The Nevada Sagebrush

Train lead singer Patrick Monahan performs an a cappella rendition of the song “When I Look to the Sky” without the use of a microphone before an audience of more than 1,000 at the Grand Sierra Resort. Brian Bolton/Nevada Sagebrush.

Despite a three-year hiatus, the pop-rock band Train hasn’t lost its touch. With a fresh new album, “Save Me, San Francisco,” released in October 2009, and a comeback tour under their belt, the band is still attracting the same loving fans that waved goodbye almost four years ago. On Saturday night, Train serenaded, crowd surfed and made musical love to an almost sold-out arena at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino.

Composed of San Francisco-natives, Train has released four studio albums since its inception in 1994. The band’s first album was released in 1998, but the band skyrocketed into fame with “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me),” a single from its second release. The band is also known for hits such as “Calling All Angels” and the current radio favorite “Hey Soul Sister.” Although the band took a three-year hiatus after its third album, fans have been quick to welcome the band back, making Train’s latest album “Save Me, San Francisco,” a hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and its tour a chore to get tickets for.

Throughout the performance, frontman Patrick Monahan included the crowd to make the show more of an experience than a performance. Children were invited onstage to sing and dance along with the band, a stage-diving and crowd-surfing agenda was set up and the crowd was officially “married” to the band as Monahan sang and held hands with front-row fans. At one point, Monahan even abandoned his microphone to deliver an a cappella performance of “When I Look to the Sky.”

Though the band was rife with charisma and stage presence, the most impressive part of the show was the vocals. In a rock environment that is so heavily fueled by screeching guitar riffs and thumping bass lines, vocals seem to have fallen into the background, entirely unnoticed or regarded. Train’s emphasis on solid lyrics and a powerful voice, however, was impossible not to notice. Monahan’s voice was impressively on-key and harmonized with the instruments. Simply put, Monahan is a singer, whereas many other band frontmen are just a face for the group. All the performances were seamless, sounding almost identical to the album, but with enough liveliness that they were amped up and more enjoyable.

And if there was any question about his vocal capabilities beforehand, Monahan’s belting out of “When I Look to the Sky” knocked the doubt from anyone’s mind. After he sheepishly asked the crowd if he could abandon his microphone, he stood facing the more than 1,800-seat arena and crooned out the first verse and chorus of “When I Look to the Sky,” full of power and emotion.

Other notable performances included “Hey Soul Sister,” during which the audience erupted into cheering and singing with the band. Closing the show was fan favorite “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me),” easily the most anticipated song of the night.

Despite the band’s long disappearance, fans were quick to return their loyalty to the once again skyrocketing rockers. And although Train was missed, it can only be assumed the three-year hiatus was meant to bring the band back swinging, with one of its best albums and performances to date.

Tara Verderosa can be reached at tverderosa@nevadasagebrush.com.

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