Concert Review: Matchbox Twenty Exile in America Tour At Sovereign Arena, Reading PA - Page 2

One thing's for sure: her songs of a woman's relationship discontent resonated soundly with the disproportionately female audience. I think it admirable that MB20 invited her to join their tour, but she didn't appeal to their audience. She had a following there though, sitting down front so she sang primarily to them.

Then finally MB20 came out to a resounding welcome from the audience. And we weren’t to be disappointed! The band is touring in support of their new album, Exile on Mainstream. In fact, they opened their show with a rousing rendition of "Let's See How Far We've Come," their latest hit single from that album.

From there, the concert moved into a shuffle of hit songs and new album cuts. Since the album is basically a greatest hits album with six new songs added, most of the concert gave fans what they wanted to hear — their favorites re-worked but remaining pretty much as they were the first time around.  In between filler material, people perpetually yelled out for staples like "3 a.m.," "Unwell," or "Push" (the last song of the evening.) And, to no one's surprise, as always the band didn't disappoint.

Highlights of the concert included the last song before the encore. "Bright Lights," opened with a solo blues riff from guitarist Kyle Cook, which moved into a momentous rock version of the hit song. But before they wrapped up, the band broke into the first couple of verses of the Beatles' "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" before circling back into the closing notes of "Bright Lights."

Another highlight was Rob taking a video camera from a woman in the front row & videoing the band for her, turning the camera on himself at one point and singing to it/her. Something I’m sure we will see on YouTube before long.

Finally, the most important thing to note is the band has kept everything they’ve always had going for them, like their rapport with their audience and their ability to do their songs from years back and never make them sound tired. But now, they’ve added a sweet glossing of professionalism that caps them off. I recommend to anyone, if you haven’t already, buy tickets and don’t miss this one.

Article Author: Ginger Haycox

I am an unwilling, nomadic soul looking for a place to put down permanent roots. I have lived in too many of these 50 states, as well as 3 Canadian provinces. So who am I? I admit I'm still learning. Suffice to say, I am different things to different people. …

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