go to therapy.

For Real-Life Diet , GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ : Reflecting on the band's longevity, I was thinking about how now everyone's so conscious about health and wellness—but when you guys were coming up in the '90s, that consciousness wasn't necessarily in the ether.

Rob Thoma s: We were actually probably, if you think about that whole period of time, almost rewarded for bad behavior. Because social media didn't exist, nobody actually got to see what bad behavior looks like in real time. They just got to hear romanticized stories about it later on. You listen to these stories about Keith Richards, and you listen to these stories about Robert Plant—they've been romanticized to a point where it makes other young musicians want to be like, "I'm going to grab a bottle of Jack, and I want to attack my hotel room." And in the social media age, you see it in real time, and you're like, "Well, that's not attractive. I don't like that at all."

We were not encouraged, I think, to be good to ourselves. When I met my wife, I was I think 30 pounds heavier than I am now, and it was all bloat. I was someone who did cocaine so I could stay awake and drink and eat more. I was the only person in the world that did cocaine and just got fatter, and fatter, and fatter. It's weird. And I say these things, Raymond, and I'm not proud of those times, It's just a matter of fact. I'm so glad to be on the other side of that now, I'm so glad to be just more conscious of these things. At the time, it just wasn't what you did.

My impression of Matchbox Twenty is of consummate professionals who always deliver. Do you remember a point when—obviously, you guys were doing the whole rock star thing in your younger years— you guys got your shit together and realized that you needed to curtail that in order to perform?

Yeah. When you're at a point in your life where your age has a two in front of it, you're much more resilient. So during that time, we didn't. You take that for granted—and by the way, you should. My son's 25 years old right now. I want him to take that time for granted. I want him to take all of that for granted, because that's the only good thing about youth.

But we were always very conscious of things. I've always been a guy who would, even back in my troublest of days, never missed a bus call, or a lobby call, or time to get to the airport. I've always been aware. I knew where I needed to be, and we've always been there. I don't want to waste other people's time and so it's always been important to me.

I'm on the road right now. We have nine buses, seven semis, 52 people that work their ass off every night to make sure that two hours a day happens. I don't want to waste their time. And if I do something where I'm not up to where I need to be, it makes a sham out of everybody's life. Everybody's leaving their families and their homes to do this, everybody's sacrificing something. So I've just always been very aware of other people's time.

I'm curious though, beyond music making and the career machinations of “staying relevant,” what is the secret to longevity? In the physical sense of being a performer on stage, and being able to do what you do at 51 as well or even better than you did when you were 23.

It's funny, man, I've thought about this more than normal because during the pandemic—the three years that I was home. There was a period right near the end of it where I started to feel like I was just a 50-year-old guy that lives in Westchester. And the idea of stepping on a stage and being the different persona that I am when I'm on stage didn't seem possible, and I couldn't understand that. It's a muscle like anything else. So if you work at it, and you keep going at it, you find that zone. The only difference is, me in my 20s didn't have to think about maintaining anything.

By Ryan Kent

By Brett Martin

By Cam Wolf

You just do the break and repair method. You tear it down and build it back up. At 51, it doesn't build back up as quick as it used to. And if you tear it down, you might put yourself out of commission for days. So you can't tear it down the way you used to tear it down. It's funny because we're all still guys that enjoy wine, and we still enjoy some late nights. But it's not as much wine; it's not as late of a night. And you're very conscious of your knees, and your hip, and ankles because we're so jumpy, we're still running, we're still doing all these things [onstage]. So we're just, I think, more conscious of taking care of ourselves.

I think I was the last person in the band to quit smoking. We all used to be chain smokers. I'm going to be honest, I haven't quit smoking. But I'm a one cigarette a day guy now. Everybody else is into yoga, fitness, no drinking, no smoking. I've known these guys for 30 years and we've all watched [over] each other. I remember when Paul [Doucette] looked at me and he's like, "Hey, you're not smoking." I was like, "Yeah, I'm trying not to smoke." He's like, "Oh yeah, good for you." It's a good thing that we don't have any enablers in this camp.

Rob, I find it interesting that you're the last smoker in the band and you're the vocalist.

