There are moments in a Rock band’s career where the buzz is so loud, it reaches far and wide. It is a time when you can go out in public and hear many others talking about them, or walk into a record store and hear the staff clamoring as well. It can be from anticipation of a debut album following a hot lead single, or in some cases, curiosity about what will follow after an enormous first album, like in the case of Matchbox Twenty.
Formed in 1995, Matchbox Twenty (then known as Matchbox 20) signed a record deal with Atlantic Records and released its debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in 1996. Initially slow to start, big hits like “Push” and “3 A.M.” picked up the pace, and by 1997 and into 1998, Matchbox Twenty were among the most popular Alternative Rock bands. With patience paying off, while Yourself or Someone Like You failed to even chart in 1996, it reached platinum status by November 1997 and reached number 5 on the Billboard 200 that same year.
An album that stood out on the Alternative Rock scene, it was neither too heavy nor too light, connected with many, and you would be hard-pressed not to find one high school or college kid without it constantly playing in their CD player into the new millennium. This leads us to that ‘plausible moment’ for Matchbox Twenty, which arrived in 2000 with the release of their sophomore album, Mad Season. An album that the band (Rob Thomas, Kyle Cook, Adam Gaynor, Brian Yale, and Paul Doucette) could have played it safe and followed the same format as Yourself or Someone Like You; instead, they pushed the envelope and broadened their sound into something a bit different.
Still Alternative Rock, they expanded their musical sensibility by adding orchestral and horn sections, making for a more Pop-oriented record. Something that might have taken some fans by surprise at the time, they embraced the experimental nature of Matchbox Twenty and helped Mad Season reach number 3 on the Billboard 200, on its way to four times platinum status by the fall of 2001. A success led by big singles such as “Bent” and “If You’re Gone,” the time spent touring in support of Mad Season also gave it an extra push.
A tour that began in late 2000 and extended through to 2001, over nearly two years, Matchbox Twenty played everywhere (including a 2001 European tour supporting Bon Jovi) to massive audiences. With several legs on this touring cycle, in 2001, there was a list of lasting memories made while touring the United States. A time Matchbox Twenty and their fans will never forget, now in 2025, these 2001 live moments are put together as a full-length live album.
What is considered Matchbox Twenty’s first-ever full-length live album? In 2003, they put out the essentially live EP (called EP), but no official live audio albums after this. Rather interesting: the 2025 release, called Live 2001 (or Mad Season Live 2001), assembles various recordings from shows across the USA on the Mad Season Tour of 2001. Very much a near-complete live render of the entire Mad Season album (including 12 of its songs), the recordings are put together in the perfect order, with standout moments including “Crutch,” “Bent,” “Last Beautiful Girl,” “If You’re Gone,” and the title track. Just some highlights, there are also two special covers of The Black Crowes’ “Remedy” and John Lennon’s “Watching the Wheels,” adding to the uniqueness of this release.
Made available on vinyl as a Black Friday Record Store Day 2025 Exclusive, it can be had on November 28, 2025, but only 3,500 copies are available. Something you will want to act fast on, the pressing is to a warm Flavors Truffle color on two LPs with great dust covers, featuring photos of the band and credits. Overall, it is a fantastic-sounding live album from Matchbox Twenty, long overdue, which is why Cryptic Rock gives Mad Season Live 2001 5 out of 5 stars.
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