Cape draws matchbox twenty's number

Matchbox twenty, a rock 'n' roll band that has had numerous No. 1 hits, will headline a concert Dec. 7 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau.

Signing the band, long sought-after for a concert here, signals a change in the concert business that could bring many more well-known acts to the Show Me Center, manager David Ross said.

"This is a big one for us, as big a name as we've had since Toby Keith," Ross said. Keith sold out the Show Me Center last March. It has been years since the Show Me Center presented a top-level rock 'n' roll act.

Opening for matchbox twenty will be the critically acclaimed band Fountains of Wayne. Tickets for the show are $35. A discount is available for Southeast students.

Matchbox twenty's single "Unwell" is No. 7 on Billboard's Top 40 chart, and the band's newest single, "Bright Lights," is headed up. The band's current CD is "More Than You Think You Are."

Matchbox twenty's audience ranges from high school age to mid-30s and up. The band broadened its appeal considerably in 1999 when lead singer Rob Thomas, who has a powerful voice, released the hit "Smooth" with rock guitar legend Carlos Santana. Other matchbox twenty hits include "Push," "3AM," "Real World" "Back 2 Good," "If You're Gone," "Mad Season" and "Bent."

'High-energy show'

The band has five songs in the rotation played by Cape Girardeau adult contemporary station Kiss 93.9 FM. Whitney Thomas, operations director for Zimmer Radio, has been impressed by matchbook twenty shows in St. Louis and Carbondale, Ill.

Many bands can't duplicate in concert what they can put on CD. Matchbook twenty can, Thomas said.

"They sound just like they do on the radio ... . They put on a high-energy show."

She predicts tickets will sell well.

Fountains of Wayne's current single, "Stacy's Mom," isn't on the station's playlist. It's a tune about being in love with your girlfriend's mother. The video stars Rachel Hunter, the ex-Mrs. Rod Stewart.

The New York band is known for its witty, three-minute odes to suburban pathos.

Ross said matchbox twenty nearly eluded the Show Me Center again because the venue couldn't offer the money the band wanted. "But we stayed in the hunt," Ross said. "And when it came down to it, they had a hole in their schedule. They came back to us and said, 'Can you up it a little bit?' We are very fortunate to get the date."

After years of being bypassed by "name" rock artists, the Show Me Center has booked the popular band Nickelback Oct. 25 and now matchbox twenty. Ross says the concert business appears to be changing.

"The last touring season they played all the major markets and had an up-and-down year. A light bulb went on, and they decided, 'Let's go back to the secondary markets,'" Ross said.

"All of a sudden we're busy again. We have a full schedule this fall and a lot of interest this spring."

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182