Behind the scenes with Matchbox Twenty
THE FL rockers' Australian turn has been a resounding success. But how did it happen? What goes on backstage, in the fertilization rooms and corridors the fans never get to see?
Rob Seth Thomas is drenched in sudor. ‘‘That was goodness,'' he says, grinning in the direction of guitar player Saint Paul Doucette. Bassist Brian Elihu Yale runs up the stairs behindhand his singer. ‘‘I couldn't stop laughing,'' Yale tells tour keyboardist/guitarist Jeff Russo.
Pictures: To a greater extent exclusive snaps backstage in Melbourne with Matchbox TwentyThe bay fills with steam from the hexad sweaty rockers who've simply waved bye-bye to their fans, and gathered round a small trolley car of essentials -- cigarettes, beer, Powerade, tea, tissues, chewy, a change of Tee shirt -- to rev themselves up for the encore. ‘‘Deuce to a greater extent shows,'' says guitar player Kyle Ready -- that's how long it should hold before the band gets 1 pesky song right. ‘‘I stuffed up on that 1,'' drummer Ryan MacMillan shakes his head. Radios crepitate. It's encore meter. ‘‘Better Be Home Soon so Bear on, right?'' asks Doucette, heading back towards the stage. The low show of Matchbox Twenty's Australian hitch has been a resounding success. But how did it chance? What goes on backstage, in the dressing rooms and corridors the fans never draw to view? IT'S 3.30pm on present twenty-four hour period when Matchbox Twenty dollar bill come at Rod Laver Sphere. Doucette goes heterosexual person to the main arena, directing the techs as they essay to get quaternity giant star video screens workings. His bandmates conjoin him to soundcheck in front man of an eerily empty scene of action. Cook begins busting out a riff from INXS's Want You Tonight. Then a bit of Hells Bells. Doubting Thomas tries his best Bon Scott voice. Not a goodness theme. At least Matchbox acknowledge which country they're in. The striation run through bits of their hits as techs put ears to speakers. Saint Thomas checks his Blackberry 'tween every sung, and jokes just about the ‘‘depressing turnout''. He sits at the forte-piano. ‘‘I like my volume a little lour, 'cos it makes me play harder,'' he says. Spell wholly of this happens, 13 lucky fans get congregated in the bowels of the Bowl, clutching T-shirts, Expatriation on Mainstream CD covers and inflatable gifts. They'll shortly acquire to encounter the band, world Health Organization like their contact and greets just so: quick picture with from each one bunch of fans, followed by 20-30 minutes of freeform chatting. Fan golf club members Dee, Christine and Kate are glad the elbow room is full of ‘‘real fans''. They've been on board since Long Day, Christine says. She greets Doucette with a breathless: ‘‘We're so glad you're back!'' ‘‘We're gladiolus to be back,'' he replies. Trey hours until stage time. In the US, the band have gymnasium equipment and air hockey set up backstage. No such toys for the boys Knock down Under. Cook is in the dressing room, glued to his MacBook. ‘‘We had a treadmill in the States, so sometimes I'll hit that,'' he says of his pre-show turn. ‘‘Simply no real rituals. It's boring.'' Lavatory anything come about backstage that affects what happens on stage? ‘‘Uh, alcohol,'' Fix says with a laughter. ‘‘Sometimes when you've got crime syndicate . . . just knowing Mum's out in the interview makes me nervous. That throne affect the resultant of the demo if you've got Mum run around, and Nan and Grandfather, you've gotta make sure everybody's got their seating area.'' There ar incessantly friends backstage at shows in the US. In Melbourne, it's a touch town. Even the WAGS (wives and girlfriends) induce taken tonight away. ‘‘It is truly tranquillity indorse here in Australia. Goodness thing we're non bingle any more, it wouldn't be so quiet,'' Cook says, laughing. It appears we've turned up a decade too tardily. If we were backstage at a Matchbox gig in, say, 1999? ‘‘Finish orgy,'' Prepare says. ‘‘It was a little weirdo. At that place was a circle of partying sledding on 10 long time ago. Just no Marilyn Manson sulfur, simply your usual girls, drinks, entirely that.'' These years, it's more about spelling than spilling beer. Cook is updating his MySpace thomas Nelson Page. ‘‘How do you spell appalled? Is it two p's or i p?'' Dylan Marlais Thomas enters, picks up his have MacBook and starts typewriting. He's not updating his MySpace. ‘‘MySpace, Facebook, completely that clobber, it's a rage,'' he declares. ‘‘If you're 35 and you don't experience a stripe, simply you make a MySpace account, you need more friends in your aliveness.'' ‘‘What if you're a i girl?'' Cook asks. ‘‘If you're a grown womanhood and you meet a grown man that has a MySpace business relationship, you shouldn't marry the guy,'' Thomas replies. ‘‘Your future's credibly bleak.'' As stage metre draws closer, Thomas begins to warm up up his song chords, Cook and Doucette grab much-needed trims from an in-house stylist, and the ever-casual Yale puffs on another fag. Ten-spot minutes to go. Matchbox XX begin the walk to the stage. A crowd together of 11,000 people sit only if a stairwell and a mantle away. ‘‘Where's Kyle?'' The other band members are already in place when the guitarist jogs toss off the corridor. He's light-emitting diode out to a stepladder, hidden behindhand a verbalizer stack at stage right. Doucette is doing the lapp at stage left -- he ascends, starts battering out the drum to How Far We've Come. Cook climbs, is handed his guitar, and launches into the riff. Elihu Yale begins bounce on his bass. Lowell Jackson Thomas approaches the mic . . . it's show time. Matchbox XX return for a final Rod Laver Orbit show on Apr 24. Word of God at Ticketek. Expatriate on Mainstream (Warner) come out now.
