Ramblin' On

Wildest Rodeo concert ever? Train brings running singing, sexy Trainettes, SoulSister & Zeppelin

Train lead singer Patrick Monahan got up close and personal with the crowd atthe Houston Rodeo.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Patrick Monahan brought a band of Trainettes onto the stage to . . . um, dance.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
Train's Patrick Monahan took off his shirt to get "romantic."
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
He snapped cell phone pictures of the crowd and promised to tweet them later.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com
The rest of Train even got in on the guitar fun.
Photo by © Michelle Watson/CatchLightGroup.com

I’ve always had a weakness for Train’s play-on-words and cheeky rhyming, so it was a word nerd’s paradise at Friday night's Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo show. Gone were the shiny silver pants Train lead singer Patrick Monahan donned for a Grammy appearance and instead, the whole band embraced their urban cowboy in front of 63,599 at Reliant Stadium.

The radio-friendly band kicked off with "If It’s Love," taking pictures of the crowd and promising to tweet them later, followed by "Meet Virginia" and "Drive By."

It clearly takes some work to sing, run and shake hands simultaneously and it was endearing.

Proving there’s some Led Zeppelin in every band, Monahan did an impressive turn at "Ramble On" (turns out he led a tribute band) and, much to the delight of old school Journey and teen Glee fans, moved into "Don’t Stop Believin", proving if you’re going to do covers, go big.

Monahan ran along the fence singing, and while he gets points for interacting with the crowd, somewhere his vocals were making Steve Perry wish he’d run away with Michaele Salahi instead of Neal Schon.

"She’s On Fire" started out a little bit pop but wound up a lot country. Monahan threw his black cowboy hat into the crowd and announced he also wanted to give away his guitar. Moments later, a dozen Texas cuties in Trainettes T-shirts filed onto the stage for an interactive interlude.

In the moments that followed, it became apparent Monahan needs his own variety show. He asked the group to dance while "Burn Baby Burn" played, but unfortunately, it seemed only two girls he deemed “Funky Spice” and “Sexy Trainette” got the memo and he bantered with the crowd about the lack of oomph on the stage.

“I don’t know where we got these girls,” he said to the crowd, which led to a dance-off, followed by the entire group attempting to mimic Monahan sing "Hey, Soul Sister." Sexy Trainette won that battle of the voice, but if it’s any consolation Funky Spice, the crowd totally thought you nailed it.

"Calling All Angels" and "Save Me, San Francisco" followed and after asking the crowd if they wanted to get romantic, Monahan slipped on a white T-shirt that said “Marry Me” in neon pink and zipped back out into the crowd. It clearly takes some work to sing, run and shake hands simultaneously and it was endearing. He’s a generous fellow and at the end of the song, he signed the shirt, throwing it into the audience.

"Hey, Soul Sister" was a good old-fashioned sing-a-long and the crowd ate it up, but when the first few notes of "Drops of Jupiter" played, Train fans responded with “heeey, heeeeeaaaay” and sang the rest of the song with the band.

Monahan is personable, engaging, funny and, when not racing around the floor of the rodeo, a talented singer. Especially when he references Winger and rhymes downward spiral with viral.

unspecified series568664023

Concert News

R&B singer Kehlani brings world tour to Houston this summer

Kehlani/Facebook

Kehlani is going on tour in support of her new self-titled album.

R&B singer Kehlani is hitting the road on the Kehlani World Tour: North America in late summer. She'll be making a stop in The Woodlands on September 13

The 33-stop tour starts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 6 and ends in San Francisco, California, on October 3. It also stops in two other Texas cities: Austin on September 15 and Dallas on September 16. All three Texas dates will feature special guests Durand Bernarr, Isaia Huron, TheArti$t, and Waseel.

Kehlani is a two-time Grammy winner who is known for her highly choreographed tours. Her new album, Kehlani, debuted April 23, 2026, at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart. A press release names this the biggest debut for a woman artist's R&B album this year. She also boasts 2x Platinum certification for "Folded," a single that came out nearly a year ago.

The new album is Kehlani's first since her 2024 mixtape, While We Wait 2.

Tickets will begin with an artist presale Wednesday, May 27, at 10 am. There will be additional presales throughout the week. The general on-sale begins Friday, May 29, at 10 am at kehlaniworldtour.com. A partnership with Plus1 sets aside $1 from each ticket for the Kehlani Fund by Live Nation.

Kehlani World Tour Dates:

Thu Aug 6 - Minneapolis, MN - The Armory
Fri Aug 7 - Milwaukee, WI - Landmark Credit Union Live *
Sun Aug 9 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Mon Aug 10 - Indianapolis, IN - Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park
Thu Aug 13 - Detroit, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre
Fri Aug 14 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
Sun Aug 16 - Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre
Mon Aug 17 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
Wed Aug 19 - Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
Fri Aug 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
Sun Aug 23 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Wed Aug 26 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Thu Aug 27 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Sat Aug 29 - Richmond, VA - Allianz Amphitheater at Riverfront
Mon Aug 31 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Tue Sep 1 - Charlotte, NC - Truliant Amphitheater
Thu Sep 3 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
Fri Sep 4 - Birmingham, AL - Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Tue Sep 8 - Nashville, TN - Nashville Municipal Auditorium
Thu Sep 10 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Fri Sep 11 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sun Sep 13 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Supported by Huntsman
Tue Sep 15 - Austin, TX - Germania Insurance Amphitheater
Wed Sep 16 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
Fri Sep 18 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
Sun Sep 20 - Albuquerque, NM - First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater
Mon Sep 21 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Wed Sep 23 - San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
Thu Sep 24 - Inglewood, CA - Intuit Dome
Sat Sep 26 - Portland, OR - Theater of the Clouds
Sun Sep 27 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
Tue Sep 29 - Vancouver, BC - Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
Sat Oct 3 - San Francisco, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre

*Without Durand Bernarr

live music concerts

Ramblin' On

Wildest Rodeo concert ever? Train brings running singing, sexy Trainettes, SoulSister & Zeppelin

10 things to know in Houston food: Openings, closings, and chefs get spicy

7 Houston neighbors make U.S. News list of best places to live in 2026

Grey's Anatomy spins off new medical drama led by Houston-born showrunner

Concert News

R&B singer Kehlani brings world tour to Houston this summer