I know! It's not good.

How do you maintain your voice throughout a tour on top of all the other pressures?

This tour, immediately what I did differently was sleep. I've done more runners—which means you walk off the stage, you go straight from the show right to your bus. It's a wind down because you’ve got to imagine at nine o'clock at night, you have to be the most alive that you've ever been. So your schedule, your circadian rhythm is a little bit different.

So even when my wife was out on the road with me. At 11 o'clock, if I do a runner, I go straight to the bus. I'm like, panting, I'm still sweaty, there's an hour of comedown. Comedown usually means I'll have a glass of wine. I'll just sit down and just chill out and talk.

But [I’m trying to do] less talking, more sleeping. The thing about being the vocalist is that people don't realize that singing is better for your voice than talking. So the more that you talk it's worse than your voice—and actually whispering is worse. It's the worst thing you can do for your voice because it uses those muscles in the wrong way.

So on this tour, more than any other tour, I’ve been doing runners. Straight to the stage, straight to the bus, stand up for an hour or so, and then get some sleep. I’ve started sounding better than I've ever sounded and that’s become its own drug. So now I get on stage and it feels so good to sound crystal clear, and I’m like, "Ooh, I'm done. I'm going to go back to the bus, I'm going to get some sleep. I'm going to be ready for this." Because I love how that feels to really be present and good at what I'm doing.

On tour, what's food consumption for you like? What is the daily diet when you’re on the road?

It's so bland. My mornings are egg whites and Turkey sausage. I try and eat something every three hours. I try and keep it under 300 calories, except for dinner, oddly, which I eat, whatever the fuck I want, because I'm going to go on stage and burn it off.

What's funny is, the first half of the tour we were out West. And even when it was really hot, it was so dry, and at night it gets really cool. I was annoying my wife because I'd come on the bus and I'd be bummed out because I hadn't sweated through anything, I was just dry. I was like, "That's not a show." And so now that I'm in the South every night I'm going through three shirt. But the good thing is it feels like you get another workout. I work out almost every afternoon, let's say five to six days.

What do you do?

Well, I started in my mid 40s. I started doing Insanity, the BeachBody, Shift—all those workouts. Because I can do them on the bus and so there's no excuse. It's not like, "Oh, I can't get to the gym, I can't do this. I don't have weights." You start doing bodyweight plyometric things, and they burn so many calories when you're doing them here. And so I put that into my regimen so I didn't have to have an excuse to not work out.

It's so funny. I was talking to my brother-in-law and I was looking back at pictures of me. When I met my wife [in 1998] I was like 185 lbs, and my zone is 160. I was all just bloated and fat. I just can't believe she married me. But then I started to get in shape, and I started to work out, and I remember telling my brother-in-law, I was like, "Man, I wonder what it would've been like if in my 20s I did this work." He looked at me and he goes, "Dude, I was with you. You had fun." And I was like, "I had the time of my life."

You've had such a long, interesting, multifaceted career. And as with any career in the spotlight, there are ups and downs. How do you think you've navigated the ebbs and flows of your career?

This sounds really weird but I'm constantly thankful that I'm not more famous. I think you'll understand in the context of what I'm saying.

This level where I'm at is perfect. Today is a day where I have a day off and I'm doing two hours of press. I'm doing some podcasts, I'm doing some interviews, but it's not constant all the time. You should talk to Ed Sheeran. I can't imagine the demands on him. I'm in this beautifully comfortable place, I've been doing this for a really long time, I'm doing it at a really good level. But the demands on me as a person aren't like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift demands. I can't imagine. I think about Ed all the time. I'm just like, "Man, everybody wants a piece of something."

Therapy has been a very big thing for me, talking to my therapist and working through a lot of these issues. I lost my mom a while ago, and that sent me on a tailspin, I went into a spiral, and [my therapist] brought myself back out of that. I recommend that to anyone. And by the way, my first therapist that I ever had, I remember that ended because she fell asleep during a therapy session. And then she told me I was boring her. So if you get a therapist and it's not the right one, try again. Eventually you'll find one. Some people are just pieces of shit and there's nothing you can do about that.

