Photos by Andy Argyrakis

San Fransisco’s pop/rock favorites Train are no strangers to Ravinia, including the enormous “Drops Of Jupiter” collection’s 20th anniversary celebration just a couple years ago, but the band is finally back to making fresh music, dropping the “AM Gold” album in the interim.

The project marks Pat Monahan and company’s first of entirely original material in five years, though when the title track kicked off their current visit, plus the even fresher “I Know” a little later, it was apparent they are as radio-ready as ever.

In fact, practically everything Train touched throughout 90 minutes was a bonafide smash, from “Meet Virginia,” cleverly combined with Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker,” to “Angel In Blue Jeans,” “Bruises” and “Save Me, San Francisco,” enhanced by the bounce of several beach balls.

During them all, the longtime leader posed for selfies, tossed out a signed T-shirt and whimsically interacted with the all ages audience, while the musicians chugged along, matching if not surpassing the steam of when the group was getting started in the late 1990s.

However, Train repeatedly transcended time, especially when it came to textbook ballads “Play That Song,” “Marry Me” and “Calling All Angels,” wrapped around Journey’s “Faithfully,” or the colossal sing-a-longs “Hey, Soul Sister,” spiced up with Redbone’s “Come And Get Your Love,” and “Drive By,” which featured a bit of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude.”

Fans also got a glimpse of another formative influence come the Eagles’ “Hotel California,” followed by the spine-chilling anthem “Drops Of Jupiter” just as the actual train was pulling into the Ravinia station to offer anyone who bought a ticket a free ride home.

Beforehand, Parmalee turned in 45 minutes of country chart-toppers and covers, including The Killers “Mr. Brightside” blurring into “Girl Is Mine,” Usher’s “Yeah” and singer Matt Thomas joining Train for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ “American Girl.”

Yet it was the openers’ own career-defining cuts, such as “Take My Name” and “Carolina,” that made the most impact and fit right in line with all the other modern classics to come.

For additional information on Train and Parmalee, visit SaveMeSanFrancisco.com and ParmaleeMusic.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Ravinia include Brandi Carlile (Aug. 31); Carrie Underwood (Sept. 1-2) and Shakti (Sept. 3). For additional details, visit Ravinia.org.

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