LIVE REVIEW: Rob Thomas provides us with a Little Wonder @ Kings Park

The last show of the Australian leg of Rob Thomas’ Chip Tooth tour took place on a Saturday evening in Kings Park, thanks to A Day on the Green. Anyone who has experienced a concert in Kings Park, no matter the artist, knows that this is the venue to bring out your picnic blanket, crack open a bottle of Chardonnay, and in this case, reminisce over the good old days where Matchbox Twenty were dominating the Billboard top 40 charts.

For those wracking their brains thinking ‘I know that name!’, Rob Thomas is the frontman of early 2000’s pop-rock band Matchbox Twenty and is also ‘that guy’ that wrote that song (‘Little Wonders’) for the criminally underrated Disney movie ‘Meet the Robinsons’.

The vibe of the evening was breezy and laid-back, the lineup having brought in a widely varied demographic. The entertainment was kicked off by local electronic lo-fi talent Jamilla, a vastly different genre to what was to come during the rest of the night, yet no less enjoyable because of it.

Coming off the back of Jamilla, Australian singer-songwriter Russell Morris took to the stage and began directing the night in a new direction. Through his Beach Boys related anecdotes, Thunderclap Newman cover of ‘Something in the Air’, and his overall level of crowd interaction, Morris provided a very engaging set. 

Another Australian favourite Pete Murray was next to reach the stage, hitting the audience hard with popular songs ‘Better Days’, and ‘Always a Winner’ – both of which received high levels of crowd engagement. Finishing off his set with hit song ‘Opportunity’ he had the crowd enthusiastically chanting along to ‘hold on now your exit’s here’ from start to finish.

Coming up to the start of Rob Thomas’s set, there was a moment of confusion in the crowd as Matchbox Twenty song ‘How Far We’ve Come’ played through the sound system, with the audience wondering if Thomas had entered the stage without anyone noticing. Straight after this false alarm, Thomas arrived on stage sporting an Aboriginal flag t-shirt, thanking the ancestors of the land. He then continued to kick off the set with the upbeat number ‘I Love It’ from his recent album ‘Chip Tooth Smile’.

Within the set, Thomas brought out major hits ‘Her Diamonds’ and ‘Lonely No More’, as well as several favourite Matchbox Twenty songs such as ‘If You’re Gone’ – a song about a girl he loved realising her error in dating a guy in a band, and ‘3AM’ – the first song he ever wrote that he liked. The audience was also excited to receive a groovy cover of David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’, and several songs from Thomas’ new album Chip Tooth Smile, with the standout being his performance of ‘Can’t Help Me Now’.

Throughout the night, he dedicated many songs to Pete Murray in an ongoing joke about how dreamy he finds the Aussie singer, at one stage bringing him up after a song for a hug and declaring that he hates to see him leave but loves to watch him walk away. The genuine connection between them really grounded the show, making it clear that the artists were genuinely excited to be performing together.

Later in the set, there were tears falling on picnic blankets all around as Thomas brought out the nostalgic piano ballad ‘Little Wonders’, and as the set was coming to a close, mobile phone lights across the park came out for an emotional rendition of ‘Ever the Same’. The encore brought the show from its mellow end back to an upbeat place, with a Matchbox Twenty cover of ‘Unwell’ and some great guitar riffs in Thomas’ famous collaboration ‘Smooth’ by Santana. Finally, the show was pulled to an end with a powerful and energetic performance of ‘This is How a Heart Breaks’.

Even though the general vibe of the A Day on the Green show was very relaxed, there was an energetic atmosphere throughout Kings Park, particularly at the front of the stage that made it nearly impossible for anyone to manage to stay seated in their chair.

Whether you turned out for the evening as a die-hard Rob Thomas fan, for a bit of Matchbox Twenty nostalgia, or simply to swoon over Pete Murray the way Thomas made no secret of doing, you would’ve been pleased to leave having experienced a heartfelt, well performed set and overall, a thoroughly enjoyable night out.