VH1 Storytellers - matchbox twenty

I have a friend who is a "professional" radio contest player.  She wins stuff all the time.  And if you've ever played a radio contest, then you know that you can usually only win once every 30 days or so.  So mine is one of many names she "plays" to win with.  In return for using my name to win stuff for her, she won tickets for me on WPLJ to see matchbox twenty record Storytellers for VH1. (She knows I'm a big fan! Thanks Gina!)

Anthony couldn't get the night off from work, so I brought my friend from work, Heather.  (She's a recent Rob Thomas fan - ever since he made a guest appearance at a Santana show. )  Anyway, we left the office early to drive into Manhattan on a Friday night.  We got the last parking space in the tiny garage and wandered into the lower level to the studio through a back entrance (it looked more like a loading dock). We were talking to some other people and I discovered that some of them are GDers (LuvinMB20, her husband and a friend - I forgot the friend's GD name!).  We got to chatting and sharing stories.  Finally we got our tickets and then they moved us outside to where a lot of other fans were gathered.  I met more GD folks outside (AlixTheGreat, Not_Rob_Thomas, The_goat, Nia and several others I can't recall.)  They kept us waiting outside for an hour or so before letting us in.

It was worth the wait, because they sat me, Heather, Alix, Christine, Jan and some others on the floor (literally - we sat on pillows) in front of the set area. The whole studio sat about 200 people.  Off to the side we saw Rashumba from VH1's Back-to-Back show.  The producer came out and told us "pillow people" the rules and said that they (the band) would be speaking to us.

Finally after lots of waiting around, the band came out.  Heather and I sat between Rob and Adam about 4 feet from them (awesome).  Rob did most of the talking although Adam piped up every now and then (His mic was turned off during the songs, I think, because his throat was bad - this was the day after they taped the Rosie O'Donnell show.)

I don't recall the order of the set list, but they played the following songs and here's what I recall of the stories behind them.  Keep in mind that these aren't really quotes, just my understanding of what Rob had to say.

Bent - Rob wrote this song after meeting his wife. The tune kept running through his head as he wandered around New York City.  He wondered who's song it was until it occurred to him it was theirs and it was a great song.  It's about two people that are each screwed up in their own way, but it's okay because they can work it out and be screwed up together.

Mad Season - This song is an introspective look at the success Rob and the band has achieved and how it's changed him (or not).  Although this song sounds like it's about two people, it's really a "conversation" he had with himself.  He typically writes about very personal things and then generalizes them so that listeners can take the songs and relate to them on their own personal levels.

Push - They actually played this song for us twice.  The first time, Rob introduced it by saying that many critics make silly statements about hearing the southern influences in their music.  Rod told us the reality is that he's the only member to grow up in the south. Kyle is from Indiana, Paul from Pennsylvania, Brian from Connecticut and Adam's from New York somewhere.  As a goof, they played a "country" version of Push that was just wonderful.  Unfortunately, some problem occurred with the tape and they needed to record it again.  

They chose to play the original version the second time. Rob told us they (the band) got a lot of heat for this song from women's rights groups because they thought it was about beating up women.  Rob told us it was actually about himself and being in an unhealthy relationship where he was the abused.

Crutch - This song was written about Rob's, BBrian's and Paul's former band mates as a "stick it to you" kind of thing.  Rob said that sometimes you grow to hate people and it sticks.  They played this with a jazz sound that was very nice, although I prefer the original.

If You're Gone - This song was a letter Rob wrote to his wife in the early stages of their relationship.  It was never intended to be a song on the record, but they liked it so much that they recorded it and released it as a single. 

Black and White People - Contrary to the title, this song is not about people of color, but of the different types of people we are on the inside. 

Rest Stop - Rob wrote this song about 10 years aago. It's a true story about himself and woman he spent time with briefly.  They were either going to or coming from Daytona and she literally kicked him out of the car in the middle of nowhere.

Lonely Weekends - This song is a remake that they receently recorded for a tribute record due out in the summer.  According to Rob, the closest he can tell is that the song was written about lonely weekends. (Very funny.)

You Won't Be Mine - I can't remember anything Rob said aabout this song. A mini orchestra joined the band and Adam made a funny comment about the audience playing along with the band (it did sort of look that way). They started to play and were interrupted since there was some sort of feedback.  A crew went "on stage" and fiddled with some stuff in the piano for a few minutes.

3 A.M. - This was the last song in the set annd all the band members left the studio expect Rob.  He stayed at the piano and told us that he wrote this song about the time in his youth that his mother was sick. It was a very rough time in his home (but his mom's okay now).  He originally wrote it with just him and the piano and that's how he wanted to play it for us. ( It was beautiful.)

Obviously, this event was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm really glad to have been part of something so special.  Luckily, the show will air in late spring or early summer so that every fan can share a least part of this great concert.

Any comments you'd like to make?