Late last month, Rob Thomas surprised fans during a show in Adelaide when he brought out fellow US singer Teddy Swims on stage. The Matchbox Twenty frontman has now revealed how the two artists planned the shock duet.
While appearing on the latest episode of the Rolling Stone Uncut podcast, Thomas revealed that he met Swims, who was also in the midst of his own Australian headline tour, at an Adelaide bar on a Sunday evening. Thomas was scheduled to play the AEC Theatre on Monday, while Swims was locked in to perform at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre the same night.
“[Swims] was like, ‘Oh, man, I’m so bummed you’re playing [at the same time],'” Thomas said.
After chatting, they discovered that both were due on stage around 9pm. However, Swims’ show would wrap up 15 minutes or so before Thomas’.
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“He’s like, ‘You know, I could run off my stage as soon as I’m done, and I’ll come around…. I’ll talk less, and I’ll run over. I’ll get there in time.’
“I was surprised he wanted to do ‘Unwell’. I usually throw ‘Smooth’ out there ’cause I figure if you know me, you probably know ‘Smooth’. But it turns out he was, like, a huge fan of ‘Unwell’.
“He came out in his Rob Thomas T-shirt. It was a blast. I mean, that voice is all-time. It was weird because you’re two guys from the south of America and you’re playing right next to each other. Like, it would just be silly not to do something.”
Later in the episode, Thomas spoke about being humbled by younger artists who cite him and Matchbox Twenty as inspirations.
“It is the coolest thing ever,” he said.
“I’m not competing with 20-year-olds. I don’t have the stamina, I don’t have the energy. It’s their turn now.
“The other day, someone was saying there was a TV show, and that Sabrina Carpenter wanted to do something with me because she was a giant fan. And you’re just like, that is the coolest thing ever. You realize that’s the nostalgia factor, you know? We’re the band that’s been around that all these other bands grew up with and knew that music. That’s a very cool thing.
Watch or listen to the full podcast below.
