Don Messerli’s Blog |

Earlier this month, Regine and I went to the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood to see Rob Thomas in concert. The show was phenomenal!!!

The opening act was Anna Nalick. During her set Rob descended from the ceiling suspended by a wire wearing an angel costume. That set the tone for the entire evening. Regine called it “A Night at the Improv”. Not only because of the stunts; but also for the music.

In addition to his high flying entrance there were a few other unplanned surprises. When the stage crew was supposed to bring out an electric piano for Rob to play, they actually brought out a Linus-sized piano and stool for him. After Rob’s fooling around and trying to play it, they brought out the real one. One of the highlights of the concert was when Rob and his drummer, Abe, switch roles. Rob played drums while Abe sang a song called Lopsided Lover. “…she stutters when she talks and walks with a limp, has 3 teeth and a lazy eye!!…” And, by the way, her name is Eileen.

The musical performance was great. It was very refreshing because there was lots of improvization and no effort to try to make the songs sound like they did on the albums. This shows true talent and versatility. There was good mix of songs from his first solo album Something To Be, his Target exclusive EP Something More, and plenty of Matchbox 20 songs. He also did a very good rendition of David Bowie’s Let’s Dance.

One of Rob’s songs that gives me pause whenever I hear it is 3 am. He wrote it about his mother having cancer when he was 12. Even though the song sounds a bit upbeat, it is very touching; especially if you know what it’s about. The version he did on the 2004 Songwriter’s Hall of Fame show was chilling. In concert, he did the song closer to the album version and gracefully transitioned into Steve Miller Band’s The Joker.

This concert was initially supposed to be back in October; but was rescheduled due to Hurricane Wilma. I’m glad they rescheduled it. It was one of the best concerts I’ve been to.