matchbox 20 tour

• Moscow concerts Moscow concerts Moscow concerts See all Moscow concerts ( Change location ) Today · Next 7 days · Next 30 days
• Most popular artists worldwide
• Trending artists worldwide

• Tourbox for artists

Search for events or artists

• Sign up Log in

• Get the app
• Moscow concerts
• Change location
• Popular Artists
• Live streams
• Deutsch Português
• Popular artists

Matchbox Twenty  

• On tour: yes
• Matchbox Twenty is not playing near you. View all concerts
• Moscow, Russian Federation Change location

676,682 fans get concert alerts for this artist.

Join Songkick to track Matchbox Twenty and get concert alerts when they play near you.

Nearest concert to you

Boots and Hearts Music Festival

Touring outside your city

Be the first to know when they tour near Moscow, Russian Federation

Join 676,682 fans getting concert alerts for this artist

Upcoming concerts (4)

Prudential Center

Minnesota State Fair

Washington State Fair Events Center

Similar artists with upcoming concerts

Tours most with, live reviews.

I was so excited to see Matchbox Twenty and I definitely was not disappointed. I grew up listening to their music and "Unwell" was probably the first song I ever knew all the words to. The Matchbox Twenty concert I was a part of wasn't like some crazy party. There weren't giant mosh pits and people jumping all around but it was special. It really felt like you were a part of something. The band, especially Rob Thomas (the lead singer), really wanted you to have fun. You could tell that they had fun too. Rob loved the words he was singing and the band loved the songs they were playing. They had a good mix of their earlier and later songs. It was almost impossible not to shout out all the words you knew to the songs. It really was impossible for anyone there to not be enjoying it. I think another important thing about a Matchbox Twenty concert is that the fanbase is not composed of people who could ruin your experience. No one there is going to make you feel uncomfortable. The fans aren't there to get super drunk or high. They're there to listen to the music they love and that makes for a great atmosphere.

Report as inappropriate

Despite a delay in start time due to a lightning storm requiring emergency "seek shelter" directive, some of their equipment getting rained on and a noise curfew requiring a shortened show, Matchbox Twenty was perfectly awesome! Much thanks by Rob Thomas for all of us diehards wearing garbage bags yet still soaked to the bone who returned to the concert after the evacuation. I didn't think their set list was shortened so if it was, they still were able to get in many of their great songs. I brought my two teenage sons to this concert, their first ever concert, and we had just a great great and memorable night. We travelled three hours to see this show, returning home at 4 a.m. The next time we get the chance to see Matchbox Twenty or Rob Thomas solo, we are so there!

We were about to leave when I mentioned to security that we not able to see. We were sitting on the lawn and the jumbo trons were not on and we were far from the stage. I had seen Black Sabbath there 10 months ago and they had huge video screens so everyone could see no matter where they were sitting. And he said.." my friend and I could walk down into the seated section and sit anywhere we wanted too, so the last 20 minutes of Matchbox 20 we were up close and I could really feel the music.

Awesome show! I loved getting to see Counting Crows and Matchbox 20!

The venue sucks. The seats are terrible in that the rows are so short you can't see anything over people. You wait in line forever to even get into the venue. Stood in line for half an hour just to get in. Waited twenty minutes before that to even park. Bathroom lines are awful. Guys jump in women's lines because they're too lazy to walk to their bathroom. Won't be going back to Lakeview anytime soon!

Overall, great concert. Matt Nathanson drew the audience in quickly and kept their attention. Both performers gave a great tribute to Tom Petty which was well done. Hearing the diverse selection on songs over the last few decade from Matchbox 20 gave something to everyone. Thanks for keeping the price affordable.

What a great show!! Super fun. The band was so energetic and you could tell they were having fun. Rob Thomas was stellar. He used the entire stage during the whole show. He is definitely a seasoned entertainer. I couldn't believe how much energy he had! Would definitely recommend and would see them again!

Great show! We really appreciated the fact that the band performed their songs just like you remember them. No lengthy solos or improvised vocal changes. Rob Thomas was spot on. Very personable and interacted well with the crowd. Very professional performance. I would definitely go to see them again.

Show was phenomenal! I had a great time and didn't leave my spot the entire time! Had one of the best concert nights ever! Thank you for giving us a great show still after all these years!

Great show overall, would be nice to see the band come out to visit fans! Counting crows were okay, but matchbox was def better and more lively. venue was awesome, (budstage)

Photos (17)

Posters (4)

Past concerts

Wolfbrook Arena

Brisbane Entertainment Centre

Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre

View all past concerts

Matchbox Twenty tour dates and tickets 2024-2025 near you

Want to see Matchbox Twenty in concert? Find information on all of Matchbox Twenty’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.

Matchbox Twenty is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 4 concerts across 2 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

Next 3 concerts:

• Newark, NJ, US
• Oro-Medonte, ON, Canada
• Saint Paul, MN, US

Next concert:

Popularity ranking:

• Pentatonix (518)
• Matchbox Twenty (519)

Concerts played in 2024:

Touring history

Most played:

• Los Angeles (LA) (24)
• Philadelphia (21)
• Chicago (17)
• New York (NYC) (17)
• Sydney (15)

Appears most with:

• Counting Crows (51)
• Sugar Ray (50)
• The Goo Goo Dolls (50)
• The Wallflowers (44)
• Everclear (41)

Distance travelled:

Similar artists

• Most popular charts
• API information
• Brand guidelines
• Community guidelines
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookies settings
• Cookies policy

Get your tour dates seen everywhere.

• But we really hope you love us.

Matchbox Twenty

All upcoming events.

Prudential Center | Newark, NJ

Matchbox twenty with special guest andy grammer.

Burl's Creek Event Grounds | Oro-Medonte, ON

Boots and hearts music festival, latest setlist, matchbox twenty on march 2, 2024.

Slow Dream Tour

TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth, New Zealand

Work From Home: Rob Thomas and Kyle Cook of Matchbox Twenty

Rob and Kyle of Matchbox Twenty tell us what's been keeping them busy in quarantine.

