Rob Thomas @ Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, Feb 6 2010. By John Michael Bric
Rob Thomas will forever be remembered for the legacy he created as songwriter and lead singer of the famous rock group Matchbox Twenty. Despite his recent solo efforts, the connection he has with his five-piece band is still evident, so much so that he's been known to finish his solo performances with a few of the band's classic hits like "Push," "3AM," and "Bright Lights."
But, in his near sell-out performance in Melbourne on Friday night, Rob Thomas finished with neither a Matchbox Twenty song, or one of his solo tracks. Instead, he rounded off the night with a surprise encore with one of Australia’s all-time great bands, INXS.
Friday night's show at Rod Laver was the first stop on his national ‘Cradlesong’ tour of Australia. Cradlesong, Thomas' second solo studio album, came off the back of his 2005 release ... Something to Be, which saw him sell out nine major arenas in Australia during his last album tour.
The 14,000 plus crowd who turned up on Friday night came expecting an impressive performance from Thomas and a decent support act from local girl Vanessa Amorosi. None, however, would have expected the surprise they received at the end of the night.
Amorosi kicked off proceedings early in the night, serving an entrée of pop hits, including "Shine" and "This is Who I am," before the main course arrived on stage.
Just after 9pm, Rod Laver roared to its feet as Rob Thomas hit the crowd with "Fire on the Mountain" from his new album. He quickly followed it up with the smash hit "Give me the Meltdown" and carried on with "Real World 09" and "Mockingbird." Up until this point, the middle-aged, female-dominated crowd was up on its feet, clapping and dancing to the mixture of slow ballads and pop-rocky songs. However, by the middle of the show, most had returned to their seats, waiting to be inspired by a popular hit.
After churning through a mixture of his not-so-popular-tracks, such as "Still Aint Over You," "Getting Late," and "Natural," the crowd rose to its feet yet again when the familiar sounds of "Someday" echoed around the arena. Thomas took a moment to chat to the crowd about his next song, one he penned for his pet dog after he died "Little Wonders."
"Her Diamonds" and "Illusion" rounded off the night nd Thomas walked off stage, returning less than a minute later. “The next song is a cover, but I wrote it,” Thomas told the crowd as the sexy guitar riff from "Smooth" flowed into the audience. By the end of the next song, "How a Heart Breaks," Thomas hinted that a special surprise was just around the corner…. And it was.
There were a few rumours floating around before the gig that INXS may make an appearance, but whispers like these are all too common in the music scene and can rarely be counted on. It wasn’t until Thomas returned to the stage that it seemed possible.
“I'm a really big fan of the band Matchbox Twenty and usually this is the time that I would bring out my acoustic guitar and sing some Matchbox Twenty songs," he said. “But tonight I have an even bigger surprise for you. Ladies and gentleman, allow me to welcome INXS to the stage!”
One by one, Garry Gary Beers, Andrew Farriss, Jon Farriss, Tim Farriss and Kirk Pengilly stepped onto centre-stage, finding their places on their respective instruments. At this point, the crowd was a frenzy. Fans were screaming hysterically and a few females were hyperventilating with excitement.
The crowd went even crazier when Thomas and the band smashed out the INXS classic "Never Tear us Apart."
Fans at the front got an intimate look at Thomas when he hit the ground level for the final cover of "Don’t Change" before thanking the audience and vanishing with INXS from the arena.
Rob Thomas’ show was one full of wavy ups and downs. His hits were great, but his misses were noticeable. In the end, a final encore with one of Australia’s most recognisable bands transformed what would have been a mediocre performance into an unforgettable night.