Ravinia 2019, Issue 1, Week 2

rough years of hitchhiking around Florida, looking for a place that would give him the home he desperately was searching for. He played in local cover bands and devoured the songwriting found within the catalogues of Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel and Elton John before someone finally took notice. In 1996, the crazy success of Matchbox Twenty’s debut al- bum Yourself or Someone Like You and its sting of hits—“Push,” “3AM,” “Real World,” and “Back 2 Good”—forever changed life as Thomas knew it. Three years later, the accomplished songwriter would tease a possible solo career by way of his col- laboration with Carlos Santana on the mega-smash “Smooth,” and finally, in 2005, he released …Something to Be , the first solo-debut disc by a male artist from a rock group ever to hit the ground running atop Billboard ’s charts. “For most songs, I can still remember what sparked the idea,” says the accomplished songwriter. “And now, for me and my wife and my family, these songs have turned into little dia- ries. Our entire life finds their way into the set list in some way. The songs serve as our own personal timeline.” They also play a special role in the timeline of his fans, who have stuck with him throughout the ups and downs of his career that still has him out on the road playing his distinctive music. This summer, Thomas will visit Ravinia on June 6 as part of his extensive North American Chip Tooth Tour with special guest Abby Anderson. With youth comes a promise, a feeling that you can stay young forever, a time when the possibilities of the future are sexy and beautiful. But then you have the people who make some bad decisions, and you realize that getting older isn’t afforded to everyone. “ 14 RAVINIA MAGAZINE | MAY 31, 2019 – JUNE 16, 2019