Matchbox Twenty Takes Radio Sound to Arena

March 1 -- MINNEAPOLIS — Matchbox Twenty is unabashedly a radio band. They members of the band are enamored with a carefully crafted guitar sound, catchy choruses, and just the right amount of emotion on their records.

On the opening night of Matchbox Twenty's first arena-headlining tour, the quintet from Orlando, Fla., sounded as good as its recordings. But is that good enough to carry a 95-minute concert in front of 13,000 fans?

The show on Tuesday at sold-out Target Center was as no-frills as the band members' plain outfits. If their concession to fashion was singer Rob Thomas' stretch blue jeans (worn with a black long-sleeve T-shirt and black cowboy boots) and bassist Brian Yale's shiny jeans, the concession to cool in the staging was lots of floating light rigs, which descended and ascended from one song to the next — and even during songs. (Artful slides also were displayed from time to time on a giant screen behind the stage.)

What elevated the performance above the ordinary was Thomas, who showed presence, passion, and plain old star power. He sang like he believed the emotions of his songs. He danced like a fan of the music (even if they were his own songs). And his face, hands, and body were animated and excited, suggesting both Joe Cocker and Bruce Springsteen, without being quite like either one of them.

The rest of the Matchbox Twenty guys pretty much stared at their shoes, except for bassist Yale, who bounced around like a happy punk rocker playing for the first time on a mammoth arena stage. A three-piece horn section joined in for a handful of selections. Matchbox played nearly all the songs from its two best-selling discs, Yourself or Someone Like You and Mad Season by Matchbox Twenty, as well as a taste of The Rolling Stones' "Bitch" mixed in with the encore of "Black & White People." The set slowed a bit in the middle when the band could have used a hit instead of two derivative-sounding songs: "You Won't Be Mine" sounds too much like Elton John, and "Rest Stop" could be a Don Henley song.