Rob Thomas @ Seneca Events Center (Inside the Seneca Niagara Casino) Niagara Falls, NY July 25, 2010

Last Updated on Thursday, 12 August 2010 23:27 Written by Thom Jennings Wednesday, 28 July 2010 21:54

    In the mid 1990’s, Rob Thomas burst on the scene as the front man of Matchbox Twenty, a band that sold over fourteen million albums before the end of the millennium.  In addition to his role as front man, Thomas was the primary songwriter for the band, penning a slew of hits for Matchbox Twenty and as if that were not impressive enough, he co-wrote and sang the Grammy award winning song "Smooth"  from Carlos Santana's "Supernatural" album. In the last ten years, Rob Thomas continued his hit making ways in Matchbox Twenty and as a solo artist.
    Thomas came to the Seneca Niagara Event Center Saturday night, playing to a full house, as part of his "Sidewalk Angels Tour." Accompanied by Matt Beck and Frankie Romano, the show contained the best elements of “Storytellers” and “Unplugged.” Frankie Romano was on guitar all night, Rob Thomas and Matt Beck took turns on the grand piano, located stage left, as well as stints on the guitar.
    Rob stated the evening was going to “be about the song, about the song and about the song." The relatively intimate crowd hung on his every word as he joked and told stories that were often hilarious, but sometimes poignant.  In his intro to "Lonely No More" Thomas joked that up to that point in his career all his songs were about him being lonely or angry. He also told a hilarious story about showing up to parties with a Lionel Ritchie songbook under his arm so he could serenade the jock’s girlfriends after the jocks got drunk and passed out.
    Although many of Thomas's songs have been played in various forms over the years, his approach to each song was fresh and often times deviated significantly from the original versions. This was especially true for "Smooth" which was played slowly, giving the massive hit single an entirely different feel and evoking an alternate emotion than the original.
    Thomas is a proficient singer-songwriter, singing all of his lyrics with emotion. In addition, his choice of covers, Modern English's, "I'll Melt with You" and Jane's Addiction's "Jane Says" was daring, and both songs came off well as stripped down ballads.
    Thomas also told the crowd that Matchbox Twenty will return to the recording studio later this year, an announcement that was met with riotous applause. Nonetheless, after this excellent two- hour show, Thomas proved that he is just as good without his Matchbox Twenty band mates backing him.

Set List:

Mockingbird
When the Heartache Ends
Sleep 'Til War is Over
Ever the Same
Bent
Melt With You (Modern English Cover)
3 AM
Dizzy
Street Corner
Now Comes the Night
Lonely no More
Her Diamonds
Someday
Disease
You Won't be Mine
Jane Says (Jane's Addiction cover)
Smooth
Bright Lights
This is How a Heart Breaks

(no encores, as Rob told the crowd in an intimate setting it "didn’t make sense")

Photos by Backstageaxxess.com Correspondent Jay Ritz

We would like to thank Ilene Milkos and Tony Astran from the Seneca Niagara Casino for allowing Backstageaxxess.com to review it.