Articles Featuring Matchbox Twenty

Father’s Day Gift Guide

New Music Vol. 129 feat. Kodak Black, Lil Durk, Matchbox Twenty & more!

New Music Vol. 126 feat. Alicia Keys, Bring Me The Horizon, Atmosphere & more!

Popular tracks.

Matchbox Twenty Verified

Concerts and tour dates, matchbox twenty merch.

Live Photos of Matchbox Twenty

Latest Posts

Fan Reviews

Fans Also Follow

About matchbox twenty.

Matchbox Twenty on 'unfinished business,' how touring does 'vile things' to their bodies

On Matchbox Twenty’s new single, “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” Rob Thomas sings, “I’m feeling calm but I’m never relaxed.”

It’s a universal sentiment, but one that seems particularly suited to a Matchbox Twenty resurgence.

“Everything after (you turn 40) is this sense of, I’m not always comfortable in my own skin and that’s perfectly OK,” Thomas says . “It’s part of the human experience to feel that way.”

After nearly 30 years of existence, a procession of ubiquitous radio hits (“Real World,” “Bent,” “3AM,” “Unwell,” “How Far We’ve Come,” “She’s So Mean”) and five albums – including Friday’s “Where The Light Goes” – Matchbox Twenty could easily fill venues for years with the millennial faithful who matured with them and a crop of newer fans who might also be familiar with Thomas’ extensive solo work (“Lonely No More,” “Smooth”).

But instead, the quartet of Thomas, bassist Brian Yale, guitarist/drummer Paul Doucette and lead guitarist Kyle Cook, are bulldozing through 50-plus dates on their just-launched Slow Dream tour and rewarding fans with a solid new album – their first in more than a decade ‒ that reflects their unchanging casual-button-down-and-jeans style in songs such as “Friends” and “Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream).”

All of the guys have hit 50 (excepting Cook, who is 47) and they’re approaching this next phase with a combination of enjoyment and gratitude.

Thomas and Doucette tell us more about why they’re still comfortable in a changed music industry.

Question: It’s been more a decade since you last recorded an album, so what was it like getting back in the studio and why did this feel like the right time to do it?

Thomas: As a band we had come to conclusion that we didn’t think we’d make another full length record. Maybe the business model would be to tour every few years, do a song or two for us and our fans. But after the (COVID-related) 2020-21 tour postponement and then postponing again in 2022, we felt a real commitment to fans that maybe a tour wasn’t enough. Kyle started the idea of making a real record and having something for the fans that’s a little more exciting than just waiting three years to hear the songs they know.

The industry has changed so drastically since your first albums, and especially your 1996 debut (“Yourself or Someone Like You”), which sold 12 million copies. Do you think we’ll ever see artists achieving Diamond status (10 million sold) with an album again?

Thomas: The biggest artists, like the Taylors and Beyoncés, I don’t even know if they’re doing Diamond (numbers).

Doucette: I don’t see how that comes back. How do you introduce that business model again? That ship has sailed. When you bought a CD you were buying a physical thing and unless there’s another thing that comes with music, I don’t know why people would buy it.

Thomas: And that new physical thing has to become the standard. Record sales are no longer the carrot they used to be and that’s not the litmus test anyone is judging by now. There are so many factors of engagement. I just think our bar is moving ‒ not higher or lower, but just what the bar is and what we consider success is changing.

Doucette: When you look at the charts and see the No. 1 album in the country sold 20,000 records? 

That would have been a really bad sales week for the band in 2000.

Doucette: We probably wouldn’t have done anything else after that.

When working on “Where the Light Goes,” did you think about how the industry might view it or was it simply a feeling of, we want to make a new album?

Doucette: It was way more of a personal decision and that we had unfinished business . We haven’t finished doing everything we wanted to do as a band that puts out new material. Over these past 11 years, that was a hole for a lot of us. When the stars aligned, that’s why we wanted to do it. How the album does, I don’t know how much we thought about it. There’s the understanding it’s been 11 years, we’re in our 50's, and it’s a huge Hail Mary pass if you’re looking at it only through that lens.

You’ve got a lengthy tour this spring and summer and it’s your first time out in about six years. How do you feel about getting back out there?

Thomas:  We’ve always been a live band . Before we were signed we were the band that was gigging and trying to play frat parties. When we put our first record out, we were touring, touring, touring, so for us it’s always been part of the cycle. It starts with the inception and creation and then the promotion. The presentation is what closes the loop when we get to share it with fans. It’s inherent to who we are as a band to get out there and really care about a good live show.  

Why are you calling it the Slow Dream tour?

Thomas: It sounds pretty.

Doucette: There were two things we liked about it. It connects to the single “Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)" and it felt like a tour I would go see in 1983 or '85, like, it’s Level 42 and the Slow Dream tour! We’re children of the ‘80s and we embrace that more and more as we get older.

What are some of your road routines?

Thomas: I have to come in and sing way too hard, way too often, lose my voice, build up those callouses and then get it back before the tour because that’s when it’s strong. I’ll tell you at the end of this tour what it does to our bodies (laughs). We forget time has passed and we do really vile things to our bodies up there. We throw them around like rag dolls. My chiropractor was like, no more jumping off the piano, that knee isn’t going to take it. People forget sometimes that it’s our good time, too. This is our escape. That’s the best part of this whole thing, those couple of hours a night. You have buses of crew guys, all the local vendors, all of the fans who have to get babysitters and parking all for this two hours and it’s like a circus tent. You tear it down and you take it to another town and set it back up. It’s that whole micro universe.

Doucette: You also get spoiled. I’ll walk into a venue and someone will be like, “Paul, can I get you a coffee?” That doesn’t happen to me in my normal life (laughs). So I’m like, I can enjoy this for a few months.

Music notes:

• Farewell to a rock queen: The legendary Tina Turner dies at 83
• More 'Midnights': Taylor Swift enlists Ice Spice, more Lana Del Rey for deluxe edition of album
• A country titan: Garth Brooks brings his rollicking live show to a new Las Vegas residency

Join us on Social

Photo: Jimmy Fontaine

Behind Matchbox Twenty's Biggest Hits: How A Camel, Real-Life Stunts & Happy Accidents Influenced "3AM," "Unwell," "Push" & More

As Matchbox Twenty set out on their extensive U.S. summer tour and release their fifth studio album, Rob Thomas and Paul Doucette share their most prominent memories from beloved songs like "Bent" and "Bright Lights."

