Photos by Nathan Rifkin
“But tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet?
Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day
And head back toward the Milky Way?”
“Drops of Jupiter,” and the iconic band Train, have a special place in my heart. I grew up listening to the aforementioned song along with “Hey Soul Sister” on car trips, family karaoke nights, and more. Train is the kind of band that will never let you down, and even their sadder songs have a tune of hope that leaves you feeling elevated and ready to face the world.
The Greek Theatre in LA had that exact atmosphere on August 24th, as it was to host Train for their “Drops of Jupiter: 25 Years in the Atmosphere” anniversary tour. And what a 25 years it’s been: “Drops of Jupiter” has earned two Grammy awards and racked up over a billion streams on Spotify, solidifying its place as one of the most notable songs of the 21st century.
With a brilliant opening act from Matt Nathanson and rock outfit Barenaked Ladies, who (spoiler) would both reappear later during Train’s set, the crowd was primed and full of energy by the time the headlining band took the stage. Originally formed in 1993, the current band features Pat Monahan (vocals), Butch Walker (guitar, vocals), Hector Maldonado (bass, vocals), Matt Musty (drums), and Jerry Becker (keyboards, guitar). The band opened the show with “She’s on Fire” from their Drops of Jupiter album, and during their second song, Monahan asked the crowd to toss their phones to him so he could take selfies with everyone in the background. Hopefully all the phones that were thrown made it back to their owners! The band added to the excitement of the first act by firing off confetti cannons during “If It’s Love,” showering the crowd with red and yellow streamers.
Matt Nathanson made a reappearance during Train’s cover of “Jack & Diane” by John Mellencamp, and the lead singer for Barenaked Ladies, Ed Robertson, came back on stage a couple songs later to help perform a mashup of “Meet Virginia” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Train had another surprise in store for us, however, and introduced Emma Busse, a New York based actress who will be playing the lead role of Gretta in the musical Begin Again, which Monahan helped write the score for. The musical will be premiering September 6th at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. Busse immediately captured the attention of the audience with her powerfully haunting vocals, singing the duet “Song I Used to Know” from the new musical. As a San Diego local and theatre lover myself, I will most definitely be in attendance for its premiere.
I had the honor that night of witnessing one of the best guitar solos I have ever seen or heard. Train played “Stone in Love,” originally by the famous rock band Journey, and Walker ripped out an incredible two minute long riff that left everyone in the audience completely shell-shocked. His fingers effortlessly danced over the frets as he retuned the guitar mid-riff, a trick that I had never seen done live before.
Walker was soon joined on stage by Monahan’s 14 year old son, Rock, who absolutely lived up to his name. With impressive vocals that hinted at his parentage and an even more impressive affinity for the guitar, Rock Monahan is a force to be reckoned with, and I would wager he has the potential to take over his father’s band one day. Watch out Pat!
Train had one final surprise in store for us today, and it was one that nobody could have predicted. “Hey Soul Sister” began as expected, with Monahan belting the unmistakable “Your lipstick stains / On the front lobe of my left side brains.” Mid-verse, out of nowhere, appeared Ken Jeong, an actor and comedian known for The Hangover and Community. He and Monahan began a hilarious bit in which he attempted to sing along with Monahan but was repeatedly denied the mic. Jeong finally was able to snag it during the last line of the song and we were at last able to hear his beautiful rendition of the iconic song.
Train concluded their show with “Drops of Jupiter,” rounding out their 25th anniversary show with the namesake of the tour itself. Everyone in the crowd sang, and kept singing as we waltzed out of the venue, dancing “along the light of day.”
Listen to Train here:
