Review by Shawn Perry
After numerous delays, Matchbox Twenty finally made it to Nashville. Their concert at the Bridgestone Arena had originally been scheduled for August 5, 2020, but the pandemic came along and shut down live music around the world. Like so many others, the group took advantage of the downtime and recorded a new album, Where The Light Goes. For fans who had purchased tickets three years before, this was a real bonus.
The Slow Dream Tour stop in Music City drew a predominantly millennial crowd, with a few hip Gen-Xers and Boomers hanging on for the ride. This was Matchbox Twenty’s first appearance at the Bridgestone since August 12, 2017, so it was no wonder the 20,000-seat arena was filled to the brim by the time opener Matt Nathanson and his band hit the stage.
During a 50-minute set loaded with F-bombs, tales of Jell-O wrestling (something MB20 singer Rob Thomas confirmed to be true), and a song about Bill Murray, Nathanson engaged the audience with a blend of folk and pop rock. After telling the audience he saw Whitesnake when he was a kid in a big arena like Bridgestone, he ran through a couple verses of AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” to get a feel for the space. He finished up with his platinum hit “Come On Get Higher” with a slice of “You’re The One I Want” from Grease. Everyone was on their feet and playing along before he was done.
The speaker system blared out Van Halen’s “Panama” as the members of Matchbox Twenty were getting into place. They opened with the energy-filled “Friends,” the first of five numbers featured on Where The Light Goes. All eyes were on Thomas as he maneuvered around guitarists Paul Doucette and Kyle Cook. Bassist Brian Yale stood clear while touring keyboardist Matt Beck and drummer Stacy Glen Jones, donning a Metallica t-shirt and snapback Bass Pro cap, kept the current flowing without distracting the focus on the frontline. For extra impact, a couple of presumably drum corp pros armed with wearable percussion racks joined in to punctuate the chorus.
For a pop rock band like MB20, tonight was all about the hits and fan favorites the audience could sing along with. So everyone was on board for big singles like “How Far We’ve Come” and “Real World” that easily sunk their hooks in and had the floor jumping. “Disease” was given 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 strike the mood. “Wild Dogs (Running In A Slow Dream),” the first single from the new album, blew through town like a regular at Tootsies Orchid Lounge.
Over the course of two hours, MB20’s five studio albums received a lot of widespread love, along with a floating track here and there. The pace wound down a bit, beginning with another new one called “Queen Of New York City,” followed by “Hand Me Down” and “If You’re Gone,” which featured just Thomas with Cook on acoustic. Cell phones lit up the arena amidst introspection and the “bad decisions” Thomas said awaited those on the night before Independence Day. “Mad Season” and “Don’t Get Me Wrong” most definitely got the room moving again, before a mid-tempo vibe settled in for “These Hard Times” from the Exile On Mainstream compilation.
The remainder of the main set was a mix of latter-day tumblers (“The Way,” with Cook handling the lead vocals, and “Parade”) and older rockers (“Bent” and “Back 2 Good”). “Rebels,” the fifth and final number of the evening appropriately brought things to a close before the big guns were rolled out for the encore. “3 A.M.” bespoke the evening and the dreamy intro of “Unwell” swept in to claim any and all willing victims.
You’d have thought the climatic arc behind “Push” and “Bright Lights” brought it all home for the night. Instead, MB20 had one more card up their sleeve for a second encore. Unless you’ve been checking the scorecard, a spirited turn at Simple Mind’s anthemic “Don’t You Forget About Me” was nothing less than pleasant surprise. Perhaps being away from Nashville for seven years prompted Matchbox Twenty to make sure no one forgets about them. Of course, they have nothing to worry about. Tonight’s show is already a cherished memory for the thousands fortunate enough to be at the show.