On May 26, Matchbox Twenty will release their first album in over a decade, Where the Light Goes . Although it's been 11 years since they've put out new music and six years since their last tour, the group is still headlining arenas and amphitheaters all around North America this summer — a testament to the power of their music.

Since their first hit, 1997's "Push," Matchbox Twenty have been a stalwart on alternative and pop radio. Whether you were tuned into those stations or not, you likely know the choruses of "3AM" or "Unwell"; if you're a fan, you can't wait to belt those songs out when they come through your city.

"Over the course of the last 30 years, these songs [have] become part of people's fabric of their day to day," frontman Rob Thomas tells GRAMMY.com. "I just hope there is something on this record that affects people in ways that songs in the past have done."

Where the Light Goes ' 12 tracks continue the easy-to-enjoy melodies and thoughtful songwriting that made Matchbox Twenty so beloved — proof that even nearly 30 years in, they haven't lost their touch. But even though the group is releasing new music, it's clear from sitting down with Thomas and his bandmate, Paul Doucette , that they revel in their old tunes as much as any longtime fan. 

Before Matchbox Twenty kicked off their tour on May 16, Thomas and Doucette reminisced on the band's biggest hits — from the song that saved them to the music videos that could've killed them.

"Push," Yourself or Someone Like You , 1996

Thomas: "Push" is the song that saved us. We released our record in '96, and the day that it came out was the same day that Lava, our record label, folded, and a bunch of bands got dropped. We were possibly on the list because we put out a song called "Long Day" and it didn't react the way we wanted.

While Atlantic was having a conversation about dropping us, there was a guy named Dave Rossi, who was a program director in Birmingham, Alabama, who started to play "Push" on his own, because you could do that back then. And it just started to react in Birmingham — in a crazy way, it was, like, the No. 1 song immediately. So Atlantic was like, "Well, let's give this one more chance." So then they put some money behind "Push" and put it out to radio, and that was the saving grace for us.

Doucette: When the record came out, we were just on the road all the time playing to nobody — to like, the bar staff. 

Thomas: I remember once we played, for some reason, a punk club in Arizona, and like three bands played, then when we got on stage, everybody's like "This is a f—ing pop band!" and they left for our set, and then as soon as our set was over, they filed back in.

Doucette: But when we got to Birmingham, it was different. We saw it immediately. There were people there, and there were a lot of people there. That had never happened to us before, so that was sort of the big jolt of competence that we needed. 

Thomas: That was a tangible shift from that moment on. There was a "before" and "after" "Push."

"3AM," Yourself or Someone Like You, 1996

Thomas: When we were a local band, "Push" didn't exist yet. It was a whole 'nother group of songs, because we had a really bad falling out with other members of this band Tabitha's Secret. It got really litigious and contentious, and they had made me sign over copyrights. [So] we just went and wrote another record. The only thing we brought with us was "3AM," because in the local world, "3AM" was, like, the song.

Doucette: When I auditioned for Tabitha's Secret, the first song of Rob's I ever heard was "3AM." They had a demo of it, and they played it for me. And even then, you could hear it immediately. Just, like, This is a great song .

Thomas: Yeah, imagine the "3AM" you know, but just much s—tier.

Doucette: Oh, it was pretty s—ty, but you could hear the song. You know, you never know about how a song is going to do, but you do know, like, This song hits a mark . This is just a well-written song .

Thomas: I always think of "3AM" as the first song that I wrote that I liked. It was the first song that I wrote about something that I had been going through, and using songs as a certain kind of catharsis to tell the story. "3AM" was the first part of unlocking a puzzle for me — like, Oh, okay, this feels better than just trying to write love songs to pick up girls .

"Real World," Yourself or Someone Like You , 1996

Thomas: I think that was the first time that we ever had fun coming up with video stuff.

Doucette: We wanted to do something absurdist, but we hired a fashion photographer as the director. He's great, but he was the wrong director for that video. So it didn't turn out at all like we wanted it to, but now looking back on it, you're just like, but it is pretty weird . 

We had a camel. It was supposed to be an aardvark originally, but an aardvark couldn't walk on bowling alley [lanes].

I think it was a case of where [we went to] the animal trainer like, "We want an aardvark," and they were like, "Ah, I can't do that. I got a camel though." Now you're looking back and going, "Wait a minute, why are those the two things that you have?"

Thomas: And that camel was lovely, by the way. That camel had such a crush on me. She kept kissing me in between takes.

"Bent," Mad Season , 2000

Thomas: "Bent" was the first single off of our second record, but it was also our first No. 1 single [on the Billboard Hot 100]. That was a good feeling for us because we had had so many people explaining to us how after that first record did so well, the sophomore slump was inevitable, so we should just enjoy the success that we've had and be ready to move on.

I do a version of that song where I play it with an acoustic guitar, which was the way that song was written. And Paul was the one who heard it the way that it is now. I remember, I'll use the word hesitation — I think my actual feeling was, Dude, you're f—in' up my song!

[The opening guitar wail] was an accident. [Kyle] thought he was in another key, and so right when they're like, "Two, three," and it was just gonna be one note, but he was wrong, so he went [ imitates guitar wail ]. That was what we call a happy accident.

Doucette: That first record was massively successful for us. I mean, we sold like 20 million records or something. But in between that and "Bent," Rob did "Smooth" [with Carlos Santana]. 

And so, when "Bent" was coming out and it was No. 1, this happened on more than one occasion, where we'd do an interview and people would be like, "Well, how do you feel now that Rob has done 'Smooth' and now people know who you are?" We're like, "But we sold 20 million records before that!"

