It probably took Rob Thomas years to accept that, despite winning three Grammys and selling millions of records with his band Matchbox Twenty — tunes like “3 a.m.,” “Push” and “Unwell” — and co-writing with Carlos Santana and singing one of the most successful songs of all time — “Smooth” — he’ll never be as cool as Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel or Vampire Weekend.

Hopefully, by now, Thomas realizes it’s OK to NOT be that cool, that whatever we “music critics” think of his smooth modern rock — and that of similarly popular folks like Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind, the Goo Goo Dolls — HIS fan base is much larger and resonates in a way that has nothing to do with worrying about how important Lou Reed was.

Let’s hear it for Everyman Rock as typified by Thomas, who performs Friday in the Premier Theater at Foxwoods. He’ll play the ultra-recognizable hits as well as tunes from his recent solo album, “Chip Tooth Smile” — and with luck he won’t play any songs by Neutral Milk Hotel.

Rob Thomas, 8 p.m. Friday, Premier Theater, Foxwoods; $87 and up; foxwoods.com.