Review by Shawn Perry
After numerous delays, Matchbox Twenty finally made it to Nashville. Their concert at the Bridgestone Arena was originally scheduled for August 5, 2020, but the pandemic hit and paralyzed live music around the world. Like so many others, the group took advantage of the break and recorded a new album. where the light goes. For fans who bought tickets three years ago, that was a real bonus.
The Slow Dream Tour The Music City stop drew a mostly millennial crowd, with a few hip Gen-Xers and Boomers in attendance as well. This was Matchbox Twenty’s first performance at the Bridgestone since August 12, 2017, so it’s no wonder the 20,000-seat arena was packed to the brim when opener Matt Nathanson and his band took the stage.
During a 50-minute set filled with f-bombs, tales of Jell-O wrestling (which MB20 singer Rob Thomas confirmed to be true) and a song about Bill Murray, Nathanson captivated audiences with a mix of folk and pop-rock. After telling the audience that he’d seen Whitesnake in a big arena like Bridgestone as a kid, he played through a few verses of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” to get a feel for the space. He ended his platinum hit “Come On Get Higher” with a track “You’re The One I Want” by Fat. Everyone was up and playing along before he was done.
Van Halen’s “Panama” blared through the speaker system as the Matchbox Twenty members took their seats. They opened with the energetic “Friends,” the first of five numbers culminating in ” where the light goes All eyes were on Thomas as he maneuvered around guitarists Paul Doucette and Kyle Cook. Bassist Brian Yale kept clear while touring keyboardist Matt Beck and drummer Stacy Glen Jones, dressed in a Metallica t-shirt and snapback Bass Pro hat, kept the flow going without diverting focus to the front line . For added impact, a few presumably drum corp pros with portable percussion racks joined to punctuate the chorus.
For a pop rock band like MB20, tonight was all about the hits and fan favorites for the audience to sing along to. With big singles like “How Far We’ve Come” and “Real World” everyone was there who quickly got down to work and caused a stir. “Disease” was credited to Thomas after co-writer Mick Jagger said it wasn’t for him, but Nashville was more than willing to let the Top 40 song’s cutting riffs set the mood. “Wild Dogs (Running In A Slow Dream),” the lead single from the new album, blew around town like a regular at the Tootsies Orchid Lounge.
Over the course of two hours, MB20’s five studio albums received much acclaim, along with a soaring track here and there. The tempo slowed down a little, beginning with another new track called “Queen Of New York City” followed by “Hand Me Down” and “If You’re Gone” which featured only Thomas with Cook on acoustics. Cellphones lit up the arena amid the introspection and “bad decisions” that Thomas said were expected on the night before Independence Day. “Mad Season” and “Don’t Get Me Wrong” definitely got the room moving again, before “These Hard Times” set in a mid-tempo mood exile in the mainstream compilation.
The remainder of the main set was a mix of modern rockers (“The Way,” with Cook on lead vocals and “Parade”) and older rockers (“Bent” and “Back 2 Good”). “Rebels”, the fifth and last number of the evening, formed the appropriate conclusion before the big guns started for the encore. “3 AM” marked the evening and the dreamy intro of “Unwell” swept in, claiming all willing victims.
One would have thought that the climactic arc behind “Push” and “Bright Lights” would set everything straight for the evening. Instead, MB20 had one more card up their sleeve for a second encore. Unless you’ve been looking at the scorecard, the spirited twist on Simple Mind’s anthem “Don’t You Forget About Me” was nothing short of a pleasant surprise. Perhaps Nashville’s seven-year absence prompted Matchbox Twenty to make sure no one forgets them. Of course they don’t have to worry. Tonight’s show is already a fond memory for the thousands who were lucky enough to attend the show.
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