Thomas: I remember before I did "Smooth," Carlos' thing was like, I like this guy [on the demo], does he sing? [ Laughs ]

But you can imagine, there's no social media that existed back then. Like, there wasn't a narrative — we were like the most successful faceless band in the world. We had sold all these records, [but] the first time I was ever in Rolling Stone was a picture of me, fat at Glastonbury, and it said, "Rob Thomas has grown as a performer." And then it said, "Apparently, the road to success leads to the deli tray."

"If You're Gone," Mad Season , 2000

Thomas: In that video, there's a scene where I'm hanging, like 30 stories up in downtown L.A., over the edge of this building. And I actually was on that building, I was attached to a harness. And all I kept thinking was like, Don't have an earthquake, no tremors, no tremors, no tremors . I was legitimately scared. And even my wife, [who was] my girlfriend at the time, she had come out to check in on the video shoot, and came out to the top right during that scene, and said she felt like she was having a heart attack.

That was a song that was almost a second thought. We were like, "What do you wanna work on next?" And I was like, "Well, I've got this, I think it's just a little sweet ballad, so I'm not really sure if this is something we want to work on." And then I played it, and the guys were vibin' off it. I thought it was just this personal moment that I had written for Mati, my wife, so I didn't see it for what it was. Luckily the other guys did.

"Unwell," More Than You Think You Are , 2002

Thomas: At the time, the landscape was like Ludacris [having] the No. 1 record, and we're putting out this kind of semi-midtempo song with a banjo, like, "Here, try this!" But somehow [it] worked.

Doucette: That's sort of [our] most sustained song today. I think it has less streams on Spotify than "Push" or "3AM" does, but it's definitely the one that seems to have another little life, then another little life, then another.

Thomas: I just signed off on a new rapper that's gonna use "Unwell" in the chorus of their song. It seems to have that kind of thing. 

And also, I think a lot of people relate to it on a personal level, about mental health and well-being, and being okay to not be okay. There was a message in there that resonated with a lot of people at different points in their life.

And by the way, if it wasn't for Paul, that song was gonna [have] an upbeat vibe. It was like this [ sings uptempo version ] and Paul was like, "Oh, dude, you're high. It's a ballad."

Doucette: Or we could've listened to you, and that song could have gone to No. 1. Maybe I prevented it.

Thomas: You got that 1990s A&R mentality.

"Bright Lights," More Than You Think You Are , 2002

Thomas: One of the things about being fortunate enough to have success is that we really had a chance, by that third record, to feel like we knew who we were as a band. And "Bright Lights" kind of felt like who we were.</span

Your first record is, people are listening to us learn how to make a record and learn how to be a band, and then second record…we're a little better at it, and we shoot for the moon and spend a lot of money on 60-piece orchestras and producing the s— out of everything. And then by the third record, you find that zone, and "Bright Lights" was a really big part of that. 

I feel like it's one of the quintessential Matchbox Twenty live moments in every show. So much so that it was the only time that we did the video [as] an actual just live performance. 

Doucette: I can't see us ever not playing that song. Of all the songs that we've had — and we've been fortunate enough to have some really big songs — that song is kind of the defining one for us.

"How Far We've Come," Exile on Mainstream , 2007

Doucette: We had gotten together to do a couple of songs for the greatest hits [album]. And it was kind of the first time that we thought we would all write songs together. We were like, "Let's start from the beginning and let's just write stuff and see what happens."

We were in Rob's basement, and we just sat and watched Live Aid. We were so, so into the Boomtown Rats and their whole performance. We just all were so inspired by the feeling that we got from watching it, and then we did some deep dives and stuff. That so informed that writing session, which all of those [new] songs on that CD came from.

Thomas: We all stayed at my house for like three or four days, and it was nice because we'd all go out to dinner and really get to hang out as a band. And then we were coming back and being more creative and collaborative than we'd ever been at the time.

I had done a solo record, and we were coming back again, and coming out with something that's different for us — taking the chance on moving forward into a different direction, and hoping that fans would be generous enough and forgiving enough to come along on that journey with us. And we were really glad when they did. That's another, I think, really crucial part of a live show for us.

"She's So Mean," North , 2012

Thomas: We were really informed from our way that we started writing during Exile [on Mainstream] . That was in Kyle's studio, we're all standing in a circle and coming up with different parts of that song. I think Kyle's was [ sings ] "She'll make you take her to the club, but then she leaves with her friends."

And for the official record, that's not about anyone in particular. We have had toxic relationships, and we've been toxic to other people. We've run the gamut.

Doucette: When we were writing that song…it was more a metaphor — this thing that you were attracted to that is terrible for you, but you just keep doing it. That could be anything, it could be biting your nails. Like you can't stop doing this thing that is harming you.

Thomas: Oh, actually, by the way, Paul did physically set himself on fire in the video. That was real.

Doucette: And let me tell you — what you don't see is, on each side of me were two fire marshals, and they both had extinguishers. And I was wearing a flame retardant underneath my suit. But it had its moments where I was like, "Why am I doing this?"

There was one shot that they didn't get, like the flames had kind of died, and they really wanted to use it, so they enhanced that one shot and I was so bummed because it looks fake. And I was like, "People are gonna think this thing is fake, when I did it like four times."

The funny thing about that video is, everybody got hurt except me — except the man that was on fire.

Thomas: He had a little red necker for a little while after that though.

"Wild Dogs (Running In a Slow Dream)," Where the Light Goes , 2023

Doucette: So much of what you put out as the first single, there's a lot of voices in that conversation. We wanted it to be "Wild Dogs," because we liked the energy of it. We think it's a good song that does a couple things: It's a different song than people may be used to hearing from us, but we [also] think that it showcases an element of this record. So it was kind of important for us to come out and be like, "We're still Matchbox Twenty, but things have changed a bit."

Thomas: We were done with the record, we thought. We were packing it up and getting ready to start calling mixers, and Paul came in with a track that became "Wild Dogs" just right in the fourth quarter. It seemed really special, so we were like, "Let's give it a shot." 

Gregg Wattenberg, who produced this record, really kept it lean. There was a sense of a lot of this record of not spending too much time on something to keep that kind of vitality. There's this great thing when you first write a song, and you play it just enough where you've kind of got it on your fingers, but you haven't played it so much that you're trying to craft it — you still keep some of that vitality. And Gregg was really good about finding that point in those songs and getting out before we lost the vibrance.

