REO Speedwagon and Train rode out a typical Atlanta summer storm to entertain a sold-out Ameris Amphitheatre crowd in Alpharetta Saturday night.
The two bands come from distinctively different eras of pop, but in many ways, they are cut from the same DNA.
Neither act is a critic’s favorite. Neither has a realistic chance at being inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Both feature likable, charismatic lead singers.
REO Speedwagon, whose prime hit-making years were the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, own two No. 1 Billboard chart toppers and two more that landed in the top 10 but no Grammys. Train, which had its first hit in 1998 and several more over the next 25 years, has three top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits, no No. 1 songs and three Grammys.
And that’s OK. Both bands know how to create a catchy song. And both emanate a pleasant vibe perfect for an August night in Atlanta where the temps dropped 20 degrees in a matter of minutes when a storm quickly passed through at 6:30 p.m., delaying the concert by nearly an hour.
Credit: RODNEY HO/rh
Credit: RODNEY HO/rh
REO Speedwagon still managed to play its full 13-song set over 70 minutes, blending some deeper cuts (the wistful ”I Wish You Were There,” the grungier sounding 1972 song “Music Man”) with crowd-pleasing classic rock tunes with aphorisms fit for a fortune cookie like “Don’t Let Him Go,” “Keep Pushing” and “Roll With the Changes.”
Lead singer Kevin Cronin has always emoted joy on stage, and more than five decades after his band formed, he remains that happy-go-lucky dude who possesses little of the egomaniacal tendencies of his 1980s peers like Journey’s Steve Perry, Styx’s Dennis DeYoung and Chicago’s Peter Cetera. He even showed video of the band’s appearance on Live Aid, and Cronin’s glint of gee-whiz positivity has not changed one iota.
Early on, Cronin acknowledged the generational gap between his band and Train with a joke: “The reason Train was in favor of having us is because we draw a little bit of a young crowd.”
Then he noted: “I’m 72. But I feel like 22 baby! Here’s my secret. It’s simple: I wake up, put one foot in front of the other and live every moment.” Yep, his advice was just an intro for the band’s peppy minor 1984 song.
Cronin not only looks spirited: his voice sounds just as strong as it did in his MTV heyday. And though the band can rock, with plenty of sharp guitar solos and keyboard work, the band’s two cheesy No. 1 ballads got the crowd super excited: “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You.”
He gave due props to his band, which now includes no original members except him, though his guitarist Dave Amato (whom he dubs “The Shredmaster General”) has been with him since 1989. He noted how he nabbed his keyboardist Derek Hilland via a recommendation from Rick Springfield and plucked bassist Matt Bissonette from Elton John, who has retired from touring.
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc
After a 20-minute break, Train came on to the sound of a locomotive arriving at the station, about as literal an introduction a band could possibly make.
Pat Monahan, who could be a doppelgänger to actor Jason Bateman (they were born six weeks apart in 1969), didn’t waste any time with banter, aware that they started late. With understate charisma and a confidence of a world champion prize fighter, he barreled through a 16-song set packed with almost all of Train’s radio hits plus an emotive cover of Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control.”
He also gave props to Atlanta, where the band recorded three of its albums and many of its songs including “Get To Me.” “It feels like home,” he said.
Monahan is a master multitasker. During “If It’s Love,’ fans threw their phones on the stage and he took selfies, then flung them back into the crowd without missing a beat in the song. He then taped his own Reels-style video with the entire audience with his own phone.
He threw out oversized beach balls for fans to bat around during a high revving “Save Me, San Francisco.” He wore a goofy Train T-shirt during “Meet Virginia,” threw out several shirts in the crowd, then had his band sign the shirt he was wearing before giving that away as well. He jumped into the crowd during “Bruises” and had front-row fans sing along with him, then returned on stage and did the same with his band members.
Monahan, aware that all his songs have ties to other songs, interpolated familiar tunes by other artists into his hits. He ended “Drive By” with the chorus of Beatles’ “Hey Jude” and opened “Bruises” with the classic harmonics of the Eagles song “Seven Bridges Road.” He even teased a bit of Hozier’s recent No. 1 song “Too Sweet” during “Angels in Blue Jeans.” And Cronin came on to sing a bit of Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” with Monahan during “Meet Virginia.”
Train didn’t mess with the radio versions of their songs that people know and love, enabling them to sing along with gusto. The visual graphics and props (oversized suitcases) kept the entire evening light and frothy. And the earworms kept on coming, burrowing deep into the brain long after the concert was over.
The concert opener was an Atlanta group that covers REO Speedwagon’s time era, and while they do play original songs, is better known for its faithful covers: Yacht Rock Revue. They have been around 15 years and are now so popular they headline Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain at least once a year. (Their next Chastain concert is Oct. 5.) They opened last year for Kenny Loggins and have shared the stage with many of the acts they cover.
The band’s tight 40-minute, nine-song set included a mix of core songs they play almost every concert (Kenny Loggins’ “Heart to Heart,” Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street,” Toto’s “Africa,” Looking Glass’ “Brandy”), an original cowritten with Looking Glass lead singer Elliot Lurie (the summer-flecked “Tropical Illusion”), key Yacht Rock-era tunes (Michael McDonald’s “Sweet Freedom” and Exile’s “Kiss Me All Over”) and super familiar classic rock songs that resonate in a big shed like Ameris (Fleetwood Mac’s “You Make Lovin’ Fun” and Boston’s “More Than a Feeling”).
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
Credit: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com
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