On a beautiful August evening, tens of thousands of fans packed into the CMAC Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua, NY, to see Train perform an unforgettable show! The band's 27-date Summer 2025 Tour kicked off on August 1st and runs till mid-September. The multi-Grammy Award-winning band was formed in 1993 in San Francisco, California, and has amassed a large fan base with 11 studio albums and 14 hits. Joining Train for this tour is singer-songwriter Edwin McCain, who had two monster hits of his own in the late 90s. He has recently returned to touring after taking time off to raise a family. We recently interviewed Edwin, which you can check out here.
Fans of all ages filled the venue, anticipating the 7:00 PM start. The stage was set for an unforgettable night of feel-good music!
Edwin McCain
Edwin McCain walked out onto the stage with his band in tow and a smile on his face. Clearly happy to be on stage again, his set was a mix of songs with a bit of humor sprinkled in. He explained, "I'm 55 years old; this is my favorite decade by far, easily my favorite. We were playing this seated theater recently, and it was really quiet when I was walking out, and I heard this woman turn to her husband and go, using a fake woman's voice, "He looks OK. He looks OK," and I was like, "All right, I get credit for just waddling out here. This is awesome!" Fans were laughing at the story. He joked with fans that if you spend more than seven minutes in some home improvement store, you might hear one of his songs playing. He mentioned that when he reaches a particular emotional part in a song that chokes him up, all he has to do is think about how disgusting his 16-year-old daughter's room is right now, and he is good to go. The fans chuckled at his many stories. The band performed an excellent set that lasted forty-five minutes, during which Edwin McCain shared some more stories about what inspired him to write his songs. The performance included a blend of old and new material, including popular hits like "I'll Be" and "I Could Not Ask for More." Fans were on their feet at the end of the set, pumped up for the headliner!
Band members: Edwin McCain - Vocals & Guitar, Craig Shields - keyboards & saxophone, Larry Chaney - lead guitar, Jason Pomar - bass guitar, Markeya "Tez" Sherard - drums
Setlist: I've Seen a Love, Jesters Dreamers and Thieves, I Could Not Ask For More, Walk With You, Take Me, Kool Miles, I'll Be, One Thing Left To Do (per setlist.fm)
Train
At 8:15pm, the house lights dimmed, and the venue was nearly at capacity. The crowd of screaming fans jumped to their feet, erupting into loud applause as Train took the stage. The energy inside the venue was noticeable and carried throughout the show. From the very moment the band stepped on stage, the connection with the fans was instant. Frontman Pat Monahan walked the entire front edge of the stage, grabbing fans' phones and taking selfies mid-song like it was all part of the show. Several lucky fans even caught t-shirts that Monahan threw into the crowd! The band's song selection resembled a potential future Train Greatest Hits album, keeping fans on their feet and singing along for the entire show. Playing all their hits, the band included a few surprises. They performed several mashups of Train songs, such as "Meet Virginia" going into The Steve Miller Band's "The Joker," and "Angel in Blue Jeans" morphing into "Too Sweet" by Hozier.
A highlight for me was the mashup of "Drive By" into The Beatles' "Hey Jude." Not only were fans singing along, but there was also a sea of people with their hands in the air, swaying back and forth like waves on water. It was a cool visual. Also in the mix were a couple of excellent covers. Performing a soulful rendition of Teddy Swims's "Lose Control" had fans captivated. Still, one cover particularly stood out for me. After a heartfelt rendition of "Marry Me" played solo by Monahan center stage with just an acoustic guitar, he paused and told a story. When they were in Europe recently, Monahan explained, "We had this incredible day off in a place and time that couldn't be better. So we went and saw Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne's last show, and it was so incredibly moving." Fans cheer loudly! "This particular song moved us, and we would like help singing if you would; it will be really magical." The band then played an emotional cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes." It was a touching tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne.
Nearing the end of the 19-song set, Monahan toyed with fans by saying, "We can pretend to go backstage and keep you waiting, or we can keep on playing!" The fans loved it. Closing out this fantastic show were two standout performances. A highly energetic cover of the Eagles' "Hotel California" featuring Edwin McCain on stage with the band, and the song that started it all for Train, "Drops of Jupiter." Fans were all in, and even venue staff were singing and dancing! If you are lucky enough to be one of the remaining tour stops or even on a future date, I recommend seeing the show. It surely won't be one you will forget!
Band members: Pat Monahan - vocals, Hector Maldonado - bass/vocals/guitar, Jerry Becker - keyboards/rhythm guitar/backing vocals, Butch Walker (touring) - lead guitar, Matt Musty - drums/guitar
Setlist: Brokenhearted, Calling All Angels, If It's Love, Get To Me, Meet Virginia/The Joker (Steve Miller Band cover) - Lose Control (Teddy Swims cover), Save Me San Francisco, Play That Song, Parachute, Angel in Blue Jeans/Too Sweet (Hozier cover), We Were Made For This, Marry Me, Changes (Black Sabbath cover), 50 Ways To Say Goodbye, Bruises, Hey Soul Sister/Come and Get Your Love (Redbone cover), Drive By/Hey Jude (Beatles cover), Hotel California (Eagles cover), Drops of Jupiter (per setlist.fm)
