Returning to Australia for their first tour since 2003, I’ve got to say: Train are a comeback I didn’t see happening. The ARIA Platinum, Number 1 hit single “Hey, Soul Sister” has launched them back into the Australian and international consciousness. In fact it’s their most popular song to date. This is especially surprising when you consider it’s been almost a decade since the “I still know every word of this!?” track “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” was a global phenomenon.
Due to the fact that this remains such a well known song, I was further surprised when the band reminded me they weren’t a one hit wonder. In fact, I knew many of the songs on offer – having forgotten about tracks like “Calling all Angels” and “Meet Virginia”. This is certainly a band who know how to produce a hit! But more on that later…
Opening up proceedings were Ryan Meeking and the Few. The first thing you notice about this band is Ryan’s voice – his range is remarkable and he utilises it with precision and style. At times this makes it a bit too “Idol” like for me, but that’s no
discredit to him or his live stature. It’s just the unfortunate fate of
the amazing singer: that a showcase of their talent will be compared to shitty
reality TV. But what’s most important of all: you can tell a lot of effort goes into his lyrics, and there’s a lot of passion that goes into his live performance, too. “The Few”, his backing band, are just as talented, and together they produced an entertaining set that won over the venue. Definitely a band to watch.
Finally, Train took to the Enmore stage, to the audio of a train arriving at the station. Like most of what was to follow, it was a bit over the top – but it worked, aptly setting the stage for the entertaining set that frontman Patrick Monahan and the rest of the band were to deliver.
They launched right into “Parachute” from the new album, before wasting no time to deliver the hits – “Meet Virginia” was the first on that list, with Jimmy Stafford pulling out an impressive guitar solo. “She’s on Fire” followed and featured a very entertaining moment when 6 young girls were pulled up onto the stage, given “Trainettes” shirts and the duty of singing along. Sure, you knew they’d done this gag a million times before, and it was a bit over the top, but again – it just worked. It was good fun, and admittedly hilarious. By now, it was difficult to find anyone who wasn’t sporting an infectious smile – Pat had the crowd very much in his grasp, getting them to respond and sing along to his every queue.
The packed out Enmore was filled with a mix of the kids who just got into them, on the back of new album Save Me, San Francisco, those who loved them a decade ago, curious for a trip down memory lane, and of course the hardcore fans who have all five studio albums and know every word to every song. Unsurprisingly therefore, the crowd was fantastic at singing along to the tracks, with “Hey, Soul Sister” (featuring the under loved ukulele) and “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” the highlights in that department. There was a raw energy in the room, thanks to a superb live show, that made this all the more special.
Patrick Monahan is not only an impressive singer – his vocal range has always been what makes the songs so approachable – but a showman through and through. During several of the tracks, he’d borrow peoples digital cameras and take photos with them. He requested a personal crowd surf during “It’s About You” – to which the audience obliged. He got down to the level of the crowd to sing “Marry Me” (in which a lot of hilarious banter ensued). He even pulled out a megaphone for “I Got You”. Brilliant! And during “When I Look To The Sky” (another of the “OMG I KNOW THIS
ONE! moments), he opened the track with no mic and a very soft backing piano. Always a
cool moment in a set when a band pulls it off – and they certainly did
tonight.
For many in the crowd, the highlight of the set came in the surprise appearance of Tim Farriss from INXS. Pat had this to say: “So I know a lot of artists come down here and play an Australian cover … so I know the only way we can get away with this if we actually have someone who wrote the song come on stage with us!” A fair enough argument if I’ve ever heard it, and the band, along with Tim, covered (quite brilliantly) “The Devil Inside”, before Tim joined them on Keys for the title track of Train’s new album, “Save Me, San Fransisco”. The band finished the night off with “This Ain’t Goodbye”, Pat promising the crowd they’d be back soon (rather than 7 years from now), to the roaring approval of the adoring crowd, who produced a standing ovation in the balcony. I have a feeling they’ll all be back to experience it again, as their smiles continued well after they left the Enmore on this winter evening.
Are Train the the most original or “groundbreaking” band in the world? Of course not. But that’s what commercial music is, and they do it well – brilliantly in fact. So the real question that needs to be asked is this: Do they have some catchy-as-fuck tracks? For sure. And do they deliver a superb live show? Most definitely. And at the end of the day, what more do you need?
Setlist:
Parachute
Get To Me
Meet Virginia
She’s On Fire
I Got You
If It’s Love
When I Look To The Sky
Calling All Angels
The Devil Inside (INXS Cover – featuring Tim Farriss from INXS on Guitar)
Save Me, San Franscisco (feat. Tim Farriss from INXS on Keys)
Words
Marry Me
It’s About You
Hey, Soul Sister
Encore:
Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)
This Ain’t Goodbye
