Watch Rob Thomas’ Son Nail the Guitar Riff on ‘Smooth’

Iconic ’90s rocker Rob Thomas clearly passed his musical genes down to his son, Maison Thomas.

Maison, 27, took the stage with his famous father during the Nashville stop on Rob’s All Night Days tour, and the video of his performance quickly went viral.

“When Rob Thomas’ son plays guitar on Smooth and you realize he’s been hearing it for 26 of his 27 years of life,” one fan wrote over video shared via TikTok. “So talented, and so fun to watch father & son together!” the user captioned her post.

Fans flooded the comments with praise for the famous offspring.

“Love it! They even move the same,” one fan wrote. “Wow, Rob’s twin,” another wrote, while a third added, “Oh wow!! I thought it was Rob!! They are twins.”

Another video from the father-son’s Nashville performance included clips from each son that Maison riffed on.

“I’ve always been a big Rob / Matchbox fan, but watching his pride and joy in having his son, Maison, up there with him was an aspect I didn’t know I needed!” the caption read.

Rob has been the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty since the group’s formation in 1995. However, in 1999, he penned the smash hit “Smooth” for Carlos Santana’s comeback album. The single spent more than a year on the Billboard chart and took home three Grammy Awards.

“[Smooth] really opened up the door for me as a songwriter and a solo artist. I don’t know that I would’ve been able to have the success I’ve had with the solo album had I not done ‘Smooth,'” he told Entertainment Weekly in 2015. “It’s hard when you’re just “the guy from Matchbox Twenty.” I’m really, really thankful for that whole period.”

The Nashville performance isn’t the first time Rob and Maison have collaborated musically, however. Maison was credited as a songwriter on his father’s 2019 hit “I Love It.”

Watch Rob Thomas’ Son Nail the Guitar Riff on ‘Smooth’ first appeared on Men’s Journal on Aug 11, 2025