A Matchbox Twenty fact sheet

The name Matchbox Twenty is how the popular band wishes to be known these days. Before this, there were times when it was matchbox twenty, Matchbox 20 or matchbox 20. Matchbox Twenty is how it is written on the cover of its latest album North.

Matchbox Twenty is a pop-rock band that was formed in Orlando, Florida in 1994. It is made up of lead songwriter and occasional solo artist Rob Thomas on piano and lead vocals; Paul Doucette on drums and rhythm guitar; Kyle Cook on lead guitar and backing vocals; and Brian Yale on bass guitar.

Matchbox Twenty was a huge success from the outset when its debut album Yourself Or Someone Like You in 1996 yielded several hit singles Long Day, Push, 3 am, Real World and Back 2 Good. It was declared a Diamond Record after sales of over 12 million copies.

The band also got a huge boost in popularity at this time when lead singer Thomas composed and performed the Latin-tinged song Smooth with the legendary guitarist Carlos Santana for the blockbuster album Supernatural. Smooth was named Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Collaboration with Vocals at the 1999 Grammy Awards.

Smooth was also named the Second Most Popular Song Ever in Billboard Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Popular Songs. In the No. 1 spot was Chubby Checker’s The Twist.

Thomas has since then once in a while taken time off from Matchbox Twenty to work on his solo career. He has recorded two also hugely successful solo albums. The first one in 2005 was Something To Be with singles like Lonely No More, This Is How A Heart Breaks, Ever The Same and Streetcorner Symphony. Cradlesong came along in 2009. It had songs like Her Diamonds, Cradlesong, Fire On A Mountain, Give Me The Meltdown, Real World 2009 and Someday.

Thomas and his wife, Marisol Maldonado are behind the Sidewalk Angels Foundation, which provides help for people who cannot afford medical treatment and for the care of abandoned and abused animals.

More successes came along for Matchbox Twenty after Yourself Or Someone Like You. The hits Rush, If You’re Gone and my favorite of all Matchbox Twenty songs Bent come from the four times Platinum album Mad Season. Disease, Unwell and Bright Lights from More Than You Think You Are. How Far We’ve Come and These Hard Times are the hit singles from the fourth CD, Exile On Mainstream, which is a greatest hits collection of 11 singles with six new songs as bonus tracks.

Matchbox Twenty has already sold over 30 million records worldwide.

North is the band’s fourth album and first studio album in nearly 10 years. It is made up of all new materials and it debuted at No. 1 when it was released in the US of A, a year ago. As usual, it is a solid piece of work with a 12-song line-up that is among Matchbox Twenty’s best.

North is mostly pop-rock with a variety of styles. The band goes from big arena sounds like Parade to sensitive acoustic ballads like I Will and English Town, to the huge dance powered Put Your Hands Up or the sexy rocker Like Sugar.

The first hit single release was the get your feet off the floor mover She’s So Mean, an uptempo, hook-filled piece with a pronounced beat in the tradition of Bent and Disease. But the song which I believe should be a big single is the sweet ballad Overjoyed.

Matchbox Twenty is performing at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Nov. 8. The show is produced by MMI Live. Tickets are priced at VIP P8,450; Patron P6,870; Lower Box P5,280; Upper Box P3,700; and General Admission P1,060. Tickets are available at SM ticket outlets and at SM tickets online.

This visit is part of the band’s Asian tour that includes shows at the Hong Kong Star Hall in Hong Kong; the Impact Exhibition Center in Bangkok; the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and the Blairsdell Concert Hall in Honolulu.

I believe this gig is still part of the band’s tour in support of North. So fans can expect songs from the latest album plus some of the early hits. What I do not know if is these guys will perform any of Rob’s solo outings, like Lonely No More. It would be nice if they do.

But even if they don’t, Matchbox Twenty has more than enough of its own hits to pack a show. The band is also famous for putting out fun and amazing concerts. So enjoy. It is Matchbox Twenty time. A good time should be had by all.