It was a fantastic night at Musikfest 2019 as pop/rock giants Goo Goo Dolls with Train took the Wind Creek Steel Stage in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on August 6th! People sang loudly to the hits, the ladies screamed over the crooning of Pat Monahan of Train and over the heartfelt singing of Johnny Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls. It was just a memorable night that I won’t soon forget.
After Allen Stone took the stage, it was time for Train. Train is kind of known for their campfire, bubbly fun songs, but they also have some heartfelt songs and Pat Monahan and Train have achieved a whole new fanbase when their Led Zeppelin covers went viral on YouTube. This was in conjunction with the “Play That Song” tour and also Train supporting their latest record entitled “a girl a bottle a boat”. Train immediately got the crowd singing along with their opener entitled “Calling All Angels”. Fans immediately remember Train’s whimsical approach to music and how effortlessly they intertwine melody and their simplistic yet profound arrangements. Train interacts with the crowd and gets the crowd really engaged in singalongs making it feel like a campfire atmosphere. They have an innate ability to even make festival performances feel like intimate living room settings because of the way they connect with the crowd.
The crowd responded really well to cuts such as “Save Me San Francisco” and “Play That Song” off of their latest album and Train treated the crowd to some awesome covers such as “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys. They had a heartfelt tribute to their hero Tom Petty before they broke into a Tom Petty medley of “American Girl/Free Fallin'”. They also broke into a cover of “Under Pressure” by Queen featuring David Bowie and a medley of “Heartbreaker/Sweet Emotion” by Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith. These covers allowed the fans to learn about Train’s influences as they served as homages to their heroes of the past.
They invited Allen Stone on stage to sing “Bruises” with them which was a nice touch and they kept the part going when they broke into a partial cover of “In My Feelings” by Drake during their smash hit “Hey Soul Sister”. They closed off their co-headlining set with their monster smash hit “Drops of Jupiter” and the crowd was quite into the chorus of that classic song. Here is the setlist:
- Calling All Angels
- 50 Ways to Say Goodbye
- If It’s Love
- Get To Me
- Save Me, San Francisco
- Angel In Blue Jeans
- Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z/Alicia Keys cover)
- Bruises (with Allen Stone)
- Meet Virginia
- American Girl/Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty medley)
- When I Look To The Sky
- Marry Me
- Under Pressure (Queen/David Bowie cover)
- Drive By
- Hey, Soul Sister/In My Feelings (partial Drake cover)
- Play That Song
- Heartbreaker/Sweet Emotion(Led Zeppelin/Aerosmith medley)
- Drops of Jupiter
On Friday, February 14th, Train will be appearing on the Sail Across The Sun Cruise by Sixthman in Miami, Florida. For tickets and further information, click here.
Fans can find TRAIN at the following locations:
Goo Goo Dolls brought their songwriting and charisma to the Musikfest Stage as well. Their songs have captivated a generation and they were one of the few pop-rock bands of the 90’s and 00’s that were able to bend and cross genres due to their captivating songs and songs that people could relate to. I mean, who can forget them performing “Better Days” after Hurricane Katrina impacted New Orleans at the halftime of that New Orleans Saints NFL game(the game where Steve Gleason scored possibly one of the biggest touchdowns in Saints’ history). That performance left the audience in puddles of tears. Goo Goo Dolls left an impact after their set.
Their openers “Stay With You”, “Big Machine” and “Slide” got the crowd dancing and singing. Johnny Rzeznik has a charisma that is unmatched in the pop/rock scene. His good looks, his singing voice, and the twinkle in his eyes brought the audience into a frenzy. They spent some time hyping up their upcoming album release entitled “Miracle Pill” and going through their catalog of smash hits including “Here Is Gone”, “Black Balloon”, and “Name”. Their songs reminded us of when times seemed more simple and innocent and when social media consisted of spending time with one another instead of behind a computer screen miles apart.
They closed off the set with “Iris” and “Broadway”. It was a sweet reminder that music can still sound fresh after all of these years and that’s why Goo Goo Dolls are considered to be a timeless band. I loved their energy, enthusiasm, and you can tell they genuinely enjoyed the singalongs with the audience. Here is the setlist:
- Stay With You
- Big Machine
- Slide
- Rebel Beat
- Here Is Gone
- Black Balloon
- Free of Me
- So Alive
- Name
- Miracle Pill
- Bringing On The Light
- Over and Over
- Better Days
- Iris
- Broadway
Goo Goo Dolls have some dates coming up in support of “Miracle Pill”, including a one-off date providing support for Bon Jovi. Check out the dates below:
Wed. 10/2 Estadio Monumental U in Ate, Peru
Miracle Pill Tour:
Sat. 10/26- American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas
Sun. 10/27- Majestic & Empire Theatres in San Antonio, Texas
Tue. 10/29- Brady Theater in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Fri. 11/1- Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota
Sun. 11/3- Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines, Iowa
Tue. 11/5- Peoria Civic Center in Peoria, Illinois
Wed. 11/6- Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa
Fri. 11/8- Kalamazoo State Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Sat. 11/9- Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, Wisconsin
Sun. 11/10- Orpheum Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin
Tue. 11/12- Louisville Palace in Louisville, Kentucky
Wed. 11/13- Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama
Fri. 11/15- Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Sat. 11/16- Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee
Sun. 11/17- Gailliard Center in Charleston, South Carolina
Tue. 11/19- Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts in Richmond, Virginia
Fri. 11/22- Hershey Theatre in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Mon. 11/25- Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Canada
For tickets and further information, click here.
Fans can find GOO GOO DOLLS at the following locations:
- Photo Credit for Goo Goo Dolls & Train: Kim Casper at Garden State Band Connection
