Erie native Pat Monahan delights, Train plays to more than 4,000 at Erie Insurance Arena

From grandparents twirling their grandchildren, to groups of middle-aged women dancing in their seats, everyone was on their feet at Train's concert Saturday night.

More than 4,000 people came out to see Train perform at the Erie Insurance Arena for the first time since 2011. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Train's Drops of Jupiter album, many of the songs performed throughout the night were featured on that record.

Every guitar solo was met with an uproar of applause, and every reference to Erie from lead singer and Erie native Pat Monahan was met with praise from proud hometown residents.

Coming home:Monahan, Train pull back into town with show at Erie Insurance Arena

The opening band for Train, Vertical Horizon, played a 45-minute set, filling the ears of thousands with their first taste of live music in over a year.

Experiencing live music again is what Sue Lawrence was looking forward to the most after a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I'm just ready to listen to live music, for things to have some normalcy," the Fairview resident said.

While the arena was filled with Train super fans, it also included a number of people who had never seen Train live, including Lawrence and 17-year-old McDowell student Cade Fuchs.

"I love Train, all their songs" Fuchs said. "And Pat Monahan is a great singer, so I'm excited to see him live in concert."

At 9:15 p.m., sounds of train horns and wheels filled the arena, signaling to the crowd Train's long-awaited performance was underway.

As Monahan and fellow band members appeared on stage, they were greeted with thousands screaming in adoration, their phones capturing the oranges and yellows of lights illuminating Monahan as he opened the concert with "She's On Fire."

It wasn't long until Monahan took a couple minutes to chat with the audience, listing off facts from his early life in Erie. He shared his childhood home address, his old phone number and several local schools he attended, including Cathedral Preparatory School and McDowell High School.

Every Erie-related topic was met with astounding applause, and Monahan didn't sell his hometown short.

"I don't want to cry or anything but ... I just want you to know how proud I am to be from Erie," Monahan said. "For all you kids, you should be proud too. The people here will teach you how to get yourself through life better than any other people in the world."

After Monahan's shoutout to Erie, the energy in the arena was electric. Monahan and the band interacted with the audience throughout the entire concert, throwing free T-shirts and small and large beach balls into the crowd.

Fans went wild when Monahan took a jazz trip and broke out a saxophone for "Getaway." During his romantic ballad "Marry Me," a handful of couples around the arena could be seen slow dancing like no one was watching.

But just when fans thought the mood was slowing down, Train would pull out fast-paced hits like "50 Ways to Say Goodbye," "Drive By" or "Save Me, San Francisco."

Vicke Marz, who attended the concert with her husband Kevin Marz and her sister Valerie Bailey, is no stranger to the changing energies of Train concerts.

"(Monahan) is an entertainer," she said.

Vicke Marz has been to Train concerts in the past, but celebrated her 34th wedding anniversary and her upcoming birthday at this one.  

In true music concert fashion, strangers danced and sang with and to one another all over the arena, creating a community that had been lost for what has felt like a long time to many.

After an almost 90-minute set, Monahan and the rest of the band left the stage, but thousands of phone lights lit up the arena in hopes to bring them back for an encore. 

Of course, the cheering was answered. Train ended the night with its prolific song, "Drops of Jupiter," while thousands sang the lyrics back to Monahan.

It was an encore that fans and Erie residents will be talking about until Monahan and Train return to Erie.

Baylee DeMuth can be reached at 814-450-3425 or bdemuth@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @BayleeDeMuth.