But everybody in this band has gone down the therapy route. We've all had issues we've had to work out, and we've sought out help to work out those issues. And so we're all big advocates of that. And I think one of the reasons why we've been together for so long as a band and as friends, is that we've always got each other's back. I think the greatest thing in the world is if I have a night where I get out of control, I think one of the sweetest things to me is the sound of one of the other guys in the band coming to me the next day and going, "Are you okay? Can I help you? Are you okay?"

I think at the end of the day, the thing that matters most is mental health, because you're not going to care enough about your physical health if you don't have that thing in place. That's the first thing that goes. And that's when you start letting things go and you just don't care because you're like, "What does it matter? This doesn't matter."

When did you start going to therapy?

Maybe 10 years ago. I was probably in my early 40s when I first started going, "I want to talk to someone." The reason why therapy's important is because most people in your life, in your circle, have a stake in whatever it is that you want to talk about. Your family, your friends. You need to find someone who doesn't exist in your universe so you can say things that you can't say to anybody, sometimes just to say them. Sometimes just giving voice to a thought and a feeling, it feels so freeing… I think that people don't realize that sometimes your most caring people are not the best people to talk to about every feeling that you have.

Rob, I find that interesting because you wrote the song “Unwell” I guess almost 10 years before you actually went to therapy. What do you think stopped you from going earlier? I always thought that song was so progressive in that, at the time, no one was really talking about mental health.

To me, I thought that writing that song and performing it was mental health. You're talking about late '90s, early 2000s, there was still a stigma around asking for help. And so I think that song was that feeling, but inside of a box. It's so great now, I see kids—I say kids, but people my son's age, in their early 20s—listening to “Unwell” with a totally different mindset. “Unwell” was happening in a time where I was unwell, because I didn't think that [asking for help] was an option for me. I love that my son doesn't worry about asking for help. I love that my son and his friends talk about their wellness, and they talk about their mental wellbeing openly. I love that my son's growing up in a time where it's okay for him to say “I'm not okay.” I think a lot of damage that's still in me comes from growing up in that time where I couldn't do that.

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Rob Thomas gets candid about marriage, music as he kicks off 'Chip Tooth Smile' tour

The Grammy-winning singer and his wife open up about life on the road.

No matter your age group or musical taste — or whether you even realize it — you're probably familiar with Rob Thomas’ music .

Whether it’s the multiple hits he’s fronted for Matchbox 20 for over 20 years or through his solo albums , or even yet, through songs he’s written for artists like Willie Nelson, Mary J. Blige, Mick Jagger or Marc Anthony, chances are you’ve hummed, sung along to at least a chorus or belted out his lyrics.

As "Nightline" recently witnessed, to know Thomas is to like him, and to get to know him is to understand how this dedicated husband, animal philanthropist and all-around talent is inspired in his music and both his personal and professional life. Check out our profile here to see for yourself.

Thomas’ new single “One Less Day” recently shot his fourth solo album, “Chip Tooth Smile,” to number two on iTunes.

The Grammy Award-winning singer has written '90’s hits like “Bright Lights” and “3 AM,” beautiful ballads like “You Won’t Be Mine” and “Pieces,” including the hypnotic “I Am An Illusion,” yet even those hardly stack up to the behemoth “Smooth” written for Carlos Santana.

(MORE: How this songwriter went from making beats in her dorm room to working with Beyonce, Jay-Z, Cardi B and more of today's biggest music artists)

Though it’s been 20 years since their collaboration came out, “ Smooth ” still generates an incredible nearly 1 million on-demand streams per week, according to Nielsen Music. It has also remained Billboard’s number two song of all time.

“I had this relationship with ‘Smooth,’ and Carlos too, where like I'm fine if I never hear it again, but I love playing it. I love it when I do it with Carlos. I love doing it with my band,” Thomas said.

Thomas has regularly drawn inspiration for his music from his relationship with his wife of nearly 20 years, including for the songs “Pieces” and “Her Diamonds." Model Marisol Thomas has helped manage his career, and the pair — along with Marisol’s mother, Maria — run the duo’s passion project, Sidewalk Angels, which provides funds to no-kill animal shelters and rescues.

