By Susie Salva

The rock band Train was on the right track with a spirited performance to a nearly sold out crowd at the Majestic Theater in Ventura, California. Front man Pat Monahan is the consummate performer with his soulful swagger and poignant lyrics.

He commanded this middle age crowd eager to please them getting right into their signature song “Meet Virginia” off of their debut CD that was recorded fifteen years ago. Veteran guitar player Jimmy Stafford delivered a killer guitar solo accompanying that recognizable track.

Monahan sang a repertoire of material from the bands five albums…“Train”, “Drops of Jupiter”, “My Private Nation”, “For Me, It’s You”, and their new release “Save Me San Francisco”. Monahan engaged the crowd by bringing up four teenage girls on stage to sing with him “She’s On Fire,” giving them pink T-shirts and deeming them as the Trainettes. It was absolutely adorable as he danced with them having join in singing the background to that track. Next he dove into singing, “The Way I Wish You Were,” and then “Get To Me,” to a rousing crowd delirious by these infectious songs. Monahan promised that he plays a different set every night on the road making every moment exciting. You never know what songs they are going to sing making it fresh and entertaining.

He then asked the crowd to be quite as he sang “When I Look to the Sky,” without a microphone, saying, “I would like to sing this song without a mic as the way in was originally intended the song to be.” That was a majestic and moving experience.

Monahan tried out their new single, “Hey, Soul Sister,” where Stafford played a ukulele and the fans sang along. He than sang “It’s About You,” and “Calling All Angels,” as the crowd waved their hands into the air. After those songs Monahan, Stafford and drummer Scott Underwood performed an acoustic set playing “Hopeless,” and explaining how Monahan used to paint houses to make ends meet, “I would listening to this song not knowing down the line I would be performing live,” he delved into Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California,” complete with hand gestures aka Robert Plant.  He then again brought up two young kids singing a soulful, “Save the Day,” joking… Pat kicks ass.

Doing some acrobatics Monahan stood on the speakers singing “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me).” There was a video montage of San Francisco as they debuted the title track to “Save Me San Francisco,” taking a break and coming back with an encore of an INXS song.

Detroit Michigan native Uncle Kracker opened up for Train debuting their new single, “Smile,” as this pop-rap outfit entertained the crowd. He commented on the crowd as being older…but in a good way. “Forty is the new Thirty,” he maintained. The band played some uptempo southern style rock with a rap backbeat.

All in all it was and uplifting and entertaining evening. If you have the chance go see Train live…you will be blown away.

By Susie Salva. Read Susie Salva’s review on Train’s new CD here…

For more on Train please go to www.trainline.com.  Photo credit from www.trainline.com.

(Pat Monahan photos above by Leigh Hurst)