There is almost a disconnect between the generation of Train fans – the people that remember them for their epic early 2000's radio hits like “Drops of Jupiter” and the newer kids that were drawn in by the ukulele in “Hey, Soul Sister.” The good thing is, vocalist Pat Monahan, is able to bridge the gap between the genres and deliver a killer set that covers their entire discography.
The performance kicked off with 2009's “Parachute,” followed by “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” which had the crowd on the floor and in the seats bouncing around and singing along. Monahan would continuously grab fan's phones and parade around the stage filming the show, tossign it back to the fan when he was done. Alls I could think was, “he is definitely going to drop someone's phone” but he definitely has either mega skeeball skills, or mega luck, because his throws were on point every time.
After giving the crowd a taste of some new music with the song “Call Me Sir,” Monahan joked that since we enjoyed it so much, they'd play it back one more time for us, but instead we got a cover of Led Zeppelin's “Black Dog” that really let the musicians shine through with their riduclous shredding skills.
Parachute / 50 Ways to Say Goodbye / If It's Love / Call Me Sir / Black Dog (Led Zeppelin cover) / Meet Virginia / Save Me, San Francisco / When I Look to the Sky / Marry Me / Hey, Soul Sister / Play That Song / Drive By / Free Fallin' (Tom Petty cover) / Drops of Jupiter
Daryl Hall and John Oates may be over 70, but they’ve still got it. This was my first time catching these guys on stage, and from the moment “Maneater” was heard erupting around the arena, I was sold. Hall was the main interactor with the audience, taking time to go over their career, and how they were going to showcase music from their entire discography. Oates, who was sticking mainly to back up vocals during the night, stepped into the lead on the duo’s cover of The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” from Voices. Hall showed off his piano skills throughout the night, most beautifully on the classic “Sara Smile.” While the songs were showcased with solos from each musician, the songs were a little heavy on the sax solos, but Charles DeChant is a gem to watch live, and his interactions with his fellow band members was great to see.
Pat Monahan returned to the stage joining Hall and Oates for a trio of songs towards the end of the night. “Philly Forget Me Not” came first, a touching new collaboration between Hall and Oates and Monahan, a love song for the city that started it all. Monahan then joined in for “Wait for Me” and closed out with Hall and Oates covering Train's hit “Calling All Angels” in a gorgeous rendition. After the duo closed out and left the stage to “Private Eyes” the fans around the arena were all chanting for an encore. The band closed out with a heavier than normal version of “Rich Girl” and an explosive energetic ending with the iconic “You Make My Dreams.”
Maneater / Out of Touch / Say It Isn't So / You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (The Righteous Brothers cover) / She's Gone / Sara Smile / Is It a Star / I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) / Philly Forget Me Not (with Pat Monahan) / Wait for Me (with Pat Monahan) / Calling All Angels (Train cover) (with Pat Monahan) / Kiss on My List / Private Eyes / Rich Girl / You Make My Dreams
Hall and Oates
Train
Kandace Springs
review by Megan Garzone photos by Dan Karanikis