Marisol Thomas has struggled with debilitating autoimmune and multiple tick-borne diseases for years, but she said the singer has been there for her every step of the way, even while on the road.

“The last few years have been extremely hard and it's forced me to have to give up a lot of things and focus just on my health,” she told "Nightline." "It was really difficult because my life for 21 years has been the road. I'm at a place where I want to be more than just a patient. I want to be more than just a victim.”

Marisol Thomas explained that her husband “would literally be on the bus feeding dogs, giving medications, doing a therapy for me that required injections that my doctor had taught him how to do, jumping off the bus, making sure we were OK, getting in front of a stage playing to thousands of people, bringing it like nobody's business, doing meet-and-greets, get back on the bus, check on me, do more meds and walk the boys.”

She added that people “have no idea that he was doing all of this six days a week...and he did it and never complained,” she said. “He's everything for me.”

She quickly added, “I don't want to paint this fake picture that it's always sunshine and hugs and kisses. It's hard,” she said. “He's from southern roots and I'm Latin, so fights between that...it's not pretty.”

Thomas chimed in, saying, "We have fights that started 10 years ago. They're still going on. [Yet], the life we have, when it's bad, it's worth saving. And when it's good, it's better than anybody's."

“When I came into the picture, we were both really young and we created this together," Marisol Thomas said. "Everything that people see, even when he's on that stage — every haircut, every move, every song — it's something we created together for the last 20 years. We were on a trajectory and headed somewhere.”

“He's done remarkably well." Referencing the debilitating battles with her health, she shared, “But I do feel that what happened to me, literally put this halt, and I do see all the opportunities that slipped away, that he lost because he stayed with me and because he made me the priority."

“I don't believe that there is anything that's supposed to happen, that's not happening and vice versa,” the songwriter responded. “I just kind of feel like everywhere that we are is exactly where we're supposed to be. No one's forcing anybody to be in a relationship.” [That] “can only be true if someone's holding a gun to my head and making me be here."

Rob Thomas’ sensitivity, collaborative nature and appreciation for those he surrounds himself with is palpable and reciprocated.

“I've had the same management, I've worked with some of the same people for 13 to 20 years,” he said. “So like, when we're on the road, that's a little tight family that we have.”

Almost all members of his solo band have been with him for over a decade, and many of his touring staff have been promoted within.

“Those relationships are really important, I think. Our bus driver for 18 years is now our road manager because he got tired of driving buses and he wanted to try something new. So we made him our road manager. One of our best friends in the world, who just passed away, was our tour manager, but he started off as just a bodyguard and he wanted to do more. So we started giving him more responsibility. Being surrounded by people that you trust is really important to us.”

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Matchbox Twenty Announce Massive 2024 Australian Tour

Get ready for the band's first visit to Australia in over ten years with special guests Goo Goo Dolls.

Photo of Matchbox Twenty (Jimmy Fontaine)

Matchbox Twenty will finally return to Australia in February 2024 with their first dates down under since November 2012.  Goo Goo Dolls will be coming along for the ride.

Last month, Matchbox Twenty founding members Rob Thomas and Paul Doucette appeared on The Plug podcast with Neil Griffiths and dropped the news that they were planning an Australian tour .

In the last two minutes of the podcast, Thomas and Doucette teased, “We will be boots on the ground in Australia next year… we’ll be bringing some good friends; that is happening.” You can check out the full podcast episode here .

The pair have made good on that tease, as today, TEG Van Egmond and Matchbox Twenty can announce an extensive 10-date Australian tour. 

The band kick off their Australian tour in Perth on Tuesday, 13 February, before heading to Adelaide, Melbourne, the Yarra Valley, Wollongong, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Brisbane.

The Telstra pre-sale commences at 2 pm on Wednesday, 17 May, until 2 pm Friday, 19 May. The general public on-sale begins at 9 am local time on Tuesday, 23 May. Find tickets here and the full tour dates below.

