Ravinia 2023 Issue 6

Above: Pat Monahan shares a vocal line with longtime Train bassist Hector Maldonado Left: Before Illinois native Jerry Becker became the rhythm guitarist and keyboard player for Train in 2007, the longest- tenured member after Monahan was the band’s tour manager for two years when they signed with Columbia in 1997. PREVIOUS SPREAD: BROOKE CLARK; THIS PAGE: BEN ZUCKER Special it was, as “Drops of Jupiter” went and cemented Train’s place in the musical landscape of 2001, following the band hitting a peak of success a year earlier with 1998’s “Meet Virgin- ia.” From January it steadily climbed to be the number-five song on the charts by June and a solid contender to be “song of the summer”—and then it also gave a world mourning the 9/11 attacks a place to musically get away if only for a little while. The mystical, deeply personal song went on to win two Grammy Awards. The band would go on to release a bevy of hits such as “Calling All An- gels,” “Marry Me,” and “Hey Soul Sis- ter,” which achieved RIAA Diamond status in 2021 and in 2022 surpassed one billion streams on Spotify. Nevertheless, the band that Mo- nahan would later refer to as “misfits who found each other” slowly began to disintegrate during their long, successful run. “Two guys had to be asked to leave, and two guys didn’t want to be here anymore,” says Monahan, who now serves as the last man standing from the original lineup of Train. “Because I wrote all these songs, you’re hear- ing the same guy sing them. You just have different people now helping me deliver.” But it’s those people—Hector Mal- donado (bass, vocals), Jerry Becker (keyboards, vocals), Taylor Locke (guitar, vocals), Matt Musty (drums), Sakai Smith (backup vocals), and Ni- kita Houston (backup vocals)—who have become the definitive lineup to Monahan. “I think we are definitely the version of this band that sounds the best,” he says of the group who recently dropped the single “I Know,” featuring award-winning singer, song- writer, and musician Tenille Townes and multi-platinum rapper and singer Bryce Vine. “Everybody in the band is really very talented, but also has become like family.” And it’s this adoration for one an- other that seems to be evident on each and every stage the multi-Grammy Award-winning band finds itself on. “You behave differently around family than you do people that you’re maybe not interested in spending time with,” admits Monahan, who has hinted at renewing collaboration with country singer Martina McBride in the coming months. “And so, the vibe is just love and appreciation, and I think people feel that in the audi- ence. Just the energy that we give each other by being together is what I think people respond to.” Having played Ravinia several times in the past, Monahan says the magic seeping from this venue contin- ues to mystify him and his band. “All the people in the seats in front of you are the only people you can see,” chuckles Monahan, who has released his 11th studio album with Train, 2022’s AM Gold , since he last too the festival’s main stage, nearly two years ago exactly. “And then there’s 10,000 people behind them that you can’t see [past the stage lights], but it’s really cool ’cause you can hear them.” And unlike some other places in which Monahan has gone to play his music, he always seems to know that Chicago fans are truly listening. “I think that’s another thing that is so beautiful about Chicago,” says Mo- nahan, who will make stops in nearly 50 cities, including the nearly biennial pull-in to Highland Park with his Train bandmates on August 30. “They could go listen to an album and have a picnic, but they come here and ex- perience live music because they want to be around their neighbors and their friends and family. It’s a gathering, and it’s really the heart of what live music is for, to bring people together. It’s an ancient tradition, and Chicago does it better than anybody.” So, if he was just the ordinary fan, would he be in the seats or in the Lawn? “Well, I used to not be able to afford a seat [anywhere], so I didn’t have a choice,” he laughs. “But now I’m spoiled, and I need to watch from the stage. But yeah, if my family’s there, I’d love to throw some blankets out and have some wine.” Tricia Despres is a Chicago-area freelance entertainment writer whose work has appeared in the Chicago Sun- Times , Taste of Country , People , and numerous local, regional, and national publications. Twitter: @CHIWriter “ THE ENERGY THATWE GIVE EACHOTHER BY BEING TOGETHER ISWHAT I THINK PEOPLE RESPOND TO. ” RAVINIA MAGAZINE • AUGUST 28 – SEPTEMBER 10, 2023 8