There was a storm when Matchbox 20 stopped in town and played to a sold-out crowd at Saltair.
While it was snowing and blowing outside, the storm was actually inside the pavilion. Dynamic emotions were ripping through the audience, and there was a lot of action on stage as well as in the pit.The band - vocalist Rob Thomas, lead guitarist Kyle Cook, rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Adam Garner, bassist Brian Yale and drummer Paul Doucette - gave fans what they wanted.
The music was nothing more than tight, grooving pop rock, a cross between Hootie & the Blowfish and Gin Blossoms. While in another context those ingredients might have been a lesson in mediocrity, the way Matchbox 20 presented itself was fun, upbeat and personable.
Although it was hard to hear Thomas' soliloquies - he simply spoke too fast at times for the audience to hear what he was saying - his singing was right where it needed to be in the mix.
Cook's leads were not complex but highlighted the songs and kept the feelings going. The Yale and Doucette rhythm combination turned it out when the dynamics called for it and slowed things down for effect. Then there was Garner, who kept the power-chords ringing when he wasn't touching up the songs with subtle keyboard inserts.
Some of the songs the band played during the brief 90-minute set included "Girl Like That," "Real World" and "Shame."
The audience, which was comprised mostly of high school kids - although there were 30-something parents with their pre-teen kids and college students also in attendance - sang, bounced and grooved along to the selections.
But the biggest cheer came when the band slipped into its melodramatic hit, "3 A.M." and the trademark hit "Push."
And there was also the power of "Damn" and "Hang" to keep the evening interesting. Even the encore was nice, thanks to an acoustic version of Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time."
Matchbox 20 is one of those bands that has the potential to keep itself going for a few years.
It would be easy to write off Matchbox 20 as a Hootie-bandwagon-jumper, but there were some nice moments during the show that gave a sense of originality to the band.
Thomas, as quick-spoken as he is, was a great emcee, leading the audience to the threshold of the various songs and opening the door when the audience needed to take a break.
Cool for August opened the show with a blend of blues, rock and Americana. The biggest cheer came when the band played a cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car."