matchbox twenty slow dream tour opener

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).”

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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

Here's Matchbox 20's 2023 tour setlist in Phoenix, from 'Push' to 'Don't Get Me Wrong'

The Slow Dreams Tour brought Matchbox Twenty to Phoenix for first time since 2017’s A Brief History of Everything Tour marking the 20th anniversary of their 10-times-platinum debut, "Yourself or Someone Like You."

And this time, that brief history includes their first new album in 11 years, the much anticipated "Where the Light Goes."

They set the tone for their performance with "Friends," the song that opens “Where the Light Goes,” and made their way through five selections from the album by the time their set was through, including the singles “Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)” and “Don’t Get Me Wrong.”

But that still left time for the hits, including all five singles from “Yourself or Someone Like You.”

Rob Thomas spoke to The Arizona Republic about how it feels to sing a song like “Push” or “3AM” nearly 30 years after recording them.

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Weekend plans? Capt. Kirk, drag queens and street art are the best things to see in Phoenix this weekend

“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."

Matchbox Twenty 2023 setlist for Phoenix stop on Slow Dreams Tour

“How Far We've Come”

“Real World”

“Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)”

“She's So Mean”

“All I Need”

“Queen of New York City”

“Hand Me Down”

“If You're Gone” (acoustic)

“Mad Season”

“Don’t Get Me Wrong”

“These Hard Times”

“Back 2 Good”

“Bright Lights”

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

Support local journalism.   Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

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. 

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Matchbox Twenty Concert Setlists & Tour Dates

Slow dream tour, upcoming shows.

• Date and Venue Doors Scheduled
• Jun 27 2024 North To Shore Festival 2024 Newark, NJ, USA  –  Find tickets Add time Tickets Add time Add times
• Sep 13 2024 Washington State Fair 2024 Puyallup, WA, USA  –  Find tickets Doors 6:30 PM  –  Start time: 9:14 PM (Est.) Tickets 6:30 PM 9:14 PM Estimated
• Sep 19 2024 Bourbon & Beyond 2024 Louisville, KY, USA Add time Add time Add times

Matchbox Twenty at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, NC, USA

• How Far We've Come
• She's So Mean
• Don’t Get Me Wrong
• Back 2 Good
• Bright Lights
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Matchbox Twenty at TSB Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth, New Zealand

• Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)
• Hand Me Down
• If You're Gone

Matchbox Twenty at Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch, New Zealand

Matchbox twenty at brisbane entertainment centre, brisbane, australia, matchbox twenty at gold coast convention and exhibition centre, gold coast, australia.

• Where the Light Goes

Matchbox Twenty at Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, Australia

• These Hard Times

Matchbox Twenty at GIO Stadium, Canberra, Australia

• Queen of New York City

Matchbox Twenty at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia

Matchbox twenty at rochford winery, coldstream, australia.

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Most played songs

• Push ( 414 )
• Real World ( 407 )
• 3 A.M. ( 403 )
• Back 2 Good ( 397 )
• Long Day ( 395 )

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AC/DC Burt Bacharach The Beatles The Black Crowes David Bowie Ed Bruce The Church Cracker Crowded House The Cure Bob Dylan The Easybeats Faces Marvin Gaye Mildred J. Hill & Patty Hill INXS Billy Joel Cyndi Lauper John Lennon & Yoko Ono Lynyrd Skynyrd Hugh Martin Kylie Minogue Oasis Tom Petty Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Prince R.E.M. Ramones Charlie Rich The Rolling Stones Simple Minds Tabitha’s Secret Tears for Fears Jack Tempchin Rob Thomas U2 The Who Wings Neil Young

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3,560 people have seen Matchbox Twenty live.

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Matchbox Twenty

Download audio recordings from the slow dream tour.

We are excited to let you know that we are recording the audio from each show on the Australian/New Zealand Slow Dream Tour!  Full show audio-only downloads will be made available within 48 hours of the end of each show!  Best of all, you can pre-order now by visiting  https://bit.ly/MB2024Downloads !

Each show will be delivered to you in MP3 format, compressed into a single convenient ZIP file.  To install, simply download the zip file to your computer after purchasing, expand it, and move the audio MP3s to your audio player, or sync with your mobile device to load into your library.

PLEASE NOTE:  PRICES ARE IN USD.  Order received in Australian or foreign currency could be subject to your bank’s currency exchange fees. ORDER HERE NOTE: For those of you who ordered CD sets on the US tour leg and have not yet received your order, we are back-ordered on some materials and expect to resume shipments as soon as we receive supplies.

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