By McKenna Klaphake

Matchbox Twenty and opener Hudson Thames persevered through an hour long weather delay last Saturday, June 10th at Treasure Island’s amphitheater in Welch, Minnesota, the sixteenth stop of their “Slow Dream” tour. This was Matchbox Twenty’s third time rescheduling their show at Treasure Island, two of which were because of the weather and another due to covid. Thankfully the rain lightened up so that this performance could finally go on as planned. 

Matchbox Twenty put out their first album twenty seven years ago and have been bringing in fans of all ages ever since. Roughly 16,000 fans packed into the amphitheater to listen to the bands nearly three decades worth of stellar alternative rock ballads, as well as tracks off of their new album, “Where the Light Goes.”

Opener Hudson Thames began his career in the acting world with features in television shows including, “Mad Men,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” and various other hits of the 2010’s. He has now dipped his toes into the music industry and recently announced the future release of his first album and many of the songs that he performed were off of that upcoming album. Thames has an incredibly beautiful voice and showed it off with vocal riffs and belts and also displayed his musical talent on the piano in a few of his songs. You could hear the clear influences from pop icons of the 80’s like Billy Joel and Elton John. The energy that Thames and his band brought was a great way to start the show and get an already restless crowd engaged. They did this while encouraging the audience to sing along during his final song, “Last Call” saying, “I wrote this while I was drunk so I know you can sing along.”

Matchbox Twenty catered to their longtime fans by playing a large portion of their older material while mixing in a few songs from their recent album as well. As an avid fan myself, I think their new album fits right in with the sound that folks have come to adore over the years. Some of my favorites that the band performed include, “Friends,” “Rebels,” and “Wild Dogs (Running in a Slow Dream)”

The band currently consists of Rob Thomas, Brian Yale, Paul Doucette, and Kyle Cook. They were also supported on stage by an additional guitarist/keyboardist and drummer. The group of aged rockers walked on stage with baggy jeans and loose fitting shirts and while everyone seemed to dress their age, Thomas could have been straight out of the 90’s with his tight black skinny jeans and ear piercings that glittered in the stage light. The infatuation that many fans have with the lead singer was apparent as women all around me interchangeably shouted their love and affection for him.

You could feel the bond between all of the men on stage, especially between the four who have been in the band since the beginning. This only comes with years of touring, making music, and surviving (and thriving) through hardships together. Thomas’ rockstar energy has been far from quelled as he twirled the microphone stand over his head and called out hecklers who were requesting songs saying, “This isn’t request hour, this is shut up and listen hour.” As I was personally surrounded by audience members shouting out their requests during the show, I appreciated the clap back. 

Matchbox Twenty brought the same passion and outgoing stage presence that I can only imagine they’ve been bringing since the late 90’s, only difference being that they are now men in their 50’s. Thomas eloquently sang through the fast paced lyrics with hand movements like a spoken word poet. I didn’t realize the sheer stamina that he must have until I saw him perform live and I loved that they sounded exactly like their recorded material. Concert attendees got what they paid for as the band went above and beyond what was expected. They moved frequently between each side of the stage, always interacting with each other and most importantly, the audience.

The back of the stage was illuminated by a giant screen with trippy and engaging images. There was also a giant bubble-like stage piece that created more entertaining images behind the band. They brought out various set pieces for different songs, for example, during “Hand Me Down” the stage crew brought out a piece that looked like a firework that lit up during the song. 

The band left the stage promising that they’d be right back, for the expected encore. Having saved their arguably most popular songs for the end, they then performed fan favorites, “3AM,” “Unwell,” and “Push.” Thomas played the last song “Bright Lights” on the piano, which the fans had voted for ahead of time through a QR code that was advertised on the screens adorning either side of the stage. This was the longest “encore” set that I have ever seen but since the songs played were my personal favorites as well, I couldn’t really complain. 

I have very mixed feelings about Treasure Island as a venue for live music. There is only one road going into the casino/hotel/amphitheater area and as a result, the parking situation, both coming in and out of the venue, is very chaotic. Even with the weather delay, hundreds of cars piled into the small parking areas and fields early in the night. I really don’t think that Treasure Island is equipped for the amount of people that can fit inside their venue, (plus hotel and casino guests) at least where parking is concerned. There was a mix up with locating my ticket in all of the chaos of the down pouring rain, parking, and navigating to the venue, however, the event staff were very accommodating and dedicated to helping me get into the show. One thing that I really liked about Treasure Islands’ amphitheater space was the several food trucks that were made available to the concert attendees. They even stayed open afterwards for post show munchies, which was a great time to get food to avoid the hour plus wait that most drivers experienced while attempting to leave the allotted parking areas. 

Attending this show was so important and deeply personal to me, as it brought back memories of listening to Matchbox Twenty while growing up. They were one of my late mother’s favorite bands and I felt her presence that night as I relived the times where she would blast songs such as “Unwell” and “Real World” while driving my sister and I around. Despite the weather delay, the chaotic parking situation, and the ticket mix up, Matchbox Twenty are incredibly talented and it was unreal to get to see them perform live. I am so grateful to have had a night to remember my mom and our memories together.