"Don't Get Me Wrong," Where the Light Goes , 2023

Thomas: On other records, we've never had outside writers in, and there's a couple on this record. That song is one of those — I did it with Craig Wiseman and David Garcia .

As much as I love that song, and I would have been fine with it being a single, it felt better that the first single was a song that me and Paul and Gregg wrote — even though what Matchbox as a band did to that song is the reason why it sounds the way it sounds and it has the personality that it has. Because it doesn't sound like the demo that we did originally. That's just that sense of, as we get older, that idea of like, "We like that song, it doesn't really matter who wrote on it. It's a good song — let's make it our own."

Blink-182 Essentials: 15 Songs That Prove They're Rock's Most Serious Unserious Band

Rob Thomas And Carlos Santana

Photo: Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images

GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Santana & Rob Thomas Self-Assuredly Win Record Of The Year For "Smooth" In 2000

In the newest episode of GRAMMY Rewind, watch Santana and Rob Thomas win Record Of The Year at the 42nd GRAMMY Awards for "Smooth," the unlikely smash-hit pairing of the classic rock legend and Matchbox Twenty leader

By all accounts, Santana 's and Rob Thomas ' 1999 megahit "Smooth" almost didn't happen . In its embryonic stages, Carlos Santana was skeptical of the tune; the AM-radio effect on Thomas's voice alone engendered its own smattering of arguments.

But in a quintessential lesson about why you should never, ever give up, "Smooth" became the second-biggest single of all time , second only to Chubby Checker 's "The Twist." It also led to the 2000 GRAMMY Awards , where the unlikely pair won the GRAMMY for Record Of The Year .

In the newest episode of GRAMMY Rewind , revisit the moment 21 years ago when an unlikely gambit paid off in dividends, putting a feather in the cap of Matchbox Twenty 's leader and landing a classic rocker back on the airwaves.

Check out the throwback GRAMMY moment above and click here to enjoy more episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

Why Can't Anyone Get Woodstock Right? 15 Of The Original Fest's Performers Weigh In

Travis Scott

Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

Everyone's A VIP At Clive Davis' Pre-GRAMMY Gala: From Travis Scott To Jimmy Jam To Brandi Carlile

Pass through the velvet rope at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles for an exclusive look at the star-studded 2019 Pre-GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons

On Feb. 9, on the eve of Music's Biggest Night, the 61st GRAMMY Awards , artists from across genres and decades gathered at the glitzy Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. for the 2019 Pre-GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons.

Less than 24 hours before the big red carpet walk today, the likes of current GRAMMY nominees Ella Mai , Dua Lipa , Diplo , Shaggy , Alice Cooper and Weird Al Yankovich , and GRAMMY winners Melissa Etheridge and Quincy Jones , brought their vibrant energy and killer looks at the annual celebration hosted by the Recording Academy and Clive Davis . Onlookers tried to spy the glam looks on the red carpet as they peered into the hotel's glass—we'll let you past the velvet rope and walk it with us as at this exclusive music industry event.

Dua Lipa & Ellie Goulding | Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

This year's who's-who of music gala celebrated iconic industry veteran Clarence Avant , known as the Godfather Of Black Music, as the honoree of the evening. Like event host and fellow legend Davis, he helped launch the careers of many great artists, working with the likes of GRAMMY-winning greats Bill Withers , Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis of The Time.

The video celebrating Avant had countless heroes such as Former President Barack Obama, Jones, Diddy and JAY-Z sharing how much they love Avant, the powerful impact he's made on their lives and music, and how he always knows the right thing to say. Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow introduced him with a fitting complement, and a huge one given the company they were in: "You're the ultimate music person." The Time properly brought the funk on stage to celebrate Avant with a performance of their '80s hits "The Bird" and "Jungle Love," dancing as if no time had passed.

Current GRAMMY nominee Travis Scott set the mood opening the evening's performances with "Goosebumps" and "Sicko Mode," while sisters and fellow nominees Chloe x Halle  brought home a rousing cover of the late GRAMMY-winning Queen Of Soul Aretha Franklin 's "Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves." Brandi Carlile , another current GRAMMY nominee, returned to the stage to join the duo, along with past nominee Valerie Simpson and Broadway star Keala Settle , ending the evening on quite the high note.

Chloe x Halle | Photo: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images

Other musical guests for the evening included current nominees Bebe Rexha , Florida Georgia Line and H.E.R. , along with past nominees Jazmine Sullivan and Ledisi , plus GRAMMY winner Rob Thomas . Sullivan and Thomas offered a powerful duet, belting out Aretha and George Michael's "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)."

As the evening rolled on, Davis made sure to highlight all the countless legends in the room, as the crowd continuously burst into applause and often up on their feet to celebrate the likes of music greats Barbara Streisand , George Clinton and Dionne Warwick , along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Apple's Tim Cook and even former-L.A. Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Don't forget to tune in to the 2019 GRAMMYs live from Staples Center today. Start with the  GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at 12:30 p.m. PST/3:30 ET, then follow us to the red carpet at 2:00 p.m. PST/5:00 p.m. ET—both will be live streamed right here on right here on  GRAMMY.com .

Then the moment you've all been waiting for, the 61st GRAMMY Awards, hosted by 15-time GRAMMY winner  Alicia Keys , will air live at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT on CBS .

GRAMMY Nominees In Their Own Words: Brandi Carlile, H.E.R., Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monaé & More

Photos: WireImage.com

Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Adele: Record Of The Year GRAMMY Rewind

Time travel through GRAMMY history and revisit the impressive lineage of Record Of The Year winners

Numerically speaking, it's the first category on the GRAMMY Awards nominations list. Conversely, it is typically one of the final categories announced on the annual GRAMMY telecast. And its winners have spanned jazz, pop, rock, R&B, and Latin, among other genres.

What's the category? It's Record Of The Year, which is an award that goes to a track's artist, producer, engineer, mixer, and mastering engineer.

