After a week of relentless rain, the sun is out, the harbour glistens, and a sold-out crowd filters into the Sydney’s ICC Theatre with an unmistakable post-downpour euphoria. Tonight marks Train’s return to Australia after a seven-year hiatus, and judging by the buzz in the foyer, absence has only made the heart grow louder.
Opening the night is Jason Wade of Lifehouse, best known for the 2000’s era-defining hit Hanging by a Moment. Wade delivers a stripped-back set that’s intimate and heartfelt. A lady in the crowd shows him a tattoo of his signature that she has on her arm and tells him that her husband has recently died—he seems genuinely moved. He opens up about his two-year-old daughter, how he’s changing diapers in his 40s, how much she loves The Wiggles and is already developing an Australian accent. His acoustic renditions hit deep, a reminder that Lifehouse once ruled the radio.
Next is KT Tunstall, who comes bounding onto the stage like the one-woman powerhouse she’s always been. She’s joined by Andy Burrows of Razorlight on drums and backing vocals, adding extra punch to the set. Tunstall shares that she recently co-wrote a song with Cathy Dennis and cheekily drops a bit of Britney Spears’s Toxic mid-track. She also nails a cover of Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn, to the crowd’s delight. Black Horse and the Cherry Tree and Suddenly I See still slap, and the crowd responds with deserved adoration.
The lights dip and Train take the stage, to the sound of a thundering train and the crowd roars like it’s 2001 again. Frontman Pat Monahan steps out with the ease of a man who knows he’s among friends, leading the band through a hit-stacked set that proves their pop-rock chops are still firmly intact. At one point, Monahan whips out his phone and has the entire crowd on their feet, clapping in unison as he captures the moment on video—part frontman, part documentarian, all charisma.
Images Deb Pelser
Train will perform next in Brisbane and Auckland. Tickets HERE.
[…] Australian tour in stripped-back duo mode, where she floored crowds with her raw musicianship. Backseat Downunder caught her in Sydney and witnessed firsthand the warmth and power that continues …Now, fans will see her step into full-band territory, bringing the loop pedals, soaring vocals and […]