matchbox twenty DVD lacks band interaction

Great music isn't enough for a DVD concert.
By CHELSEA J. CARTER
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Atlanta audience is obviously enjoying itself as thousands of people sing along with lead singer Rob Thomas in the new two-disc concert DVD, "Show: A Night in the Life of matchbox twenty."
But if you're sitting on your couch watching this concert DVD, there is something missing.
It's not the music, which sounds great. It's not even the stage production, which looks good with its flashing lights.
What's missing is the most basic of concert experiences, the thing that makes a DVD concert experience fun -- the band's interaction with one another and the audience.
Thomas introduces the band after its opening number, "Cold," and tells the audience to leave all their problems at the door. For the next few hours, he tells the audience, it's about sing-alongs, dancing and having a good time.
Then the band launches into its show, and that's the real problem. matchbox twenty rips through great versions of "Real World," "Disease," "3 a.m." and "Mad Season."
Viewers get an up-close look at each member of the band, which is nice considering most of the attention heaped on the band typically centers on Thomas.
Personal side
But matchbox twenty misses the chance to let the audience -- and the DVD viewer -- see anything personal, including their reputation as a nice-guy band with a sense of humor. It's about the music, and that's not enough for a DVD concert.
Viewers do get a taste of the band on a personal level on the DVD's second disc, which includes a documentary about the band on tour. There are few stereotypical rock star excesses, such as booze, drugs or women -- their wives are even there.
In fact, Thomas and the band ride scooters in the concert venue, joke about being rock stars and generally seem to enjoy themselves and the experience.
But even the documentary leaves a viewer wanting more.
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