The Record Of The Year category's 59-year history offers a unique aural tour through the annals popular music — one that certainly has the makings for one powerfully diverse playlist. Record Of The Year: Full List Of Winners And Nominees There's Bobby Darin's swingin' "Mack The Knife" (1959), Henry Mancini 's exquisite "Days Of Wine And Roses" (1963), Frank Sinatra 's velvety "Strangers In The Night" (1966),  Simon And Garfunkel's inspired "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Roberta Flack's radiant "Killing Me Softly With His Song" (1973), and Captain & Tennille's breezy "Love Will Keep Us Together" (1975).

In the '80s, radio-friendly hits such as Toto's "Rosanna" (1982), Michael Jackson 's "Beat It" (1983) and Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It" (1984) were among the winning recordings.

The '90s netted the likes of Eric Clapton 's moving "Tears In Heaven" (1992), Whitney Houston 's ubiquitous "I Will Always Love You" (1993) and Santana featuring Rob Thomas' infectious "Smooth" (1999).

The Record Of The Year lineage continued into the 2000s and beyond with unforgettable hits such as U2 's "Beautiful Day" (2000), Green Day 's "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" (2005), Amy Winehouse 's "Rehab" (2007), Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers' "Get Lucky" (2013), and most recently, Adele 's "Hello" (2016).

Which recording will become the 60th Record Of The Year GRAMMY winner? Tune in to the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28 to find out. What's The Difference? GRAMMY Record Of The Year Vs. Song Of The Year

Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images

Concerts & Technology: The Future Is Now

From fan-friendly apps and RFID bracelets to virtual reality, augmented reality and holograms, technology is changing how we experience live concerts

During Matchbox Twenty 's A Brief History Of Everything tour this year, fans who couldn't physically get to a concert could still enjoy the show: The GRAMMY-nominated band made use of state-of-the-art 360-degree cameras to present a fully immersive, fan-controlled virtual reality experience of their Oct. 4 performance in Denver. Additionally, fans purchasing VIP tickets could employ cutting-edge technology to get even closer to the band by entering a virtual space as a hologram to sing alongside a hologram of frontman Rob Thomas. <iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cwTxNdH-6CI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

VR is just one example of the wide range of technologies — from apps and RFID bracelets to augmented reality and holographic projection — that is having a profound impact on the way audiences experience live music. To forward-thinking artists like Thomas, the future for concerts and technology is now .

"I think we're at the moment where this stuff is really here," says Thomas. "There's skepticism, but I also remember when people were skeptical about whether the internet would take off. When Matchbox Twenty started, we connected with fans through bumper stickers and cassette tapes. Twenty years later, we're in virtual reality, which is pretty amazing. But with every jump forward in technology, it's still about connecting with fans."

In the near future, it's likely virtual reality concerts will shift from newsworthy to commonplace, but technology is also opening up some brave new possibilities for live shows themselves.

Metal fans looking ahead at this winter's concert schedule may be surprised to learn that Ronnie James Dio, who died in 2010, will be back on the road for a series of European shows starting in November. Attendees at the shows will indeed be hearing the estimable voice of Dio, but what they will see onstage will be members of his longtime band fronted by a hologram.

"Ronnie was always an innovator in music so why not an innovator in technology?" asks Wendy Dio, the singer's longtime manager. "There are plenty of fans of Ronnie's that would love to see him back up on the stage, and there a lot of people that never had a chance to see him — this is the only way that's possible now. I'm hoping I have Ronnie's blessing because I think this is the wave of the future and I think as more people experience it, they'll accept it.”

Eyellusion is the Los Angeles-based hologram company recreating Dio for the stage, and the company has also teamed with Frank Zappa 's estate to produce a new show centered on the iconoclastic artist. While the idea of bringing back deceased artists in virtual form has sparked debate, Eyellusion CEO Jeff Pezzuti points out that the technology can do much more.

<iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7eiWahgEnFg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"Hologram technology might be the main part of a show, or just part of a live show, or a way of capturing something for posterity that's never been possible before," Pezzuti explains. "And the digital assets we create can move across platforms into all sorts of uses. We know a hologram is not the real thing, but it's close enough now to have you walk out of a show saying, 'Holy s***!' We want to create those 'holy s***' moments."

The Zappa concerts are planned for late 2018  and will include a variety of holographic elements sharing the stage with musicians who toured and recorded with Zappa.

"My father was a futurist and a visualist who wanted to do this kind of thing in his lifetime," says son Ahmet Zappa, a co-trustee of the Zappa estate and an executive with Eyellusion. "'Hologram' describes the way in which Frank can come back, but that's a limited way of thinking. Really, what we're doing is using technology to unleash a whole new way of witnessing the bizarre world of Frank Zappa. It won't be just watching a hologram play guitar. If the band's performing Frank's song " Stink-Foot ," maybe it's sung by an 800-pound snakeskin platform boot. That's a different approach than what you'd expect for Dio, but it fits Frank."

Some might be tempted to write off such new technology as a novelty rather than a game-changer. But, according to Matchbox Twenty manager Nick Lippman, that depends on how the technology is used.

"It's only a gimmick if you don't know what you're doing with it," explains Lippman. "If you just step into the technology without a clear intention of what you're doing as an artist, it's not going to feel authentic. Artists shouldn't fit themselves to new technology — the technology has to actually serve the artist and the artist's fans."

<iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iUjtSO8RaBQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Many industry insiders are embracing new technology as a boon to the concert business. Kevin Chernett, executive vice president of global partnerships & content distribution at Live Nation, oversees live streaming and virtual reality projects for the entertainment company, which this summer live-streamed Coldplay 's massive A Head Full Of Dreams concert in virtual reality.

"People are having their first VR experiences now and are surprised to find that the VR evokes the same emotions and thrills and energy that you'd feel when you're actually at a show — people stand up for the encore just like they would at the arena," says Chernett. "But we don't see any indication that people prefer their living room to the actual experience of a concert — all the technology actually helps to promote the live experience."

At those live experiences, concertgoers may not even be aware of the degree to which cutting-edge technology shapes what they're hearing and seeing.

