I was just about to post this: Yes, it appears they will be doing SDMHA on tour. Let's hope Jewel eventually learns the lyrics! LOL
Jewel, Thomas pop sets make for melodic evening
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Friday, June 2, 2006
PORTSMOUTH Rob Thomas, the unassuming frontman of Matchbox Twenty, and Jewel, the cooing folk-pop princess, have more in common than you might think.
Both share a similar demographic -- soccer moms. Both have penned notepads full of songs that wallow in heartbreak and sadness. And both have a penchant for writing songs that sound so much the same, you're pretty sure you heard them already when they're really being played for the first time that night.
Jewel, who hasn't toured extensively with a band in a couple of years, began her 70-minute set Wednesday as the sun inched down behind the lovely, intimate nTelos Pavilion.
Looking skinny in straight jeans, Jewel centered herself in front of an enchanted-forest backdrop as candles flickered around the stage, setting the mood for a smooth "Foolish Games."
Her angelic voice is better suited to ballads -- even if hers tend to blend into one muted watercolor painting. But we'll take bland over the shrill yelling that marred "Satellite," an otherwise catchy, guitar-driven selection from her new album, "Goodbye Alice in Wonderland."
Oddly, Jewel didn't talk much about her current work and performed only a couple of tracks from the disc. Instead, she dug into lesser-known cuts from albums past, including "Love Me, Just Leave Me Alone," which began with her speak-singing over a slide guitar, and the rootsy "Everybody Needs Someone Sometime," which would have made a dandy duet with Sheryl Crow.
The hits weren't neglected, either. She and her five-piece band imbued "Hands" with a new rock edge that only improved its dirge-like qualities. And the wistful "You Were Meant for Me" was played solo acoustic, as it should be.
Her first multi-format hit from 1996, "Who Will Save Your Soul," expanded into a seductive arrangement with some scatting, some saxophone, some pretty vocals and some attempts to reach a higher range that sounded more like a chatty porpoise.
Despite Jewel's occasional shrieking, the crowd of about 4,000 cheered her appreciatively, but clearly this was Thomas' spotlight. He got the glitzy light show, the seven-piece band and the five-panel LED screen reflecting multicolored squares of light and shapes.
Thomas isn't a dynamic stage presence, but he isn't expected to be. His boyish look -- ripped jeans and a shabby-cool black T-shirt -- complemented his persona as a serious songwriter.
And, by reinventing several of Matchbox Twenty's toothless pop-rockers into stylistic ballads, Thomas proved his commitment to artistry with an unplugged approach.
He rephrased "Bent" into an acoustic guitar tearjerker, played electric piano for an alt-country take on "3 a.m." and slowed "If You're Gone" to accentuate its melancholy lyrics.
But, since this tour is about his million-plus-selling solo album, "Something to Be," those already-ubiquitous radio hits weren't forgotten.
The crunchy "This Is How a Heart Breaks" opened his nearly two-hour set, while the power ballad "Ever the Same" ignited some crowd swaying, buoyed by his tender vocals.
Midway through Thomas' set, Jewel returned for a meaty duet of the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks gem "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."
Thomas' crackerjack band nailed the instrumentation, but watching Jewel stand there with a sheet of paper, reading the lyrics from one of classic rock's biggest songs -- one that every singer should know -- was, or at least should have been, an embarrassment to her.
Interestingly, the highlight of Thomas' set was another cover David Bowie's "Let's Dance," stuffed with crisp percussion and a fat groove from bassist Al Carty. Thomas even managed to achieve Bowie-ness on the "tremble like a flower" line, his voice deep, echoing and appropriately raspy.
At only 34, Thomas has achieved significant success with his band and solo career. Maybe he's just smart enough to know which role models to follow.
Contact staff writer Melissa Ruggieri at
[email protected] or (804) 649-6120.
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