Last night at the tail end of a huge Jewish Federation banquet, at least 2/3 of the 1300 guests had left the cavernous Barker Hanger venue, the night was winding down, and it looked like nothing in the world would bring the dwindling crowd back to life.
Then Federation President Jay Sanderson took the mike and called the band Train onto stage.
And then, as the Man says, there was light.
Lead singer Pat Monhan started in on “Soul Sister,” and those who were left leapt to their feet and raced to the stage. The band ripped through all the hits, Soul Sister, “Marry Me,” “Drops of Jupiter,” “Calling All Angels,” and it was like music magic. Old Jews, young Jews, non-Jews, people who were fans (like me), people who wouldn’t know Train from Paul Anka, they turned into a frenzied tribe. It wasn’t clear Monahan knew where he was or who he was singing to—he thanked “the Jewish society”—but the man knows his craft. He bounces around the stage skinny as Jagger but a lot less threatening/druggy/wizened, and then jumped down into the crowd and posed for pictures as he sang, and just WORKED it.
Why is this a Howard Stern blog post? Because Train credits Howard with sticking by them when their carerre tanked, with constantly promoting them, with SAVING them. Howard has done deep, moving interviews with Pat, who I came to feel I knew through the show. Howard certainly turned a world of fans, like me, onto Train.
I iPhoned a bit of the finale, just so you can get a taste of how great the moment was.
Thanks, Howard.
