Rob Thomas at the Beacon Theatre

Rob Thomas was born into an American military family stationed in Landstuhl, West Germany. The family returned to the United States when Thomas was six months old. His parents divorced when he was two years old, after which his mother took him to Lake City, South Carolina, then Sarasota, Florida, finally settling in the Orlando area when he was about 11 years old. Around this time, Thomas received his first musical instrument, a keyboard. Thomas started writing and performing music, but life got in the way --he dropped out of school, went to jail, was homeless, and experimented with drugs. He played in several bands before forming the multi-platinum Matchbox 20, later renamed Matchbox Twenty. In 1999, Thomas sang "Smooth" on Santana's comeback album, winning three Grammy awards. Thomas launched a solo career in 2005, often singing songs that were rejected by the other members of Matchbox Twenty. Thomas released his fourth and most recent studio album, Chip Tooth Smile, on April 26, 2019.

At the first of two consecutive nights at the Beacon Theatre, Rob Thomas exhibited a softer pop side that distinguished itself apart from his more rocking Matchbox Twenty catalog. With the spotlight squarely on Thomas as a solo artist, his strength was in the carefully-selected word interplay in his impassioned, life-affirming lyrics and his likeable, heartwarming stage persona. He worked the stage and charmed the audience with his personal anecdotes between songs, and his band gave punch to his performance. Thomas' emotive vocals were pleasant and sincere, yet rather on the light side, suggesting that other artists with more powerful voices might better interpret these same songs. The set consisted of songs from his solo albums, his Santana hit, plus three Matchbox Twenty songs and a surprise left-field reworking of David Bowie's "Let's Dance." Expect a different experience at a Matchbox Twenty concert.

Setlist:

1. I Love It
2. Real World '09
3. Lonely No More
4. Her Diamonds
5. If You're Gone(Matchbox Twenty song)
6. Can't Help Me Now
7. Heaven Help Me
8. Streetcorner Symphony
9. One Less Day (Dying Young)
10. Little Wonders
11. Fire on the Mountain
12. Let's Dance (David Bowie cover)
13. Timeless
14. 3 A.M. (Matchbox Twenty song)
15. Ever the Same
16. Someday
17. I Am an Illusion

Encore:

1. Early in the Morning
2. ...Something to Be
3. Unwell (Matchbox Twenty song)
4. Smooth (Santana song)
5. This Is How a Heart Breaks