Rob Thomas: A Hard Day’s Night
Rock superstar dishes on touring with his son, marriage and Matchbox Twenty’s 30th anniversary plans
It was a picture perfect moment for Rob Thomas with his 27-year-old son Maison Thomas-Eudy by his side rocking the stage in Indianapolis, while his wife Marisol recorded the action from the pit.
“Mari captioning this moment of @maisonthomaseudy for the win”, the Matchbox Twenty frontman captioned the goofy video of Maison hamming it up for the lens during a cover of INXS’s “New Sensation.”
In the theme of Thomas’ latest single “Picture Perfect,” it’s one of many photo worthy memories the musician has created during The All Night Days Tour, from playing hometown crowds in New York and covering Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure,” with Tony-winning actress and singer Lena Hall, to spending downtime shooting hoops with Maison.
Such tour highlights may eclipse any longing for the past implied by lyrics like, “Old memories are calling, like sad sad songs,” however Thomas notes “Picture Perfect” is more about yearning for the childlike innocence of youth rather than specific memories.
“I don’t pine for the past,” Thomas tells us ahead of All Night Days releasing on 5 September. “People say, ‘If I could go back in time and know what I know now…’ but if I could go back in time, it would be with the caveat that I don’t know anything and would be blissfully unaware of things. When I sing, ‘Take me back,’ it’s about that naive sense we all have when we’re younger.”
The nostalgic track, co-written with album producer Gregg Wattenberg, sounds like it belongs in an ‘80s movie – which is probably why it’s Thomas’ bandmate and bestie Paul Doucette’s favorite All Night Days song.
“I still call Paul when I have questions about production or releasing things,” says Thomas. “He’s one of my best friends in the world, so he’s a sounding board even when I’m doing solo stuff.”
It’s not just personal input his Matchbox Twenty bandmates had on Thomas’ sixth solo record. Thanks to the Grammy winning “Smooth” singer having started songwriting for All Night Days when Matchbox Twenty decided to record 2023 album Where the Light Goes, three of his solo songs found their way onto the band’s album. Meanwhile, tracks the group worked on during the Matchbox sessions landed on All Night Days.
Those songs include “I Believe It” (written by Wattenberg, Doucette, Kyle Cook and Brian Yale), a spirited jam which gets the party started as the tour’s opener. Another hand me down from the group sessions was “No Good at Loving You,” an achingly stirring slow-tempo penned by Thomas with raw lyrics like “Seems like I’m never enough for you. I’ve given more than I thought that I should.”
Thomas explains: “It’s like, ‘This thing feels so fucked up right now. Maybe it’s just me — I’m just not good at what it requires to make you feel safe and happy.’”
Despite such lyrics, it’s fair to assume the musician must be somewhat decent at loving Marisol, given the couple have been married for 25 years.
“Am I good or is she just very patient?” Thomas laughs.
Regardless, the former model’s still the one and he honors their lasting love in enchanting ballad “Thrill Me,” which is so moving live that it recently soundtracked a mid-show proposal.
“I am so proud of that song,” he says. “I had that chorus in my head for a couple of months, then didn’t know how to approach it. Tim Lopez from Plain White T’s helped me crack the code. I love that bridge.”
“It’s a song about people who have been together for a really long time,” continues Thomas, adding the track shares a similar sentiment to Shania Twain’s “Still the One,” which he always loved. “This isn’t new love. With Mari and I, it was nice to have that moment to talk about the fact that her and I have been together for so very long.”
That longevity’s more impressive given the hurdles they’ve faced together, including Marisol’s health battles, which have seen her undergo brain surgery and fight tick-born illnesses like Lyme disease.
In a recent interview promoting All Night Days’ top 20 single “Hard to Be Happy,” Thomas hilariously rattled off a list of blood boiling grocery store gripes that make it hard to be happy. However, he tells us what pains him most is watching Marisol suffer.
“I’m in my mid-fifties, so there’s a lot of shit every day that makes it hard to be happy, but a lot of times it’s dealing with Mari’s health,” says Thomas, who stars in a flamboyant jazzercise themed music video for the song, directed by Neta Ben Ezra. “Trying to navigate that has been a hard thing.”
The couple have also been grappling with the April death of their adored fur baby Ollie. “You did everything we ever asked of you,” Thomas captioned a tribute to his beloved “little fuckeroo”. “You fought harder than anyone ever thought was possible. You are the BEST boy.”
Such lows no doubt make the special family moments found on the road more precious. On tour is where Thomas finds some of his greatest joy, with his musical director and keyboardist Matt Beck, guitarist and saxophone slayer Korel Tunador, drummer Abe Fogle, bassist Al Carty and now new guitarist Maison.
“Playing music with my band’s such a thrill that I still haven’t managed to take for granted,” he says of being back touring, with A Great Big World in support. “I’m still jazzed up by it every time. The Rt band is as good as it’s ever been. On their best night, they melt faces. It’s pure joy.”
Of course, Thomas is even more thrilled by his band after hiring Maison, who studied at Berklee College of Music, before moving to Los Angeles, where his band The Lucky is signed with Manic Kat Records.
Thomas, who has been co-parenting with Maison’s mother Kerry since his birth, previously shared how he would pick him up from Kerry’s Boston home and have to play bands like Jonas Brothers in the car. The Lucky’s Instagram profile even dubs them “Your new favorite boy band,” but don’t be fooled – the trio has raged and rocked their way through iconic rock venues like West Hollywood’s Viper Room.
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Having previously opened Matchbox Twenty’s Slow Dream Tour at Hollywood Bowl, the band are now opening a string of Thomas’ shows, including a recent stop in Denver where Thomas watched their set from the audience. “Look how cute he is when he sings!” the proud dad gushed as they performed songs like “Girl Next Door” and new single “818.”
The U.S. tour, which also celebrates the 20th anniversary of Thomas’ solo debut …Something to Be, will stop by Fontainebleau Las Vegas on album release day before concluding with a show at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles on 6 September.
Thomas will then head Down Under, kicking off an Australia run before heading to New Zealand to perform solo for the first time in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
It’s in Australia, during Matchbox Twenty’s Slow Dream Tour, that Thomas bonded on a whole new level with Maison, who he hired after his previous guitarist, Frank Romano, suggested Maison as his replacement. Maison had previously performed with Thomas at shows benefiting Sidewalk Angels Foundation, a non-profit he and Marisol started in 2003 to support no-kill animal shelters and animal rescues.
“It’s exciting to share this with him,” Thomas says. “It is weird that at the end of the day, I give him a hug and he goes onto the band bus and I go on my bus. But he and the band get along great. They’re a unit, which is what you want. You want them to have that camaraderie, but it’s weird when he’s out here and not with me!”
Thomas assures fans that amid his solo endeavors, Matchbox Twenty are cooking up plans for their 30th anniversary celebrations, which he anticipates will commence mid-2026, kick into higher gear later in the year then peak in 2027.
“I was on the phone with Paul last night for two hours, just bullshitting,” he says. “He was trying to figure out ways to start the Matchbox thing, but give my record room in case there’s something going on next year. He wants to make sure my album has as much room to grow as it wants.”
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