Catchin' TRAIN at the Tropicana Field for Rays Saturday Night Concert Series

August 14th after the Ray’s sweet victory over the Orioles, Train came rollin’ through the Trop for a Saturday Night Concert Series performance. Recently hitting it big-ger with “Hey, Soul Sister,” the 90’s pop-rock sensation drew in the biggest following I’d seen on Tropicana Field and even within the stands, so far.

Despite the Rays loss on Friday and the usual hurdles us reviewers have to jump over just to get into the show, Train was definitely worth it all. Taking the stage after a corny train sounds audio intro complete with the sounds of the steam engine and train whistle, front-man Pat Monahan commanded the attention of fans in a blue shiny tee and extremely white, tight pants. If that’s not pop music, I don’t know what is.

It almost didn’t sound like Train at first but then they belted out that signature sound that makes them popular over and over again. They opened with “Parachute” off of 2009’s “Save Me San Francisco” album. Monahan said, “Let’s fill this place with love,” as he launched into some hippie-ish, swaying dance moves then hit a crazy high note electrifying the audience through the field into the stands.

When they busted out “Meet Virginia,” complete with a rockin’ guitar solo, the show had really taken off. For “She’s On Fire” Monahan pulled out a guitar and stopped halfway into the song to announce that “Hey, Soul Sister” was now being played on the Country Music channel while he put on a cowboy hat. “Yes, it greatly confused us as well,” Monahan joked, “but it increases our chances of becoming the greatest country music band ever.” Train then played another verse of “She’s On Fire” in country fashion and style until deciding to have even more fun and bring up a group of kids about 12 and under sporting homemade shirts reading “Trainette” to sing the rest of the song with them. At the end of the whole fun, “She’s On Fire” production Monahan bowed with his Trainettes and let them rejoin the crowd.

“I Got You” was next on the set list followed by my current favorite, “If It’s Love,” which had the entirety of Tropicana Field singing along. I jumped on with Train when I “met” Virginia back in the early 90’s but their recent hits kept me even more enthralled than before. I mean who doesn’t know and love the “Hey, Soul Sister” song?

They played “Calling All Angels,” from their third album, did a cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” saying they wished they wrote that one, and then did the title track from their most recent release, “Save Me San Francisco.” I could feel the audience waiting for “Hey, Soul Sister,” and one other hit, which I’ll admit I was dying to see too, “Drops of Jupiter.”

After changing into his “whites” and showing some skin by changing shirts onstage, Monahan said he wanted to marry the whole crowd and entered the packed field to do just that while singing “Marry Me.” Fans were breaking off, running around and trying to spot him and grab him at every chance they could get while his security guards were keeping him at a safe distance from the masses.

The anticipation was high when they finally played it: “Hey, Soul Sister.” It was then that the crowd went completely nuts! Everyone was singing along and it was as poppy and amazing live as it is every other time you hear it. I was almost nervous that they would leave us without it but they closed with “Drops of Jupiter” and all was right in the world again! By far my all time favorite Train song, and seemingly that of many audience members, “Drops of Jupiter” was the perfect way to end the Saturday Night Concert Series at the Trop and to leave my experience with Train. I will definitely be seeing them live again because they put on a damn good show, but if they keep writing hits, followers like the Trainettes will come running to catch Train too!

Norah Jones Ditched Lilith Fair to Wow Fans at Tampa's Straz Center

Wednesday August 11, 2010 Norah Jones took the stage at the Straz Center in Downtown Tampa after dropping her Lilith Fair dates and deciding to go it solo. I first found Norah Jones when my aunt sent me a care package filled with new clothes, accessories and her first album, “Come Away with Me.” I instantly fell in love with that voice, her songs, and everything about her. I was confident that seeing her live would be an event to remember.

The stage was filled with instruments in a living room-esque kind of setting with decorative lamps, and a backdrop of white sheets cascading down to set the mood. The opener was Elvis Perkins, his guitar and a harmonica. He had a kind of dry Mason Jennings rumbling with Shooter Jennings sound. With his phrasing and staggered-singing his songs seemed to drone on. He had a good voice but his songs were as dry and flat as his personality revealed in between each tune. He certainly had some potential and he wasn’t terrible, but songs like “Doomsday” and “Stay Zombie, Stay,” aren’t exactly songs I could see myself singing over and over. Regardless, his performance certainly heightened the anticipation for Norah.

Norah and her “Magnificent band,” as Perkins called them, took the stage dressed in style, ready to blow us away. With her short hair, red dress, mini-vest, and sexy heels Norah’s presence on stage was hypnotic. When she sang with that Grammy-winning sultry voice it seemed effortless, like she didn’t even have to try to sound that perfect.

She opened with “What Am I to You,” played with a few beat variations and a slightly different sound from the album, but awesome still, proving her versatility and abilities to rock it live. She played some electric guitar alongside her five band-mates, with the lights flashing purple, pink, blue and green all over, making the stage a very sentimental place. After each song the lights would completely dim leaving only the lamps illuminated. The lighting effects were so interesting and really kept your attention fixed on Norah, the band and the ambiance of the evening.

For Norah, the Straz Center was perfect and personable. A fan a few seats down had mentioned she liked the smaller venues and came alive when she played in them. Norah even commented, “It’s not Lilith Fair but it’s something, we got two chicks on stage, so…”

The band was indeed magnificent, charismatic and seemed to have a great time together on stage, connecting with one another with each and every beat. They played songs from Norah’s entire catalog. “Light as a Feather,” “It’s Gonna Be” and “Chasing Pirates,” were from her latest, “The Fall,” which is definitely a progression from her previous album, “Not Too Late.”

