A mild autumn evening drifts over Sydney, bringing a sense of ease in tune with soul rockers Train, who make their long awaited return to Australia.
Proceedings kick off with Lifehouse's Jason Wade (24 May). "Hello Sydney, how you guys going?" he greets the crowd. "We've had a lovely day here today."He spots a fan's tattoo, and they tell him a heartwarming story as they request a song. "Wireless hug," Wade emotes sentimentally. His voice is timeless, full of warmth and nostalgia. His guitarist Steve Stout blends harmonies beautifully, and it's a nice introduction to the evening.
"This song is pretty big in Home Depot in Nashville," Wade jokes for 'Halfway Gone'. He continues the jokes with an anecdote about becoming a diaper changer, citing The Wiggles as a big influence on his three-year-old daughter. He plays 'All Of My Life', which he wrote for her. "I'll be your safe place," Wade coos in a touching song.
"This is for you," he points to the fan. "I'll try to make it through without crying." 'Broken' follows, tearing your heart out slowly. It's a stunning song. 'You And Me' has the whole crowd standing with flashlights in a heartwarming treat, before the timeless 'Hanging By A Moment' closes the set.
KT Tunstall enters shouting "hello Sydney! I'm here to warm you up before you get on the train! They say don't meet your heroes. It's fine to meet this lot, they're amazing," she shares.
KT kicks right in, her drummer Andy Burrows thumping away on the 4/4 beat. Her voice is raspy and full of character for 'Canyons'. She takes a vote whether the crowd want Andy to only play drums or play bass and drums together. The latter wins, and some fun musicianship ensues.
She recounts writing 'Dear Shadow' with Cathy Dennis. "One of her other bangers fits over it," Tunstall says, singing a snippet of Britney Spears' 'Toxic'.
'Black Horse And The Cherry Tree' begins with its iconic looper percussion, Tunstall stamping her feet furiously. It's a deliciously full sound for a duo. She starts a warm up of claps and oohs, before blending Natalie Imbruglia's 'Torn' in, much to the crowd's delight.
Tunstall blends 'Other Side Of The World' with 'America' from Burrows' band Razorlight in a magical moment, the two singing together. 'Suddenly I See' gets the crowd roaring, Tunstall bouncing around with her electric guitar. It's a welcome energy boost.
The main show starts with steam-engine sounds and panning lights as the band enter. The drums pump into a roll, before Pat Monahan's voice echoes out clear and strong in 'AM Gold'. The song cuts to black before bursting back in with yellow lights.
They launch straight into '50 Ways To Say Goodbye', the lights changing colour as Monahan's voice is seen in full force. The axe players jump in unison, and it's clear the band are having a lot of fun already.
'If It's Love' rolls along as Monahan takes a video of the exuberant crowd. The hits keep rolling with 'Get To Me', as Pat jokes to a crowd member: "Sweet dance moves bro," bobbing his head. He's quite the showman, sparking hey yeahs and high notes from the crowd.
'Meet Virginia' allows for a shredding guitar solo, as Monahan throws out t-shirts before flowing into a cover of 'The Joker'. He starts 'Save Me, San Francisco' a cappella and has the whole crowd singing. "You're very good at that," he declares.
They cover Goyte's 'Somebody That I Used To Know', Tunstall joining for Kimbra's section, remaining for 'Bruises' under the pink lighting. It's a heartwarming interaction. Monahan teases 'Hey, Soul Sister', joking "yeah you're not ready for that one".
'Play That Song' follows, the fluorescent lights beaming onto smiles around the room, as Pat adjusts the guitarist's shirt, ending the song with a perfect vocal run. 'Parachute' is nicely sentimental, before 'Angel In Blue Jeans' blends into Hozier's 'Too Sweet'.
INXS' Andrew Farriss joins for 'Never Tear Us Apart', in a once in a lifetime experience. Farriss does a short, country-rock version of 'Don't Change' before the full band do the original version.
'Marry Me' is slow and soft, Monahan a silhouette under blue lights. 'Calling All Angels' has a stunning instrumental section under forest green lights that is especially memorable. 'Hey, Soul Sister' starts with its iconic ukulele and the whole arena sings. It's a splendid song, worth the price of admission.
Monahan remarks that encores are shenanigans and instead of doing one, takes time to thank the audience for coming. 'Drive By' starts the 'encore' with characteristically high energy, before 'Drops of Jupiter' sounds just as good as the record. Monahan imitates flying, before running to the drum kit to bash the toms, ending the song by kicking his legs high in the air.
Train is an apt name for a band that hits the tracks at full steam and doesn''t let their foot off the pedal. The show is fast and furious, ending all too soon. A class band and a wonderfully entertaining frontman make this one train you don't want to miss.