"There have been quantum leaps forward in terms of the sound and lighting technology that's present in modern-day concerts compared to what it was a decade ago," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the concert trade publication Pollstar . "From the visual and audio perspective, we're producing a much higher-quality event all around and the technology is top notch — though it still takes talent onstage to make it all work."

<iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A09Vx6RvV6Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Roger Waters' current Us +Them tour features lighting controlled by infrared sensors, real-time video editing of giant screen images and stage technology so new it's considered to be a prototype. Waters collaborated closely with artistic director Sean Evans to create a high-tech spectacle that would be powerful but still serve to showcase the music.

"We didn't want the tail to wag the dog," says Evans. "'Oh, here's some cool technology, let's find a way to use it.' On a tech level, there are all these great crazy new toys, but on a creative level you still have to figure out how to use it all in a compelling way." <blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:33.33333333333333% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZSTC5gAdyl/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">CLEVELAND TOMORROW NIGHT! : @kate.izor</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Roger Waters (@rogerwaters) on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2017-09-21T02:13:51+00:00">Sep 20, 2017 at 7:13pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>

One effect in Waters' show — a laser-light representation of the prism from the album cover of Pink Floyd's 1973 album, Dark Side Of The Moon — was designed with a very specific purpose in mind.

"That image has been all over Instagram," says Evans. "And that was the idea — we wanted to make something iconic that people were going to put all over social media. It's a weird way to think about a show, but that's the environment now."

Technology is also extending the concert experience and upgrading audience amenities.

<iframe width="620" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ndpICHt5-TA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Apps such as Pavemint help concertgoers find parking before the show while others help order food that can be delivered during the show. RFID bracelets enable festival attendees to go cashless, and USB bracelets let fans leave a venue with a download of the show they just witnessed. Live Nation recently launched a Facebook Messenger bot that lets the social experience of the concert begin during the ticket-buying process.

"I don't look at this kind of technology as a demographic thing — it's a psychographic thing," says Lisa Licht, chief marketing officer at Live Nation. "It's for people who really love concerts and are spending so much time on social media. Concerts have always been both a personal and a social experience, and now we're finding ways to bring those experiences together."

Over the next few years, today's extraordinary technology is likely to become ordinary, as financial barriers to entry drop, ease-of-use increases, and artists, fans and the industry embrace new tech-friendly horizons.

Thomas is looking forward to some added benefits of the virtual concert world.

"Fans want to jump onstage with us in VR, but I'm more excited to be out in the crowd watching us play — that's a point of view I've never really had before. And if we get to the point where I could just play the live show and then send my hologram to the after-party to do the mingling, that would be awesome."

( Chuck Crisafulli is an L.A.-based journalist and author whose most recent works include  Go To Hell: A Heated History Of The Underworld, Me And A Guy Named Elvis, Elvis: My Best Man,  and  Running With The Champ: My Forty-Year Friendship With Muhammad Ali.)

Should You Be Using Musical.ly?

• 1 Behind Matchbox Twenty's Biggest Hits: How A Camel, Real-Life Stunts & Happy Accidents Influenced "3AM," "Unwell," "Push" & More
• 2 GRAMMY Rewind: Watch Santana & Rob Thomas Self-Assuredly Win Record Of The Year For "Smooth" In 2000
• 3 Everyone's A VIP At Clive Davis' Pre-GRAMMY Gala: From Travis Scott To Jimmy Jam To Brandi Carlile
• 4 Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Adele: Record Of The Year GRAMMY Rewind
• 5 Concerts & Technology: The Future Is Now

Final Day of Rehearsals

It took longer than originally planned after a pandemic postponement, but Matchbox Twenty’s Slow Dream tour finally commenced in 2023 following a series of pre-tour rehearsals.

Frozen Fist Bump

A nightly highlight of the Slow Dream Tour came midset when singer Rob Thomas and guitarist Kyle Cook performed the band’s 2000 hit “If You’re Gone” during a hushed acoustic segment.

Third Time’s a Charm

Matchbox Twenty’s Nashville concert at Bridgestone Arena was twice-delayed — but the fans showed up for the thrice-scheduled date.

Not the Cheap Seats

A segment of VIP fans watched the first three songs of the show from a section onstage and got some face time from band members like guitarist Kyle Cook.

Opening Laughs

Matt Nathanson, who opened the bulk of the tour, cuts up with Rob Thomas before a gig.

Look at That Arc

Kyle Cook shoots some hoops in the parking lot of another anonymous venue.

À La Maison

Rob Thomas’ son Maison Thomas, who fronts his own band the Lucky, has popped up onstage with Matchbox Twenty on this tour.

Matchbox Huddle

The band shares a communal moment prior to taking the stage. 

A Night in Sioux Falls

Matchbox Twenty headlined the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in early June, opening with a triple shot of “Friends,” “How Far We’ve Come,” and “Real World.”

Catching Air

Rob Thomas, at 51, remains a dynamic performer. 

Backstage at the Bowl

Maison Thomas and his band the Lucky share some dad time with Rob Thomas backstage at the Hollywood Bowl. 

Verify it's you

Please log in.

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.

Memorial Day weekend planner: A pool party and bubblepalooza are the top things to do in Phoenix

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.”

More: How Minder Binders and its 'massive collection of weird junk' defined Tempe music culture

'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.'”

Alternative radio: How a low-watt radio station in a Mesa strip mall became 'the key to your musical future'

'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.”

Beyond 'Miserable': 25 years ago, Gin Blossoms were reeling. How 'Congratulations I'm Sorry' defied the odds

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.

• Entertainment
• Celebrities
• Ticket Sales
• Promoted: What to Watch on Prime Video

Recommended

Breaking news, we found the cheapest tickets to see teddy swims on tour in 2024.

• View Author Archive
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Teddy Swims will be on land quite a bit this year.

The rising R&B star recently announced he’s embarking on his nationwide ‘I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Tour’ with backing band Freak Freely come fall.

That includes shows at Syracuse’s Landmark Theatre on Tuesday, Sept. 24, Albany’s Palace Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 26 and Atlantic City’s Ovation Hall at Ocean Casino Resort on Saturday, Sept. 28.

