FOR ERIE, IT’S PAT

Pat Monahan says Train is jelling better than ever, and after extricating himself from ‘the deep weeds,’ so is he.

PREVIEW by Dave Richards Staff writer

The last time Train pulled into Erie, tickets disappeared faster than a speeding bullet, nearly 2,300 seats gone — poof! — in a matter of minutes for its March 2004 concert at the Warner Theatre.

This Saturday, the band will play the larger Tullio Arena. At press time, good seats remained available, which surprised Train leader Pat Monahan. He figured it’d be another slam-dunk on home court.

“I felt like the last time we could have easily sold out the civic center. At least, that’s the way it felt because the Warner sold out so quickly,” Monahan said. “Maybe that’s the way it works in Erie, or they only like the Warner. We’ll find out.” That March 2004 concert was Train’s first in Erie since it won a Grammy for “Drops of Jupiter.” Consequently, the homecoming show had the feel of a celebration, if not a coronation — the hometown hero basking in the spotlight.

Train earned two Grammy nominations in 2003 for “Calling All Angels,” but its career momentum has slowed since then. “For Me, It’s You,” released in January, debuted at No. 10 on Billboard, but has already exited the Top 100. That arrived on the heels of a 2004 live album that barely sold 150,000 copies.

Ironically, despite lagging sales, Train has never earned better reviews. “For Me, It’s You” earned raves from a few publications that had trashed the band in the past, including Rolling Stone and U.S. Today. Concert reviews for their current tour are mostly positive, too. With Brandon Bush and Johnny Colt fully integrated into Train’s lineup — they joined during the “My Private Nation” tour — Monahan said Train’s chugging along nicely.

“You know, it’s never been better,” he said. “I just think we’re finally getting to that place we had hoped to get to for a long time.” THIS IS THE FIRST HEADLINING Train tour with bells and whistles. Previous stops have included balloon and confetti drops, special lighting effects, and an acoustic mini-set. Monahan has also invited women on stage to dance, though sometimes they come up on their own.

“This woman [in Milwaukee] invited herself up, and it was just funny. She just felt compelled to come right up on stage,” he said. “Some guys came to kick her off, and I said, ‘No, leave her.’ She earned it. She had the b — to come up here, so that was pretty funny.” Monahan showed some gall himself on “For Me, It’s You” by addressing personal issues, including his divorce, the suicide of a friend, and falling in love again. That willingness to open up gives the CD its power, though Monahan needed time to find his voice.

“What I tried to do is let some time pass before I wrote about it,” he said. “When I’m in the deep weeds, I can’t really get focus and write in a way I think good songwriting needs to be, where it’s got something you can sing to and relate to. “When I’m in the weeds, I’m writing poetry, and poetry isn’t singable. It’s more to just get it on paper, so you can get it out of you.” He dedicated “Always Remember” to a best friend from San Francisco who committed suicide.

“I wish he wasn’t in so much pain that he had to leave,” Monahan said. “He was a couple years younger, and I met him when I started painting houses in the Bay area. We just stayed friends forever.

“The day before he decided to take his life, I was with him in Santa Monica. We hung out on the beach, and he got a massage. Then he drove back to San Francisco, and he was gone. So I think he came to say goodbye to me. But he didn’t say goodbye.”
Monahan wondered if he missed something, if he should have known.

“Of course, I did. Then you come to your senses. People who really want to go, they don’t want you to know,” he said.

MONAHAN TURNED A CORNER after he met his current girlfriend, Amber, who lives in Seattle. With some distance, he began writing. The band planned to record just a couple, at first, but everything clicked so well they opted to record an entire CD. With regular producer Brendan O’Brien, Train crafted its most direct, heartfelt, and least musically fussy CD since its debut.

“Cab,” the first single, reached the Top 5 at adult alternative stations. It didn’t cross over to Top 40 stations, however, which is what sparks huge sales. But Monahan believes this CD has plenty of life left in it.

“Every record we’ve done has had one song that performs well, and we sell a lot of records. Then we struggle with a follow-up. I think this will be the opposite.”
Train shot a video this past week in Los Angeles for “Am I Reaching You Now,” the follow-up single. Other songs from the CD could follow that up the chart, such as “All I Ever Want” or “Get Out.”

In the meantime, Train will keep touring behind the CD with dates scheduled through September. Shows in Minneapolis, Chicago, San Francisco, and Cleveland (on Monday) have sold out.

Who knows? If enough Erie fans get inspired, the Tullio show could come close to a sellout by show time.