Train celebrates Drops of Jupiter 25th anniversary at Morton
Train. // photo by Ethan Sympson
Twenty-five years after Drops of Jupiter helped launch Train into a new level of success, the band is still finding new ways to celebrate the songs that got them there.
For a tour built around looking back 25 years, Train did not seem particularly interested in simply recreating the past at Morton Amphitheater. Instead, the band found ways to make songs many in the crowd had likely heard hundreds of times feel worth singing together one more time.
Train brought its Drops of Jupiter: 25 Years in the Atmosphere Tour to Morton Amphitheater on Wednesday, August 12, joined by Matt Nathanson and Barenaked Ladies for an evening filled with nostalgia, playful crowd interactions, and more than a few rounds of confetti.
Nathanson started the evening with his acoustic pop-rock sound before Barenaked Ladies took the stage, bringing a more playful energy to the second opening set. It was also during their performance that I learned something apparently many people already knew: Barenaked Ladies wrote and performed the theme song for The Big Bang Theory. Somehow, that fact had escaped me until Wednesday night.
Train later took the stage and opened with “She’s on Fire” and “50 Ways to Say Goodbye,” one of my early favorites of the night. The fans directly behind me seemed to agree, singing the song word for word before confetti shot into the air ahead of its final chorus.
Train. // photo by Ethan Sympson
By the third song, lead singer Pat Monahan had turned his attention directly toward the crowd. Fans began tossing their phones to him, which Monahan caught, used to take selfies, and returned to their owners. He must have handled close to 20 phones without dropping a single one.
Then, naturally, he encouraged everyone to cheer for Train’s Instagram. Monahan continued joking with the crowd throughout the night. He teased the opening of “Hey, Soul Sister,” allowing just enough of the song to play for people to recognize it. “Yeah, y’all aren’t ready for this one yet,” he said before moving into “Play That Song.”
One of the night’s most anticipated songs would have to wait.
Train continued through “AM Gold” before reaching “Whipping Boy,” which Monahan connected to taking the blame in a previous bad relationship. It also became one of the first moments when a noticeable portion of the crowd sat down and took a breather.
Nathanson later returned to the stage for a cover of John Mellencamp’s “Jack & Diane,” prompting another crowd singalong. A short burst of confetti accompanied “Calling All Angels” before Train moved further back into its catalog.
“You guys old enough to remember this one?” Monahan asked before “Meet Virginia.”
Train. // photo by Ethan Sympson
The reaction suggested they were. The crowd generally skewed older, and some of the loudest responses came during songs that have been around for more than two decades. “Meet Virginia” also featured an electric guitar solo that became one of the night’s strongest instrumental moments.
Monahan later returned in a blue “Virginia” T-shirt and began throwing similar shirts into the crowd. He autographed the one he had been wearing and passed it around for the rest of the band to sign. They teased throwing the now fully signed shirt into the audience but held onto it a little longer.
The guest appearances continued when Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies joined Train for a cover of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The cover came with altered lyrics, eventually swapping West Virginia for Kansas City to an enthusiastic hometown response.
By that point, in my view, Train had also unintentionally taken the crowd on something of a road trip.
“Meet Virginia,” “Pennsylvania Turnpike,” “Mississippi,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads” had already moved the night around the country. San Francisco was still to come.
Train also made room for what comes next, previewing music from its upcoming album, set to arrive two weeks after the show. One of the evening’s quieter moments came with “Marry Me.” Monahan stood alone with an acoustic guitar as phone flashlights gradually appeared throughout Morton Amphitheater. After a night filled with jokes, confetti, and constant movement, the simplicity gave the song room to breathe.
The pace quickly picked back up when Monahan brought his 14-year-old son, Rock, onstage for Journey’s “Stone in Love.” Despite sharing the stage with musicians who had been performing longer than he had been alive, the younger Monahan looked completely comfortable and more than held his own.
Then the road trip reached California. Giant beach balls bounced across the crowd during “Save Me, San Francisco,” bringing a slightly more tropical version of the Bay Area to Morton Amphitheater.
Train. // photo by Ethan Sympson
The playful mood continued during “Bruises.” Nearly everyone got an opportunity to sing except the band’s San Francisco guitarist, whom Monahan repeatedly approached with the microphone before pulling it away at the last second. Eventually, he got his moment, singing the final “bruise” in a playful voice as another burst of confetti filled the stage.
By then, there was still one tease from earlier in the evening left unresolved. Train finally returned to “Hey, Soul Sister,” adding a twist to the familiar hit before transitioning into “Vacation.” Rock returned to sing alongside his dad, bringing a father-son pairing often seen on social media to the Morton stage. “Drive By” followed before the band moved into “Hey Jude,” with hands swaying throughout the amphitheater as the crowd sang along.
And finally, the night arrived at the album’s title track and the song responsible for the tour in the first place. “Drops of Jupiter” closed the set with one last explosion of confetti. Twenty-five years after its release, thousands of voices still carried the song through the amphitheater before the band gathered at the front of the stage and bowed together.
From the first singalong to the final burst of confetti, Train made its anniversary celebration feel just that: a celebration.
All photos by Ethan Sympson
Train
Train setlist
She’s on Fire
50 Ways to Say Goodbye
If It’s Love
AM Gold
Play That Song
Whipping Boy
Jack & Diane (John Mellencamp cover with Matt Nathanson)
Calling All Angels
Meet Virginia / Take Me Home, Country Roads (with Ed Robertson)
Pennsylvania Turnpike
Mississippi
Marry Me
Stone in Love (Journey cover with Rock Monahan)
Save Me, San Francisco
Bruises
Hey, Soul Sister
Vacation (Dirty Heads cover)
Drive By (with Hey Jude outro)
Drops of Jupiter
Barenaked Ladies
Barenaked Ladies setlist
Lookin’ Up
The Old Apartment
Barenaked Ladies rap / Once in a Lifetime
Gonna Walk
Falling for the First Time
Big Back Yard
Pinch Me
Brian Wilson
Almost Ready
Big Bang Theory Theme
Jim Creeggan Upright Bass Solo / The Muppet Show Theme
One Week
If I Had $1000000
Pink Pony Club / HOT TO GO! / Sometimes When We Touch / So Long, Farewell / The Gambler / Sometimes When We Touch
Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover)
Lovin’ Life
Matt Nathanson
Matt Nathanson setlist
Car Crash / Boys of Summer
Giants
Pablo Picasso
Laid (James cover)
Impossible People
Kinks Shirt
Uptown Girl (Billy Joel cover)
Faster / Kiss
Suspended
Come On Get Higher / Defying Gravity
