Singer Rob Thomas’ event at the Gibson Guitar Lounge started out on a hot note — a throng of girls waited in a small room without air conditioning before going upstairs to see him. Meanwhile, the Matchbox 20 singer tried to cool off from the 90-degree weather with a Corona on the outside patio. A huge billboard of fire advertising “G.I. Joe” loomed appropriately in the background.
But once things got started, Thomas quickly cooled things down. After making all the young fans wait a bit longer for a trip to the bathroom, Thomas’ acoustic set was cool and mellow, singing and playing three of his biggest hits.
Tommy McFly of Mix 107.3, which sponsored the event, also invoked “cool,” using the adjective to describe Thomas’ appearance. Thomas, who arrived from Baltimore and left afterwards for Pittsburgh, originally was slated to perform for some lucky fans last month, but had to cancel after getting sick. So Monday marked his “making good” of his promised show, a “cool” thing to do.
And we were even tricked for a minute into believing Thomas was coming off as being “too cool for school.” During a Q & A, Thomas said, “I’ve turned down the White House several times over the past eight years,” but his hearty laugh that followed made it clear he was only joking.
UPDATE: Before boarding his plane late Monday night at Reagan National, Thomas took some time out to grab dinner at … TGI Friday’s! He then sneaked outside to grab a couple cigarettes. (Hope he doesn’t damage those velvety pipes.)
Photo: Brandon Todd
