By photojournalist Dan Fernandez
Friday July 10, Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheater was due to host an evening filled with full sets showcasing the music of Matt Nathanson, Barenaked Ladies and Train. Mother Nature clearly had other plans, managing to turn an “evening of” into more of an “evening with”.
As I exited my car to lug my gear to the media room, I sent a foreboding text to a friend containing a photo of a giant cloud approaching with only “Uh-oh” as the caption. Well, uh-oh was correct as the storm that followed had the lot of us sheltering in place for near 3 hours. The good news, I made it safely to the media room, the bad news, man that room can get hot. Right around 8:45 word came in that the lightning had subsided and the show would go on. This presented a slight problem though, how could we fit a full bill into what was essentially a single set? The answer? Train took the lead peppering their biggest hits and their newer jams with special appearances from both Matt Nathanson and the entirety of Barenaked Ladies.
Train came out swinging with “She’s on Fire” followed by “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” during which Pat Monahan caught fans phones as they tossed them his way for a mid-song selfie. I am thoroughly impressed that not one of these flying phones got broken. After “If It’s Love”, “Whipping Boy” and “Calling All Angels” Train’s set led to one of their most recognizable songs, “Meet Virginia” which segway into a cover of “Country Road” that saw Barenaked Ladies join Train on stage for a quick 2 song jam. As Barenaked Ladies left the stage Matt Nathanson took to it joining Train for “Mad Dog in the Fog” and “Come on Get Higher.” After “Mississippi” and “Marry Me” fans were treated to a special appearance by Pat Monahan’s Daughter Rock joining the band on stage for a cover of Journey’s “Stone in Love” as well as “Save Me, San Francisco.” The guys wrapped up the show with a solid string of hits including “Angel in Blue Jeans”, “Hey Soul Sister” and a “Drive By/Hey Jude” cross before wrapping things up with none other than “Drops of Jupiter.”
Sure, I was really hyped to hear Barenaked Ladies perform “Brian Wilson”, but I have to say that hearing “If I Had a Million Dollars” live after all these years left me more than content. You must give it to the guys as they collectively worked together to make sure that, even if truncated, their fans would get a night to remember. The storm may have tried to ruin our good time, but the joke is on the weather this time as it led to a more intimate, unique formatting with cross jams that we otherwise may not have seen. Kudos to those who stuck it out, the show was more than worth the way.