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“It’s so incredibly exciting to announce that Matchbox Twenty are heading over to entertain Australian audiences in February,” Christo Van Egmond , Managing Director of TEG VAN EGMOND, said in a statement. “Australia is the band’s second highest-selling market! So many fond memories are bound to resurface while hearing these two brilliant bands perform their classic songs live.

“Few acts have dominated the contemporary music landscape in this country, from the mid-’90s right through the 2000s, quite like Matchbox Twenty, and the same could be said for Goo Goo Dolls. A magical night is guaranteed.”

“Performing on stage with your mates that you’ve been in a band with for decades is such a privilege and it’s something we never take for granted, especially these days. Our Australian tour follows a massive 50-plus date US tour for Matchbox Twenty, so we’ll definitely be match-fit and ready to rock your socks off as well. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen all your Aussie faces. Already looking forward to February!”

Check out The Music 's recap of the band's last visit to Australia here .

Matchbox Twenty

2024 Australian Tour Dates with Goo Goo Dolls

Tuesday 13 February – RAC Arena, Perth

Thursday 15 February – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena, Adelaide

Friday 16 February – Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Saturday 17 February – Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley

Tuesday 20 February – WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong

Thursday 22 February – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

Friday 23 February – GIO Stadium, Canberra

Saturday 24 February – Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle

Monday 26 February – Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast

Tuesday 27 February – Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane

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Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty Talks About Being Called Rock Star: "It Kind of Rubs Me the Wrong Way"

Group talks longevity, fame and rocking out onstage.

For more than 15 years, Matchbox Twenty has been rocking out to sold-out crowds and die-hard fans.

With countless hits including "Unwell," "Real World" and ‘Bright Lights," the rock band is certainly no stranger to success. But with so much talent and fame, Rob Thomas and his bandmates aren't exactly calling themselves rock stars.

"The phrase 'rock star' is like the phrase 'jam'…like let's go 'jam,'" Thomas said. "It kind of rubs me the wrong way."

"I'm going to party like a rock star. You're, like, no dude, you aren't a rock star. You're just a guy that drinks too much. You know, that doesn't make you a rock star."

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With many of the guys married, the days of partying, wild trips and groupie temptation are long gone. Instead, it's all about the music.

"I think we are successful musicians," Thomas said. "We've been lucky enough to become successful at it and because we've had that time to be successful, we've had time to get better at it."

As the group travels across the country this summer with the Goo Goo Dolls , the guys admit there still are some occasions where the title of rock star is appropriate. "We get to act like a rock star for two hours a night," Paul Doucette told E! News when describing their time onstage.

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But when the lights turn on and the crowds depart, it's back to normal.

"When we walk offstage and we're heading to the bus, I don't feel like I'm the sexy rock star getting on my bus," Thomas said. "I'm like, I gotta call my wife, gotta finish watching my show, I might be hungry. I have to go workout tomorrow."

Looks like the band really is enjoying the "Real World."

Hear more from the guys and go behind the scenes at Matchbox Twenty's concert tonight on E! News at 7 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.

And get your Matchbox Twenty tickets here . Go backstage with more of your favorite acts with " E!'s Inside Track: Summer Concert Series ," airing every Friday only on E! News. The feature series is a collaboration with Live Nation.

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Day Out with Thomas and Percy 2024

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Who is thomas the tank engine, what are the appropriate ages for day out with thomas, where is the event, when do tickets go on sale, how do i purchase tickets, what is included in the ticket price.

Thomas Train Rides

Catch a Day Out with Thomas at a Western US railroad

Felton, California Roaring Camp Railroads Roll with Thomas and Percy in Santa Cruz County! Saturday and Sunday, October 15th and 16th Saturday and Sunday, October 22nd and 23rd Saturday and Sunday, October 29th and 30th Check Ticket Availability! Perris, California Southern California Railway Museum Thomas and Percy in Riverside County! Saturday and Sunday, November 5th and 6th Friday through Sunday, November 11th and 13th Check Ticket Availability!

Golden, Colorado Colorado Railroad Museum Join Thomas in the Denver Area! Saturday and Sunday, September 10th and 11th Saturday and Sunday, September 17th and 18th Saturday and Sunday, September 24th and 25th Check Ticket Availability!