Rain no match for Matchbox Twenty
Ponchos were the hot accessory of the night at Taranaki’s Bowl of Brooklands on Saturday when Matchbox Twenty and The Goo Goo Dolls put on one hell of a show for the final stop of their tour.
The two American rock bands performed to a near sellout crowd, who persisted through the rain and danced the night away.
Matchbox Twenty front man Rob
Thomas even commended the crowd for their poncho use. “These guys are troopers.”
I admit I was naive at how big the two bands fan base was, so when I found out the concert was close to capacity I was shocked.
I was even more shocked to see that crowd willing to get drenched in the rain to see these guys.
But it was soon apparent just how far their music reached.
A group next to me knew the words to every song and were using the concert to try and decide which songs they would use at their wedding.
From the moment The Goo Goo Dolls came to the stage we were all on our feet and that’s how we stayed for the rest of the night. Sure, that was mostly because the ground was soaking wet from the consistent showers, but the music certainly helped too.
The iconic venue’s lake was a big point of conversation for both the bands with them referring to the “moat” frequently.
The Goo Goo Dolls lead singer John Rzeznik referenced the lifeguards on duty saying they thought it was the first show they had played where that had been needed. “I’m not sure if it’s here to protect us from you, or you from us,” Rzeznik said.
Seeing Iris, the band’s biggest single, live in the pouring rain is a memory I hope never to forget.
The band’s set was just an hour long before Matchbox Twenty came out.
Thomas is an incredible showman and managed to keep us in the palm of his hand.
His crowd work, given the lake separated him from them, was impeccable.
It was clear this was not his first rodeo. He told us it was unacceptable that in their 30 years of being a band they had never come to New Plymouth and told us to boo them, and so we did as we were told.
If I’m honest it was a long set, but when it came to the encore we all went wild for the bands biggest songs 3am, Unwell, and Push.