If you see Train perform live, odds are the last song is going to be “Drops of Jupiter,” the hit single from the band’s 2001 album of the same name.
“When people hear it, it becomes sad because they know that that’s the end [of the show],” singer Pat Monahan tells Billboard‘s Behind the Setlist podcast. “But we’re not gonna play something after that song. That song means the world to me for a lot of personal reasons, and it was a big song around the world.”
Indeed, “Drops of Jupiter,” which Monahan wrote about his late mother, reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2001 — the band’s second-best chart performance behind “Hey Soul Sister,” which went to No. 3 in 2010.
On Train’s current tour with REO Speedwagon, fans are likely to hear familiar songs rather than deep cuts. Monahan explains the band occasionally opened with “We Were Made for This” from the 2012 album California 37 on its recent European tour. It wasn’t released as a single, nor does it have the upbeat energy bands typically want to launch a concert. Rather, “We Were Made for This” starts out slowly and kicks into high gear about two minutes into the song with a soaring guitar solo by Taylor Locke. The momentum subsides again before the band brings the song to an energetic climax.
“The Train fans loved it,” he says, “but I don’t think it’s right for a tour with REO Speedwagon, you know. Because when they step off stage, people will have heard 35 hit songs.”
In most of Train’s July shows throughout the Midwest, Monahan and his four bandmates — Locke, bass player Hector Maldonado, drummer Matt Musty and guitarist/keyboardist Jerry Becker — have been opening with “Calling All Angels,” the leadoff track from the 2003 album My Private Nation. It’s a well known song for sure — “Calling All Angeles” reached No. 19 on the Hot 100. “I’ve grown to think that a first song should be recognizable [and] high energy, but not your biggest song,” he says, “that you don’t want to burn the biggest ones at the top because I think people are still taking you in.”
The middle of the set slows the pace. “Marry Me” from 2009’s Save Me, San Francisco, lets the audience know “I have a band with amazing singers,” says Monahan. “Bruises” is a “country rock” song that fits well into the concert’s acoustic interlude. Train will frequently play Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which Monahan says is “a great transition” song that bridges the middle and latter part of the set that includes “Hey Soul Sister,” “Drive By,” a top 10 Hot 100 hit from 2012, and “Drops of Jupiter.”
When picking from Train’s vast catalog, Monahan thinks like a fan. He recalls a tour with Ben Folds Five, which had a hit in 1997 with the song “Brick.” “They’re a great band,” says Monahan, “but they avoided playing ‘Brick,’ because when they played ‘Brick,’ which was their hit, their fans got disappointed. And when they didn’t play ‘Brick,’ I got disappointed. I grew up wanting to sing along to the bands I loved, and so I don’t want to take that from Train fans.”
Listen to the entire interview with Pat Monahan in the embedded Spotify player below, or go to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart or Everand.