Shortly after the announcement, Swims shared that the tour had sold out.

“All I can say is THANK YOU,” he wrote on Instagram . “The tour is sold out! I love you so much!”

However, our team did some digging and found tickets for all 2024 Teddy Swims shows including festival appearances and one-off gigs before the tour.

At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on tickets to a show was $14 before fees on Vivid Seats.

Other concerts have tickets starting anywhere from $50 to $334 before fees.

Want to “Lose Control” with Swims live?

We’ve got everything you need to know and more about Teddy Swims’ ‘I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy Tour’ below.

All prices listed above are subject to fluctuation.

Teddy Swims tour schedule 2024

A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues, and links to the cheapest tickets available can be found below.

(Note: The New York Post confirmed all above prices at the publication time. All prices are in US dollars, subject to fluctuation and include additional fees at checkout .)

Vivid Seats is a verified secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. 

They offer a 100% buyer guarantee that states your transaction will be safe and secure and your tickets will be delivered prior to the event.

Boston Calling 2024

Over Memorial Day weekend, Swims will get down at Boston Calling .

Big names on the bill include The Killers , Tyler Childers , Ed Sheeran , Megan Thee Stallion , and Trey Anastasio for the May 24-26 fest at the Harvard Athletic Complex.

Need to go?

Click here to grab Boston Calling tickets today.

Endless Sunshine 2024

The following month, Swims heads to Denver for the one-day Endless Sunshine Festival .

Sam Barber , Thee Sacred Souls , Evan Honer , Dogtags, and Rootbeer Richie & The Reveille round out the lineup.

Single-day passes can be snagged here .

Outside Lands Festival 2024

In addition to the tour and overseas gigs, Teddy Swims is also slated to slide into San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival .

Taking place Aug. 9-11 at Golden Gate Park, Swims will be joined by mega headliners Tyler, The Creator , The Killers , Sturgill Simpson , The Postal Service , and Gryffin .

If you want to attend the three-day extravaganza, single and multi-day passes can be scooped up here .

Bourbon and Beyond 2024

Swims wraps his festival run at Louisville’s annual four-day jamboree at the Kentucky Exposition Center on Sept. 19-22.

The star-studded lineup at the brew-heavy fest lists Zach Bryan , Neil Young , Dave Matthews Band , Tyler Childers , and Matchbox Twenty in the top spots.

Grab Bourbon and Beyond 2024 tickets here .

Teddy Swims set list

At a recent gig in Birmingham, AL, Swims performed a 20-song set.

For a closer look, here’s what he took to the stage, courtesy of Set List FM :

“01.) “Goodbye’s Been Good To You” 02.) “What More Can I Say” 03.) “Broke” 04.) “911” 05.) “Dose” 06.) “All That Really Matters” 07.) “Hammer To My Heart” 08.) “Evergreen” 09.) “Suitcase” 10.) “2 Moods” 11.) “Simple Things” 12.) “Amazing” 13.) “Some Things I’ll Never Know” 14.) “Flame” 15.) “You’re Still the One” (Shania Twain cover) 16.) “Last Communion” 17.) “Bed on Fire” 18.) “Tell Me” 19.) “Lose Control” 20.) “The Door”

Teddy Swims new music

On April 26, Swims dropped “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5)” which includes four additional songs that weren’t on the original record.

The sun-dappled, blue-eyed-soul record, which sounds like a cross between Cee-Lo and Chris Stapleton, seamlessly marries soul and country rock.

For our money, all four new album entries — the bombastic “Hammer To The Heart,” tender “Apple Juice,” sensitive “Tell Me” and laid back “Growing Up Is Getting Old” — are all worthy additions to the already spectacular record.

If you want to hear Swims’ new music (as well as all the cuts you know and love from the original release), you can listen to “I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 1.5)” here .

Freak Freely

Swims’ backing band is known as Freak Freely.

The five-piece that brings Swims’ singular voice to life is made up of pianist/keyboardist Jairus Hardge, guitarist Addy Maxwell, guitarist Jesse Hampton, guitarist Christian Griswold, and drummer DeAndre Hemby.

Huge artists on tour in 2024

Quite a few of the most gifted vocalists in the game will be on the road this year.

Here are just five of our favorites you won’t want to miss live these next few months.

•  Chris Stapleton

•  Usher

•  Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats

•  Black Pumas

•  St. Paul and the Broken Bones

Who else is out and about? Take a look at our list of the 50 biggest concert tours in 2024 to find out.

Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post

This article was written by Matt Levy , New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed Bruce Springsteen and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.

Share this article:

Matchbox Twenty

Slow dream tour coming to australia & new zealand.

Matchbox Twenty is thrilled to announce that they will making their long-awaited return to Australian stages for an extensive 10-stop tour in February, 2024. The tour is in support their new album “Where The Light Goes”, due out on May 26 and the band’s first new music in 11 years and available for pre-order here . The multi-Platinum, hit-making, superstars last toured our shores in 2012 – as part of their ‘North’ tour – and this time Matchbox Twenty have recruited Goo Goo Dolls to perform as special guests.

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

Slow Dream Tour 2024 ​Australia & New Zealand

13 February 2024 – PERTH, AUS – RAC Arena

15 February 2024 – ADELAIDE, AUS – Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena

16 February 2024 – MELBOURNE, AUS – Rod Laver Arena

17 February 2024 – YARRA VALLEY, AUS – Rochford Wines

20 February 2024 – WOLLONGONG, AUS – WIN Entertainment Centre

22 February 2024 – SYDNEY, AUS – Qudos Bank Arena

23 February 2024 – CANBERRA, AUS – GIO Stadium

24 February 2024 – NEWCASTLE, AUS – Newcastle Entertainment Centre

26 February 2024 – GOLD COAST, AUS – Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre

27 February 2024 – BRISBANE, AUS – Brisbane Entertainment Centre

29 February 2024 – CHRISTCHURCH, NZ – Christchurch Arena

2 March 2024 – NEW PLYMOUTH, NZ – Bowl of Brooklands

VIEW ALL DATES