Rob Thomas Rocked Cary

Story by Guest Columnist | September 30, 2009 | Tags: carolina liar, cary, Events, koka booth, Matchbox 20, music, Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas playing at the Koka Booth Ampitheater in Cary, Mon Sept 29

Story by Phil Lowden, photo by Angie Lowden

Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 fame visited Cary’s Koka Booth Amphitheatre on September 28, 2009, as part of his solo tour and entertained a couple thousand of his closest friends for over two hours.  The weather was sometimes threatening but we mostly kept dry.

Backed by a top-notch band and a six-panel colorful and sometimes hypnotic projection screen, Thomas presented songs from his forthcoming album Cradlesong,  including the title track itself.  The only “oldies” he played were a self-accompanied acoustic guitar version of “Ever the Same,” an unplugged and Santana-less version of “Smooth,” and a no-holds-barred rendition of “Fire on the Mountain.”  As always, his lyrics and rhythm were tight and vigorous and his vocals were smooth, crisp, and very easy to listen to.

The opening bands were Carolina Liar and OneRepublic.

The lead Liar is Chad Wolf from South Carolina, and his five band mates are all from the south of Sweden, so they can rightfully claim they’re all Southern boys.  They opened with “California Bound”; other highlights were “Beautiful World” and “Show Me What I’m Looking For,” which recently went gold as a digital single.

OneRepublic’s front man, Ryan Tedder, displayed an incredible range; a few times he hit notes that I would guess only canines could hear.  Tedder is backed by four capable musicians, including cello and violin players.  A high point was “All the Right Moves,” the first single from their forthcoming album, Waking Up. OneRepublic also covered “Shout” from Tears for Fears.

Rob Thomas still has it, and he did a pretty darn good job of choosing openers.

Story by Phil Lowden, photo by Angie Lowden. Edited by Lindsey S. Chester.