She then took us back to some of her earlier songs like “Broken,” during which she got one line in and stopped dead saying, “I totally forgot the words! I think I have a ‘broken’ brain. I’m sorry, but it’s been awhile since we’ve done this one.” She then asked her band-mate, Sasha, to mouth the lyrics to her the whole song and proceeded to even argue a bit about what line came when.

Norah finally said, “Okay, I’ve got it and if I don’t I’ll fake it and you’ll never know!” The crowd was laughing right along with her, totally amused by the entire exchange. Seeing the real, uninhibited Norah come out to play just made the evening even better.
They covered Johnny Cash, “Cry, Cry, Cry,” and did Mr. Cash proud. She played a personal favorite of my own, “Lonestar,” she rocked the piano for “Back to Manhattan,” and then played “Sinkin’ Soon,” which was incredible live; the bass and drum beats were so vivid and pronounced.

The band left Norah onstage and she looked out to the audience and said, “We’re alone…” It was then she played a song about her dog, “Man of the Hour,” which is probably one of the most lyrically amusing songs she has written. The beauty of Norah Jones, besides her obvious physical adorableness, is that she grows with each album. “Come Away With Me,” was simple, succinct and left a lasting impression on us all. “Feels Like Home,” was a progression in beats, lyrics and the use of her voice, where as “Not Too Late,” had her venturing into a few more bluesy, folksy and classic-sounding numbers which broadened her audience even more. Her latest, “The Fall” is definitely the closest to “Pop” she’s ever gotten but she still has that signature Norah Jones sound complete with songs that stay stuck in the heads of her fans.

“Don’t Know Why,” and the title track of her first album, “Come Away With Me,” finished the evening. The crowd cheered her back onto the stage after an amazing classic microphone was set up. Her band came out with a stand up bass, steel guitar and a banjo, crowded around the mic, like a scene out of “O’ Brother Where Art Though,” to kick it old school and indulge the fans with their encore of “Sunrise” and “Creepin’ In.”

Seeing Norah live was definitely everything I’d expected and then some. From a CD sent in a care-package to a Grammy-winning Goddess onstage in front of me at the Straz Center, Norah had come a long way, earned her keep and continued to play remarkable music, growing and morphing into a greater musician album by album and concert by concert. An event to remember to say the least, Norah Jones was a knock-out hit Wednesday at the Straz Center.

Cyndi Lauper Returns to Ruth Eckerd Hall to play the Blues

The 80’s-Pop Princess and icon, Cyndi Lauper came back to Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall after two years with a new sound, new hit album and new hair to boot! Wednesday August 4, 2010 the hall was packed with Lauper fans, some decked out in outfits to rival Lauper’s flamboyant fashion sense.

David Rhodes opened with just his guitar and laptop. He was rocking out some electric blues with his strong wailing voice. It was kind of a rougher version of David Gray. Although he wasn’t talentless, he was anything but a crowd pleaser. I could hear complaints and grumbles during his harsh guitar strums. I could see some of the older fans cringing and holding their ears. I could appreciate what he was trying to do, but with all of his efforts he still fell flat.

Lauper’s stage set-up was simple and clean. No huge backdrops, LCD screens, crazy props or an army of instruments for this performance. She had a guitarist, bass player, drummer, keyboard/synthesizer player and an organist. Cyndi Lauper took the stage with bright red hair, somewhat reminiscent of Sideshow Bob of the Simpsons, but still a rocking style choice. She wore a translucent, black jacket-dress with a 50’s cut blue, leopard bathing-suit looking undergarment.

Lauper immediately thanked her fans for the success of her “Memphis Blues” album and said she would be playing the blues for us. “Just Your Fool,” was her opener. She looked good, danced around that stage like she was 20 again, and was very passionate about singing her blues. She was amped up and had a great energy. The soft, blue and green lighting complemented the tunes and atmosphere quite well.

I was surprised at how well Lauper could rock the blues. If possible those pipes of hers are even better than they were 20 years ago. For such low key music, she was still able to keep it upbeat. She said herself, “The best thing about the Blues is its uplifting.” She claimed that she’d been dreaming about making a blues album for years but had to earn it but, “Now I can do whatever the hell I want!” At Ruth Eckerd that night she most certainly proved that.

Every once in awhile she would meander into these awkward ramblings, telling strange tales and stories, only a few of which were even slightly related to the song she had sung or was about to sing. They somehow made her more endearing though.

She played on the lap guitar for a few songs, a huge crowd pleaser. After an hour or so of an intense blues session where she played nearly the entirety of her album including, “Early in the Morning,” “Shattered Dreams,” “Down Don’t Bother Me,” and “Crossroads,” she closed the blues set, said goodnight and left the stage.

She was beckoned back because she hadn’t played her classics and 80’s hits yet. I was surprised that she didn’t throw them into the Blues set here and there but I knew she couldn’t truly end the evening without playing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!” She came back out on stage, kicked off her shoes and the Encore with “Change of Heart,” and then grooved into a swingy version of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” followed by “Time After Time,” during which she played the lap guitar again.

She brought David Rhodes accompanied Lauper and her band to bust out a slower and bluesy version of “She-Bop,” then concluded with Memphis Slim’s, “Mother Earth,” bowed with her band and said another goodnight to her fans. I knew a second Encore was on the horizon and after a few minutes and many screams, hoots and hollers, she came back to end the night with “True Colors,” throwing in a “Power to the People” chant within her grand finale.

It was a great evening. She shocked me with her love of the blues but she rocked it. Where at some points she was a little too preachy and stumbling with words, she made up for it with her music selections, positivity and amazing energy. Watching her in action was quite the experience, and she has a very passionate fan-base. Everyone left uplifted by a night of Blues, and 80’s classics with Cyndi Lauper.