Article and Photos by: KT Lafferty

Raleigh, NC — Thousands of Rob Thomas fans poured into Red Hat Amphitheater just as Mother Nature had been pouring down all day. After a day of non-stop rain, it almost seemed like the weather might have slowed down enough for concertgoers to stay dry for the duration of the show. But as Thomas and his band hit the stage around 8:20 p.m. on Wednesday night, the skies opened back up, making for an evening that both diehards and casual fans won’t soon forget. After his third song, Thomas promised his audience that if they didn’t leave, he and the band wouldn’t leave either.

For just shy of the next two hours, Rob Thomas entertained a sea of ponchos with a setlist that covered two decades of his solo career, along with several notable additions. The evening started off with “I Believe It,” a single off his forthcoming album All Night Days, scheduled to be released on September 5. Other new songs included “Thrill Me” and “Hard To Be Happy,” for which a music video was just released.

The Matchbox Twenty frontman played a selection of notable hits from the band’s nearly 30-year career. The tempo slowed as Thomas took to the piano to perform a stripped-down version of “3 A.M.” from the band’s 1996 debut album Yourself or Someone Like You. This tour sees Thomas joined by his son, 27-year-old Maison Thomas-Eudy, on lead guitar. Before playing “If You’re Gone” off the band’s sophomore album Mad Season, Thomas joked that the song is so old, he wrote it the night Maison was born.

Thomas’ energy moved seamlessly throughout his performance. It was an ebb and flow of rhythm, from high-intensity songs such as “Lonely No More,” the first single from his debut album, 2005’s …Something To Be, to a gentler “Getting Late” off 2009’s Cradlesong. The latter, which Thomas describes as a “happy song about death,” flowed into a cover of Elvis’ “That’s All Right.” Whether playing the piano, the guitar, or dancing across the stage, Thomas has an undeniable energy and vibrancy in each song he performs. He told the audience before he sang 2007’s “Little Wonders” that we are often waiting for some piece of time to occur, or for the next thing to happen, when in fact life is happening right now, in this very moment.

After an initial 18-song set, the crowd was now soaked from the rain. And though the stage crew was routinely wiping down the instruments as well as the stage floor, Thomas and the band performed a four-song encore, which began with one last track from the upcoming record, the album’s namesake “All Night Days.” If you’ve been to a Rob Thomas show in the past, you know that he almost always includes an ’80s hit or two, and this show was no different. After giving a shout-out to the kids of the ’80s in the crowd, he gave a powerful performance of INXS’s “New Sensation.” Closing out his encore was fan favorite “Smooth,” Thomas’ Billboard number one hit and Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Santana, and finally an extended version of “This Is How A Heart Breaks.”

Opening the show was pop band A Great Big World. Ian Axel was joined by Chris Cubeta on guitar for the short six-song set, while bandmate Chad King was noticeably absent from this tour stop. Largely known for 2013’s hit “Say Something” with Christina Aguilera, their set also included the well-known song “Younger.” Additionally, they included a new song, “Away We Go,” which was just released this week, and a cover of Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag.”

The All Night Days Tour continues across the U.S. through the beginning of September before heading over to Australia and New Zealand later in the year. For dates, tickets, and VIP information, head to RobThomasMusic.com. Also, be sure to pre-save the new album All Night Days on your favorite streaming platform.