Ravinia 2019, Issue 1, Week 2

Rob Thomas first rocked Ravinia in a sellout three-night-stand with Matchbox Twenty in 2013 (below) before returning solo in 2015 (above), just as he and his wife, Marisol Maldonado, were hanging on a life-changing phone call. “There is just this thing that you find in cities like Los Angeles and New York and Chicago that you just can’t find anywhere else,” Thomas says. “I mean, Chicago is genuinely American, and the music that comes from there is genuinely American. You are going back to the well there. You are sacri- ficing to the gods of the past. [ Laughs. ] Chicago audiences are just the type of audiences you try really hard to impress.” Having played Ravinia both in his solo guise and with Matchbox Twenty, Thomas says he appreciates the unique nature of the venue. “It’s bigger than just the act that finds itself playing up there on the stage,” Thomas says. “And I’m constant- ly intrigued about what all of the people are doing that you can’t see from up there onstage.” Whether he can see them or not, he knows his fans have grown up alongside of him—have gotten married and had kids and have celebrated life’s treasures and mourned life’s disap- pointments in equal measure to the life he’s laid out in song. He treasures that connection. “One of the greatest things about being around this long is that I can still go out and play live and these fans make the conscious decision to spend part of their Saturday nights with me,” Thomas says. “In these songs are their loves and losses too, and that connects us forevermore. To an artist, that fact is such an amazing gift. It’s just such a gift.” So yes, growing old is a gift. And with Maldonado recov- ered, still at his side, Thomas relishes it. Together they work on the Sidewalk Angels Foundation, an organization that is “dedicated to providing critically needed funds and support to over 20 no-kill animal shelters and animal rescues across the country that help to fight for the rights and fair treatment of those with no voice.” And now Thomas is getting to see his son, Maison, begin to follow in his footsteps. “So many great things have already happened to me in my career and in my life,” Thomas says. “So many things have happened that still surprise me, quite frankly. I’m more about focusing on little goals right now rather than big, elaborate plans.” Nonetheless, he does have one big, elaborate plan in mind. You see, Thomas finds himself constantly writing new mu- sic, and some of that music just might find its way to drummer Paul Doucette, guitarist Kyle Cook, and bassist Brian Yale for Matchbox Twenty’s first project since their 2012 album, North . “I’m hoping in the near future to get back with Matchbox Twenty and put out a new song or two,” he hints. “I mean, I can’t see it being 2020 and not going out on tour with Match- box Twenty. It still feels good when we play together, that’s for sure. It still feels good to play and write music.” It all still feels good. Tricia Despres is a Chicago-area freelance entertainment writer whose work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times , Taste of Country , and a number of local, regional, and national publications. Follow her on Twitter at @CHIWriter. RUSSELL JENKINS/RAVINIA (BOTH) 16 RAVINIA MAGAZINE | MAY 31, 2019 – JUNE 16, 2019