Matchbox Twenty + not the Wallflowers @ Hollywood Bowl 2023-05-22 (updated with tracked M20)

Date night again and this time she picked out the band and also the seats, which had both good sight and sound.

I remember buying The Cure tickets a few weeks ago in a ticket drop with a mostly dormant Ticketmaster account and looked inside to see if there are any suspect orders that could lead to order cancelation and all that was left was are gobs of Matchbox Twenty tickets I bought and sold or refunded in 2020. I just assumed this was a new tour.

Way back whenever I said we could probably go there were 2 area shows making this kind of half ass commitment a little easier. And I never bought tickets.

When LiveNation had the $25 sale she said are you getting tickets now? Look at the Ticketmaster map, and had someone with a ticket counter look at VividSeats and come back with more than 3,000. Nope, still too much.

To be perfectly honest I know they had some big hits back in the day but in that day I was already so deep into taping, tape trading and I was still buying CD's like crazy so all the late 1990's pop bands are just names to me and I don't know any songs.

I just assume the tickets will bottom out at $6, the lowest price Stubhub, who I avoid both buying and selling on if at all possible, will allow a ticket to be sold for. But I lost my mojo years ago and they are hovering between $12-15 day of, and then down to $11 closer to showtime. Hit people up on the walk. You got an extra ticket? Any solo female, yeah you got an extra, just don't want to admit it. Sometimes I would say stood up again and might have got one positive reaction while most started walking a little faster.

Even approached a large group and asked someone to do a head count and I will take any leftovers. Soon another large group approached me and started negotiations at ... I have no idea because it wasn't that kind of night. Showed her Vividseats on my phone and she said they are yours for $22.

Once we got in and going nowhere near our seats in the XYZ's, I was hoping to find some garden boxes as there were at least a dozen still on the map. I told the usher we got a box in there. Her ex-husband is in one and if he sees me coming, he will run. But the date was happy in some unsold benches to the far right under the screen. Few people there. When Rob thanked us later for waiting so long I thought perhaps all the empty seats were Covid deaths.

The opener hits the stage and I start clowning him thinking it's The Wallflowers. Then he says his name is Matt Nathanson and starts relentlessly clowning The Wallflowers the rest of night before throwing in a bit of Pictures Of You and informing us he will be hiding backstage for The Cure the next night. I really can't even remember the music but he entertained us for 45 minutes and hopefully will someday do it again. Even if the music didn't really stand out as much as his personality.

Matchbox Twenty hits the stage with what sounds like canned backing vocals and drum triggers. My date knows the songs and I am sure I might have recognized a few I must have heard in the supermarket. But they were tight and knew how to give the crowd what it thinks it wanted. Absolute picture perfect renditions of some of the songs I heard in her car thinking they were the Foo Fighters or Green Day, the only other 2 bands she listens to.

In the most ostentatious display of wealth since I saw Flavor Flav sporting a gold plated clock, the drummer wore a mint condition David Bowie Glass Spider shirt. That logo was all over the screen, bigger than anything Matchbox Twenty!

Is Rob Thomas a big cokehead or were those his contact lenses?

The show wraps up and everybody still alive 3 1/2 years later look reasonably happy in spite of the long slog trying to get out before The Cure fans try to get in.

But on the screen I saw an ad for DiscLive recording of tonight's show! Both a little excited and a little disappointed. Like why did I hassle recording it, then. No one will listen to it now. She tried to cheer me up and said they will listen anyway. Come on, these aren't Deadheads.

I could never find the booth, and even found someone else looking. No one at merch or any Hollywood Bowl employee knew anything at all. Possibly the one time in my life I had another $25 to spend on Matchbox Twenty and no one would take it. Eventually security told me if I can't find it, it's not for sale and GTFO. I left somewhat dejected but told myself if they won't take the money then I am perfectly justified finding it by other means, and of course, not paying.

Turns out it's not for sale on the site either. I know they have rules with the orchestra intact but didn't realize it might affect any commercial recording in the venue. I wrote DiscLive to be sure but still awaiting a reply. But all you Matchbox Twenty fans are my peeps and the ones who wanted the Hollywood Bowl show will not be let down.

Someone want to track out and Dime/G101 this and leave the tail end intact?

I am now just assuming there is no DiscLive for this, making it really the only acceptable Matchbox Twenty audience recording this tour. Unfortunately being date night you can hear me trying really hard to not get laid and I will let you guess how successful I was in that endeavor.



MATCHBOX TWENTY @ HOLLYWOOD BOWL  2023-05-22 (raw wav with mics)  https://we.tl/t-yMOFeJNa6S
MATT NATHANSON @ HOLLYWOOD BOWL  2023-05-22 (raw wav with internals) https://we.tl/t-RX3FsRr4rp

MATCHBOX TWENTY
HOLLYWOOD, CA @ HOLLYWOOD BOWL
2023-05-22

SP-CMC-4U -> A10 -> Soundforge -> FLAC

01. Friends
02. How Far We've Come
03. Real World
04. -intro-
05. Disease
06. Wild Dogs (Running In A Slow Dream)
07. She's So Mean
08. All I Need
09. Queens Of New York City
10. Hand Me Down
11. If You're Gone
12. Mad Season
13. Don't Get Me Wrong
14. These Hard Times
15. The Way
16. Parade
17. Bent
18. Back 2 Good
19. Long Day
20. Rebels
21. 3 A.M.
22. Unwell
23. Push
24. Bright Lights

https://we.tl/t-44pwkBUV8J

Confirmed there will be no Hollywood Bowl release due to high fees they require.

Here is the tracked and FLAC'd version. Will eventually work on Matt Nathanson.