Good Charlotte finds new depth

So what happens when there are two headline-worthy bands on a lineup? Will the band that goes first be considered the lesser-headline-worthy?

Probably not on Sunday, when Good Charlotte takes the stage ahead of Yellowcard at the Rialto Theatre.

"We actually asked if they would play after us. We like not playing last," said Good Charlotte's bassist Paul Thomas, who remembers when Green Day and Blink 182 shared a billing and Green Day went on first. Green Day's performance proved a hard act to follow.

"It was like wow. No wonder Green Day was like, 'Yeah, sure, you can play after us,' " said Thomas, who formed Good Charlotte with twin brothers Joel and Benji Madden fresh out of high school a dozen years ago. (Lead guitarist Billy Martin joined a couple years later, and drummer Dean Butterworth came on board in 2005.) "Other bands like playing last more, and we don't really care."

Sunday's concert marks the second time Good Charlotte has played Tucson. Its first and only other show here was at Skrappy's in 2001, a year after the band released its debut album and a year before its members became platinum-selling headliners with the release of their multiplatinum sophomore album, "The Young and the Hopeless."

We chatted with Thomas, the 30-year-old father of one, about the band's new album and turning the corner into a new decade of adulthood.

You and a couple of the guys have gotten married and started families. How has that changed the band's dynamic?

"We're not just kids doing it anymore. We definitely take things with a much more serious, adult approach, thinking about much more long-term than we did when we were 20, 25. We're just trying to make all the right moves to make this career last as long as possible, because it's all we've done since high school. It's not like we have diplomas and Plan B's, y'know."

How has it changed your music?

"People are growing up. There're different vibes. No more like I hate Daddy. I don't think you'll hear another song about that, actually. .. Now they (Joel and Benji, the band's chief songwriters) actually get along with their father. They've made nice and they're friends now, so I don't think they're going to write another song like 'Emotionless' and 'The Young and the Hopeless.' And now they have people they really love, so there's been more love songs. Growing up definitely changes lyrical content in this band for sure, because the twins just write about their life. It's definitely always changing."

Joel is the only twin who has a wife and kids, right?

"Benji is single and partying and writing party songs. Joel writes the 'Harlow' songs" - "Harlow's Song (Can't Dream Without You)" from the new album "Cardiology."

How have audiences responded to the more mature Good Charlotte and the new album?

"So far, touring since this album came out has just been exceeding all of our expectations after the previous album (2007's 'Good Morning Revival'). We definitely feel this energy. Something's starting to click, and people are starting to get back into us. It's this really cool feeling. I don't know if it's the album itself that is getting received well or if it's our live performance that has really gotten better. There's just like this energy and we are just feeling it. We are really excited to go out and keep touring. More and more people are coming than we were expecting."

You head off to Europe this summer, then what?

"We're probably going to come back and tour the U.S. this winter. We had two years of not playing a show in America. So for the next five years, we're probably going to be here a bunch."

If you go

• What: Good Charlotte and Yellowcard in concert with opener Runner Runner.

• When: 8 p.m. Sunday.

• Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.

• Tickets: $22 in advance at www.rialtotheatre.com; $25 the day of the show.

The lineup

Runner Runner

• Who: The three-year-old California pop band was formed out of the embers of the five members' previous projects - Over It, Rufio and Don't Look Down. It released its eponymous debut album in February.

• Songs: "So Obvious," "Hey Alli."

• Soundbites: www.runnerrunnermusic.com

Good Charlotte

• Who: Maryland grunge, pop-punk quintet includes songwriting twins Joel and Benji Madden. For the past couple years, the twins' personal lives - Joel married Nicole Richie and had two kids, Benji dated and was dumped by Paris Hilton - grabbed more headlines than their music.

• Songs: "Little Things," "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous," "The Anthem," "Like It's Her Birthday."

• Soundbites: goodcharlotte.com

Yellowcard

• Who: So-Cal pop-punk, alt-rockers are freshly reunited after a three-year hiatus to clear their minds and get their personal lives in order. They pick up where they left off with their two-month-old album, "When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes."

• Songs: "Way Away," "Ocean Avenue," "Hang You Up," "For You, and Your Denial."

• Soundbites: yellowcardrock.com

See more of this interview at go.azstarnet.com/tunedin