BETHLEHEM, Pa. — It was an evening filled with beach balls and explosive fireworks.
Headliners Train closed out Musikfest's 40th year on Sunday night with a 90-minute set that ripped through its biggest hits and included covers of songs by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Eagles, The Beatles and Journey.
- Headliners Train closed out the main stage of Musikfest's 40th year on Sunday
- The Grammy Award-winning group performed its biggest hits, such as "Hey, Soul Sister" and "Meet Virginia"
- The 90-minute concert ended with an encore and Musikfest's annual fireworks display
The band took the stage with momentum, greeting fans with giant plastic balls that quickly flew through the air as lead singer Pat Monahan belted out the lyrics to "Save Me, San Francisco."
The 54-year-old frontman is Train's only original member. Jimmy Stafford, the only other member who had been with the platinum-winning band since its start, left the group in 2016.
"Anyone old enough here to remember this one?"Train singer Pat Monahan, during the opening notes of "Meet Virginia."
As the fun props began to lose air, Monahan and his two backup singers continued on with "AM Gold" (from its latest album) before jumping into an oldie to kick off the fun.
"Anyone old enough here to remember this one?" he gleefully asked during the opening notes of "Meet Virginia."
T-shirts and a guest singer
While the guitarist ran the acoustics, Monahan disappeared backstage to grab a handful of T-shirts the group signed with a Sharpie marker on the spot.
"Please say hello to the man on guitar from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mr. Taylor Locke," Monahan yelled into the mic. "He's very excited about being here in Bethlehem and asked if I would please throw out some free T-shirts and I said, 'Yes.'"
Halfway through "Meet Virginia," off of Train's 1998 self-titled, platinum-selling album, he mixed in Steve Miller Band's "The Joker."
Indeed, the third time was the charm for Train (the group headlined Musikfest in 2006, at the former RiverPlace main stage, and in 2011) as they continued the concert with fervor.
Monahan, from Erie, Pennsylvania, engaged with fans by taking selfies while singing "If It's Love" and even stopped to take his own pic for social media.
About mid-concert, Kevin Griffin, lead singer for opening act Better Than Ezra, surprised the audience for a rendition of Tom Petty's "American Girl" as he and Monahan tossed tambourines into the crowd to shake things up.
Better Than Ezra, who also shot to fame in the 90s, are touring with the group and opened the night with its hits "Good," "Desperately Wanting" and a passionate cover of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer."
The setup
Couples locked arms as Train sang slower ballads "Marry Me" and "Angel in Blue Jeans" and had their hands in the air during the last celestial lines of "Calling all Angels."
Teasing some newer music, Train presented a ska-sounding song, "I Know," before introducing Journey's "Faithfully" and energetic hits "Hey, Soul Sister" from its 2009 album, "Save Me, San Francisco," and "Drive By" from its sixth studio album, "California 37."
"We've been out for it seems like three years, but it's only been five weeks and this is absolutely the best show that we have played."Train singer Pat Monahan
During Train's homage to the Magnolia State, Monahan, on tenor saxophone, changed the line of "Mississippi" to "Bethlehem."
"We've been out for it seems like three years, but it's only been five weeks and this is absolutely the best show that we have played," Monahan told fans before ending things with a bang that included a riff of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" and "Hotel California" by The Eagles.
As a reminder that Train got its start 30-something years ago, Monahan joked he was "too old" to go backstage and wait for fans to summon an encore.
Regardless of age, the night was filled with a youthful spirit.
Sure, there was no Milky Way, but instead a dazzling finale of fireworks that lit the sky as Train topped off the dreamy night with its Grammy-winning hit, "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)."
