Train

A great way to kick off the summer concert season at North Island Credit Union Amphitheater with self-proclaimed Soul Hippie musician, Allen Stone opening the show.  He is a fantastic showman and phenomenal singer!

He kicked everything off with the soulful vibe of the Bob Marley cover, “Is This Love” and rolled right into “Unaware” which set the tone for the evening.

Allen made it his personal mission to warm up the audience with some fire with his “Voo Doo” song and wasn’t letting up until he was convinced he did his job.  He really did leave the stage with a type of infectious happiness and originality that is hard to describe and goes into the category of you probably need to be there to ‘get it’.   Check out his new single, “Naturally” and get on that train–All Aboard!

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the venue—I still call it Coors Amphitheater.  It is a beautiful venue, especially when it’s a full moon like it was tonight.  I really loved the upgrades they’ve made, especially with the drink selections and food court.   It’s actually one of my favorite places to see an outdoor show—the sound system and visuals are state-of-the-art.

Alan Stone

I have a soft spot in my heart for The Goo Goo Dolls and have seen them many times.  I even won a radio show prize once and got to see them stage-side.  It’s been a while though and they sounded better than ever!  When they took the stage, John Rzeznik says, “Come on now, get on in it” and the ride began.  They played my one of my all-time favorites, “Slide” early on and it seemed like they pounded us with hit after hit complete with a cannon blasting confetti all over the place.

Founding member Robby Tecak stands in the spotlight in his own right as badass bassist and awesome vocalist.  He adds so much to the band and definitely lays it all out there with an animalistic intensity!  He definitely showcases his talent when he takes the lead on “Bringing on the Light” and a few songs throughout the show.

“Here is Gone” is another all-time favorite as well as the anticipated Black Baloon.  Of course, that song wouldn’t be complete without actual gigantic black beach balls being bounced around.  Rzeznik put a shout out to all the people who are too scared to live their life as they played, “Sympathy”, for which the song was written about.

“Name” was John’s first song he wrote that received airplay, and of course, Iris was a SMASH hit written for the City of Angels soundtrack and nominated for a Grammy award.  John openly shared his humble gratitude for that song thanking all the fans.  It’s nice to remember where you came from, what got you there and not taking anything for granted. I remember meeting him backstage (back in the day) and seeing first-hand how kind and genuine he truly is, hence my soft spot…

Goo Goo Dolls

The Goo Goo Dolls just dropped their new single, “Miracle Pill”, and it is so Goo Goo Good! The album is scheduled to be released later this year.  Their live performance of this song was OFF THE CHARTS!  You can stream Miracle Pill here.

The other talented band members are Brad Fernquist on guitar, mandolin, and backup vocals, along with Jim McGorman on the keyboard, guitar and also backing vocals, and Craig Macintyre on drums and percussion.

When Train took the stage you actually FELT it.  Their multi-media opening was a full body visceral experience as if “the train just pulled in the station”.  They broke out with “Calling All Angels”.  Toward the end of the song frontman, Pat Monahan had us all put our hands to the sky and sending love to our loved ones as we sang along.  The full moon was shining amidst the clouds as we opened our hearts to the heavens.  It was one of my favorite moments of the evening–so potent!

Moving right along, we experienced an explosion of confetti during “50 Ways to Say Goodbye”, as well as a great drum solo as big colored balls were bouncing all over the place.  They really are a very fun band.  There were all ages at the show and I really enjoyed seeing all the train outfits.  I ran into a little girl in the bathroom who was wearing the “crown”.  She was about 12 years old–about the same age when I took my daughter to see them.

They also have their very own “Drops of Jupiter” private label wine!  A portion of the proceeds benefits a non-profit organization, Family House San Francisco, to provide families of seriously ill children with temporary housing while their children are receiving treatment.  Calling all angels!

Train

Allen Stone came back on stage and joined the band for a duet with their song “Bruises”.  They met on last year on American Idol and quickly became pals.  It was a no brainer for them go on tour together.  Allen will also be joining them on their (already sold out) Valentine’s cruise.

Train has such a vast library of music to draw on… “Meet Virginia” is an all-time favorite and of course, being San Franciscans they would be remiss if they didn’t play “Save Me San Francisco”.  Pat began throwing T-Shirts out into the audience.   He did a little strip tease as he took off his own shirt (having each band member sign it on stage) before he tossed it out to some lucky fan.  It was another favorite moment–he’s so fun (and sexy)!

I did not see the next thing coming and I must admit I’m still not over Tom Petty’s passing, but I loved it when Johnny Rzeznik came back out and joined Train for a rendition of American Girl which led into Free Falling…  It somehow eased the pain.

They slowed it down a little with what Pat referred to as the sentimental set with “Marry Me” with a touching video which showed weddings of different cultures, and if I’m not mistaken, were some home movies–possibly of Pat’s parents and even his own wedding.  He even broke out a little “moonwalk” during Play that Song (you know, the one that lets me go all night long). The confetti cannon spewed out more streamers just to accentuate the point.

The band has gone through changes with bandmates, but haven’t missed a beat!  On tour are drummer Matt Musty, local San Diegans, Luis Maldonado (guitar), and Hector Maldonado (bass, vocals), with Jerry Becker (keyboards, guitar), and AMAZING backup singers Sakai Smith and Nikita Houston.

Train

The train kept rollin’ with Angel in Blue Jeans, Drive, Soul Sister and then the encore completes the ride with Drops of Jupiter.

This was a great 3-way performance where all the bands were compatible for a triple threat.  Also, each band contributes greatly to charities giving back and making a difference in the world beyond their musical performances.

Go to the show and show your support while having way too much fun.

3rdEyeScribe / BackStage360

Images: Chris Gray