Concert Critique: Train, The Fray, and Matt Nathanson

As many of you have probably noticed, I love going to concerts. I love listening to live music, the energy from the crowd, the food and drink that accompany them.

After my most recent concert, I got in the car and started chatting about the show when my brother told me that I sound like a concert critic. Then I realized, why not critique the concerts? I go to so many; I have a lot to compare to. So I’ve decided to add Concert Critiques to my blog.

The most recent concert I attended was Sunday night (6/28) at Jiffy Lube Live. My brother and I bought my dad concert tickets for Father’s Day. We saw Matt Nathanson, The Fray, and Train (in that order)!

What did I think of the concert? It was amazing! All three artists were so good. I probably would have gone to see any of these three individually, so when I found out they were touring together it was a no brainer!

Matt Nathanson is definitely an entertainer. He not only has a great voice, but also throws in some dance moves and jokes. He likes to chat with the crowd and get them engaged with him by clapping, singing, etc. This was my second time seeing Matt (I also saw him at Wolftrap with Gavin DeGraw), and I find him hilarious.

The Fray was also great. I just love Isaac Slade’s voice. It’s so unique and powerful. I also love that he (as well as the other members of the group) played the piano and other instruments while singing. These people are real musicians.

Lastly, Train… Amazing. I forgot how many hits they have and how much I love their music. They admitted that after 21 years it’s hard to come up with a set list, and I can’t even imagine. With that being said, they did a great job of playing their top hits and a few others as well. I think I knew every single song but maybe one. They also had an awesome light show during their performance, which made it really appealing. Patrick Monahan not only has some PIPES on him, but also had a great drum performance at one point. They were just full of light and energy.

All three of these artists have amazing vocals and sounded just like they do on their CDs. All of them interacted with the crowd throughout, and even came out into the stands to give high fives and take selfies. I heard all of the songs I wanted to hear from all of them and wasn’t disappointed a bit.

I was also super thrilled with the experience at Jiffy Lube. This was our first time paying for premiere parking and I HIGHLY recommend it. We paid $35 in cash when we got there (normally you should buy them in advance but by the time we learned about the option advanced selling was over), and got primetime tailgating. We didn’t wait in any line and were in the parking lot and out of our car within five minutes. We were able to back up into a grassy area with a picnic table and use that for our tailgate. But the biggest advantage of this premiere parking was after the concert. We were able to stay for every song including the encore (usually I’d leave before/during the encore to beat the rush of people) and then head to the premiere lot which is closest to the entrance/exit. We had our own special exit with only the other premiere cars, so we were out in about 5 minutes. YEP I said it. Out of Jiffy Lube Live in about 5 minutes. I’ve sat in that parking lot for hours trying to leave before. What a different experience.

Also, I’m pretty sure this was my first time sitting in actual seats at Jiffy Lube. I figured since it was a gift for my dad we’d splurge a little bit more, and I’m so glad we did. First off, the lawn was muddy from all the rain the few nights before, so that wouldn’t have been fun to sit on. Also, the view was so much better from the seats, and we had the ability to sit whenever we wanted (and not kill our butts/backs in the process). It was also perfect since there were only three of us; it was easy to still talk with each other. I know that I will definitely venture back out to the lawn sometime soon, when it involves a bigger group and a little more drinking, but for this occasion seats were perfect.

Overall – amazing show and experience!