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Live Review: Rob Thomas at The Forum Melbourne
29 October 2025
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Under the glittering starry ceiling of The Forum, Rob Thomas returns for the first of three sold-out shows in Melbourne. It’s been a few years since he last graced Australian stages, and the crowd makes it clear just how much his presence has been missed. His ‘All Night Days’ tour brings with it a renewed energy with a blend of nostalgia, craftsmanship, and the easy charm of an artist completely at home in his element.
Thomas sets the tone early with ‘I Believe It’ and ‘Give Me The Meltdown’ full of confidence, upbeat, and undeniably polished. His stage presence is magnetic his sheer charisma commands the space.
“I get to come here every couple of years, on my own and I come here with the greatest pop/rock band in the world Matchbox 20. How about for the next two hours of our life we just celebrate life being human and listening to music here together. Melbourne, are you with us?” He shouts at the audience to encourage cheers.
The set flows effortlessly through a carefully balanced mix of material, leaning into both beloved hits newer offerings and some Matchbox 20 favourites. ‘Her Diamonds,’ ‘Picture Perfect’ and ‘Mockingbird’ arrives early with melodic hooks still as irresistible as when they first charted. The crowd is a cross-generational blend of long-time followers and newer fans, singing every word and their voices rising in unison as if rehearsed.
“I put on a record earlier this year called ‘All Night Days’. I was very excited because at my advanced age, it was the first time since, like, 2010 that I have a top 10 record,” he boasts. He continues to share the first single off it called ‘Hard To Be Happy,’ ironically about not being happy but being okay to not be okay.
Thomas’s voice remains remarkably intact — perhaps a touch more weathered at the edges, but richer for it. The lived-in tone gives his ballads greater emotional weight and there’s no need for embellishment as his voice carries every ounce of sentiment.
“As I get older, I have these moments at the beginning of any given evening where I think, that I can still party like a rock star. Technically, we can all rally up and party like a rock star anytime that we want to, but I just can’t recover like the rock star that I was 30 years ago,” he laughs. “I wrote a song about that very moment that you realise where your intentions and what you want to do might be limited by the physical,” he reveals before playing ‘Heaven Help Me.’
Midway through the night, Thomas strips things back for a stunning acoustic section where he makes a strong connection with the audience.
“I am the lead singer of the greatest pop rock band in the world. Just to give everybody a sense of how old this song is…this is my son, Mason on the guitar. And this song was written when he was born. Now, with all of us here in my age group – just do that sad math for a second,” he jokes before encouraging us to embrace the feeling and sing along to ‘If You’re Gone’ with him at the top of our voices.
He then takes a seat at the piano to slow things down with ‘Little Wonders,’ a song he explains is about just paying attention to all the little beautiful moments when they happen.
He shares a heartfelt personal and introspective memory about his beloved dog recognising the true nature of life and reality than we actually can – a moment he shared that he says he’d do anything to have back. “Life is not the thing that just happened. It’s not the thing that you’re waiting to happen. Life is the thing that’s happening right now. This moment right now, this is it and that’s pretty beautiful,” hey declares.
He stays at the piano for the next song as he takes us way back with a solo stripped-back rendition of the Matchbox 20 classic ‘3am’ with the addition of an epic saxophone solo to finish. We stay in Matchbox 20 for a bit longer with ‘Thrill’ as he performs solo under the spotlight for an emotional moment.
The second half of the set leans into groove and nostalgia. The band joins back in for ‘Streetcorner Symphony’ and ‘Lonely No More’ pulsing with funk-inflected energy, as fans clap along to its gospel-tinged rhythm. Thomas’s rapport with his audience is effortless — playful, witty, and sincere. He cracks jokes and frequently steps back from the mic to let the crowd take over the choruses.
The strobe lighting flickers across the stage for ‘I Am An Illusion.’ Thomas runs off stage for a breather as his band jams along before her returns for the encore.
‘All Night Days’ is at the top of a four-song encore which also includes a cover tribute to Aussie legends INXS with their iconic hit ‘New Sensation.’ The atmosphere is electric, and everyone joins him in dancing along.
“I believe, that right now, somewhere all over the world this song is played…in many places in Australia, there’s a band playing this song at a pool bar, or at somebody’s wedding. It gets played a lot. And I say this with all the humbleness that I can bring out. I do believe in my heart of heart that there are only two people that should ever perform this song and I’m one of them,” he exclaims before unleashing ‘Smooth’ complete with big electric guitar solos from his son Mason. Even after 25 years, that Santana collaboration remains the defining moment of any Rob Thomas show.
‘This Is How A Heart Breaks’ is the final song of the night that brings the show to a soaring close sung at full volume. Thomas pours energy into the final choruses, leaving a lasting impression of his enduring artistry that’s emotionally rich, effortlessly engaging and brimming with youthful energy.
Words by Michael Prebeg
