Train in concert means, “Oh man, it’s party time.”
In a way, “Hey, Soul Sister” is Train’s calling card. So when the band plays the first few notes, inevitably, sometime during its concert at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte tonight, frontman Pat Monahan says the message to the crowd will be clear: “‘Oh man, it’s party time.’”
Here are five more things that will help you get to know Monahan and his band, which is touring all summer with The Fray and Matt Nathanson.
so much heaviness in the world. here’s a picture of me in the early 90s to lighten your mood. #yikes
A photo posted by mattnathanson (@mattnathanson) on May 2, 2015 at 9:06pm PDT
1. He was blindsided a few years back when the band’s 2010 hit “Marry Me” was incorporated into a wedding ceremony he was attending with his wife, Amber.
“I think the reason that I cried was I was just touched that they would use that song,” Monahan said.
Train singing Marry Me #WMTShares pic.twitter.com/47Y6rvp5BO
— Tevin Wooten (@TevinWooten) June 3, 2015
2. Don’t get him started about Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine. Actually, on second thought, do. It’s pretty entertaining.
The frontmen have a friendly rivalry, but only on the golf course: “He’s already the winner in real life,” Monahan said. “… He’s not as famous as he is because he’s lucky. He’s a hard worker, and he’s really good at what he does.”
Adam Levine? More like Adam LeFINE pic.twitter.com/VKNaqkdJxq — Man Candy (@ManCanddyPics) June 8, 2015
3. Public reaction to “Bulletproof Picasso” had Monahan screaming “WHHYYYYYYYY!?!????” At first.
Released last September, the album struggled to produce a hit, with “Angel in Blue Jeans” peaking at No. 79. “This album has been very difficult for me,” he said. “It was terribly difficult to write, but it’s been hard to watch. … For some reason, it’s connected deeply with Train fans and not really taken off on the radio.” But: “There’s so much joy in my life that I can’t, like, get disappointed about it.”
I do wear a lot of glitter RT @AvengersAims: @train This is what happens after touching you. pic.twitter.com/hTAXP2SYzT
— train (@train) June 3, 2015
4. Train might take fan requests via Twitter at its concert, but do not ask the band to play anything off of 2006’s “For Me, It’s You.”
“The album was built off of turmoil, and we never really finished the songs properly. It’s a dark age of the band, the one record we kind of skip.”
5. The band will release a Christmas album this fall – but don’t expect “Silver Bells” or “The Little Drummer Boy.”
Tentatively titled “Christmas in Tahoe” (“Because that’s San Francisco’s go-to ski resort”), Monahan said Train is covering holiday songs first recorded by bands like The Pretenders, The Band and Donny Hathaway, plus a few originals that will sound nothing like the holiday standards.
“I can’t compete with Michael Buble and Martina McBride,” Monahan says. “They’ve made these classic, big, beautiful, lush Christmas albums. I’m just not that guy.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Train in concert means, “Oh man, it’s party time.”."