Abby Anderson sees good fit as opener for Rob Thomas
Abby Anderson has a tricky job. Today, she has to open for Rob Thomas at Hard Rock Live (8 p.m.; Universal CityWalk, 6500 Universal Blvd. in Orlando; $67.50-$125.50; hardrock.com).
It’s tricky for a couple reasons. Anderson has to contend with the fame of Thomas, whose 1999 song “Smooth” with Carlos Santana is still ranked by Billboard as the second most successful single of all time.
But on top of how famous Thomas is, Orlando is where he made a name for himself with his band Matchbox 20. So Anderson has to contend with that.
And Anderson is only 22, so she was just a child when most fans were developing an affinity for Thomas.
To top it all off, Texas-native Anderson is a country singer, and Thomas comes from the world of alternative rock.
But even with all that, Anderson says the matchup is a good fit. With songs like last year’s “Make Him Wait” and her new single “Good Lord,” she has been steadily climbing the charts.
She also has a song on the soundtrack for the movie “A Dog’s Journey.”
On the phone from the road, Anderson talked about her single, dogs and how the audience for Thomas has opened up to her.
Question: Tell us about your new single, “Good Lord.”
Answer: This is about my Georgia man. I’m just a 22-year-old girl, and I’m in love and apparently I want the world to know about it. I love me a good sappy breakup song, and we were working on a couple. And finally I turned to the guys and I said, “Josh [Kerr, her co-writer], I’m dating the most incredible man God ever made. I want to write a song about it.” And honestly to all the good men in the world because there’s a lot of them.
Q: You’re featured in the soundtrack for the movie “A Dog’s Journey.” Do you agree with the central conceit of
the movie that dogs are here to help humans through tough times?
A: I think God created all animals for a reason. I mean, absolutely. Dogs are used for therapy. They’re good to all of us humans and they take the stresses out of life.
Q: Have you talked with Rob Thomas about anything special for the hometown show?
A: I’ve been to Orlando a couple times, but I’m a big foodie, so I’m definitely going to have to get some recommendations on local restaurants to go to. I’m going to get the native perspective on it.
Q: You’re really active on social media, especially Instagram. What do you love about sharing yourself on those platforms?
A: It connects me to my listeners. Music is important, but I feel like, through social media, they’re my friends. I don’t feel like I’m giving up too much of myself. I mean, there have definitely been a couple of people who have gotten a little scary. But 98 percent of the time, my followers are great and very respectful.
Q: Have the audiences on this tour been responding to you even though you aren’t the headliner?
A: They are. I was so humbled after I played my set. I like to think I give it my all every night. Every night, I would go out to my merch table and just meet as many people as I can. I never expect people to give a crap about me. They don’t have to, you know. And I went out to my merch table opening night, and there must have been 150 to 200 people waiting to talk to me or take a picture with me.
I was so nervous that opening night because I wasn’t sure if rock people would like my music. But I’m learning very quickly that good music is good music: You either like it or you don’t, and genres don’t matter. You’ve got a job to put on the greatest set you can.