Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas returns to Tucson sans his old band

He’s the headliner of the after-golf party on Sept. 28 of the Safeway Open, a three-day PGA tournament in Napa, California, that’s presented by Chevron.

But hey, we get him first as he brings his “Chipped Tooth Tour” to Tucson Music Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

The tour celebrates the release last April of Thomas’s latest solo album, a record that will remind you unapologetically of Matchbox Twenty. It’s impossible not to make the comparison. He writes for Matchbox Twenty and himself, so the music has shades of Thomas as the band leader and Thomas the solo dude.

And it’s the same voice, smooth with rough edges that wring a whisper out of a shouting match, that wraps you up and takes you back to the mid-1990s when Thomas and Matchbox Twenty expanded their reputation far beyond their Orlando, Florida, home base to pop radio stations around the country.

In addition to several cuts off “Chipped Tooth Smile,” expect Thomas to pull out some Matchbox Twenty gems including “Real World ‘09,” the ubiquitous “3 A.M.,” “If You’re Gone” and “Unwell.” And it’s a sure bet he’ll sing “Smooth,” the Santana song he co-wrote and sang with the legendary Latin rocker.

Thomas takes the stage at Tucson Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave., at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $38.50 to $58.50 through ticketmaster.com.