Our Generation's Rolling Stones

This past Saturday (or was it technically Sunday morning) a group of us got into a discussion of the lack of long-sustaining bands in today's industry and one of my friends bemoaned that today's musicians will not last twenty, thirty or forty years like bands of the olden days. He brought up The Rolling Stones for an example and how they have been at it for over 40 years and how Panic! At the Disco prolly won't make it past spring. That is why we are subjected to such crap at the Super Bowl in Tom Petty because 10 years from now we can say, "Oh yeah Tom Petty played!" opposed to "FallOut Boy? Who was that?"
After trying to figure out who our generation's long sustaining band was, he chose U2, as they have been together for a while, but I thought they were just a bit older than me, but U2 is a good argument. u2 might be for the Generation X folks, but I am Generation Y or whatever follows X. I thought Dave Matthews Band, but he has kind of fallen a bit. When he started, he REDEFINED music as we all knew it. He spawned so many knockoffs(Pat McGee, John Mayer, Hootie & the Blowfish). He made college music cool to all ages. And the key is, like U2, he keeps reinventing himself. But I think maybe he has painted himself into a corner. I haven't really liked any of his new stuff in quite a while, in fact Grace is Gone is REALLY an old song, he just finally released it on an album. Same with Bartender.
Then I found the 90-2030 version of the Rolling Stones.....Matchbox Twenty. Don't laugh. Both have been VERY solid in their first ten years, and if we give MB20 the chance, they may just go 30 or 40 years and become the Stones part 2.
Matchbox Twenty started in 1996 and released Yourself or Someone like you in 1997 and it had 5 top 10 hits. The album sold 12M copies in the US alone and earned Diamond status (12X platinum is diamond). Long Day reached #8, Push #1, 3AM #1, Real World #3, Back 2 Good #4. All top40 hits, all good and the album reached #5 in the US. (In comparison, the Stones' first album to reach #1 in the US was in 1965, 3 years after they started and came to the US)
Then Rob Thomas picked up 3 Grammys for his work with Santana on Smooth for writing, Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
The Band followed up Yourself with Mad Season, which peaked at #3 and went 4x platinum. Bent and If You're Gone both reached #1 with Angry at #5 and Mad Season and Last Beautiful Girl at #20.
More than you think you are came out in 2002 and peaked at #6 with 2X platinum. The songs included Disease #4, Unwell #1 and Bright Lights #2. After this album, the band was touring and Rob Thomas decided to release an album of his own to play while the band toured, and some of the band played backup on the tracks.
His album went to #1 on the US Billboard chart IN ITS FIRST WEEK. Songs included Lonely No More, This is how a heart breaks, Streetcorner Symphony (both of which the NBA used for it NBA basketball promos) and Ever The Same. He also released Little Wonders for a Disney movie. Needless to say his solo career could have really gone on to something special but he chose to go back to the band. (Meanwhile when Mick Jagger released his 4 CD, they topped out at #13 in 1985 (The Boss) #41 in 1987 (Primitive Cool) one only released in the UK then another one in the late 1990s (Goddess in the Doorway) that was killed by critics. He went back to the band to repair his reputation)
Finally Matchbox Twenty recently released their 4th album which is currently Gold and has reached #3 on the charts. How far we've come was #3 and These Hard Times (just released) debuted at #21.
Matchbox Twenty has been doing it for 12 years, more or less without a break as they were touring and writing the whole time. On the other side, the Stones achieved such success because they were releasing one sometimes two albums PER YEAR. The records only had about 8 songs per on them. From 1984 until 1994, the band had no group releases as the band was apart seeking solo glory-and NOT getting it. Then after releasing an album in 1994 and another in 1997, it was 8 more years until another new album came out in 2005. The Stones have been living off older songs, so I could argue that they haven't been strong for 40 years, even though they recently celebrated 40 years as a band. Take away 18 years, if you ask me.
I think Matchbox Twenty COULD certainly make it as they are producing hits on several different formats: rock, top 40, A/C. And they have their own Mick in Rob Thomas.
Who knows what the future holds for MB20, but I think they have staying power. I just hope the band breaks up before Rob Thomas is 73 and jumping up and down at the Super Bowl singing Push. But hey, that song is catchy.