Wheatland California was on fire this evening as the summers hottest tour, Summer Road Trip 2024,  graced our presence. The tour lineup included iconic pop rock hit makers Train along with classic rock Giants REO Speedwagon and the amazing Yacht Rock Review.  They should have called the tour The Summer Mash Up Tour as all 3 bands shared the stage all through the night, collaborating on many songs throughout each bands set. It was a magical night of musical camaraderie, one the likes I have truly never seen.

Warming up the crowd up were the masters of Yacht Rock, The Yacht Rock Review.  Producing the easy listening rock sounds of the 70’s and 80’s, they opened with one of my favorite songs “Sweet Freedom” by Michael Mc Donald.  The vocals were perfect and were shared by several members of the band taking turns on lead.  Yacht Rock Review took the now growing crowd back to the easy breezy vibes of the 70’s with hits like “ I Want To Kiss You All Over” by Exile and ”Africa” by Toto.  They then flawlessly handled Boston’s “ More Than A Feeling”, hitting all the high notes made famous by the late great Brad Delp. I was super impressed with every song.  The highlight of their set (in my opinion) was their rendition of “Baker Street” by Gerry Rafferty.  I was super impressed with the saxophone player, David Freeman and the thunderous bass line that follows this song, played by the spectacular Greg Lee. Guitars and vocals were shared by Mark Dannells, Peter Olsen and Nicholas Niespodziani with Mark Cobb on drums with his impeccable timing.  I can’t wait to see this band again!

As the sun set to the West and the air began to cool, REO Speedwagon finally took the stage, starting out with “Don’t Let Her Go".  Next up was classic “Take It On The Run” and it was, well perfect.  Lead singer and original member Kevin Cronin offered fans an energetic enthusiasm and personal touch with each and every song that was welcomed by the REO faithful in attendance. Throughout the set, there were some deep cuts including  “Son Of A Poor Man” and “Music Man” intertwined in a set list full of hits. I was impressed by the crops of lead guitarist Dave Amato and the perfection of the rhythm section held down by Bryan Hitt on drums and Bruce Hall on bass. One of my favorites was “Roll With The Changes”, where the masterful keyboard skills of Derek Hilland shined.  Jerry Becker from Train also joined in on this song and made their final one of the evening one to remember.

Next up, Train took the stage, leading with my favorite song of theirs, ”Calling All Angels”.   Lead singer Pat Monahan made his way to the front off the stage, continuing on his tradition of taking selfies with fans cell phones.  I love that Monahan engages with the audience and makes Train's performances interactive.  Kevin Cronin joins Train for “Meet Virginia” as well as the Steve Miller classic, “The Joker". Train's amazing connection to the crowd bled out during their timeless hit of the 90’s, “Drops Of Jupiter”.  “Save Me San Francisco” made the set list (which was brilliant) as well as the final song of the night, the Eagles classic  “Hotel California”.  Members from all bands joined up for this song.  The guitar playing from Taylor Locke was stellar, sharing the outro lead with Jerry Becker and Dave Amato.  These guitars were simply on fire.

Bottom line, this evenings show was chock full of 1970’s soft rock jams, a set full of 1980’s rock anthems,  and pop rock hits from 1990’s and beyond.  With the this multi generational crowd at near capacity, everyone was taken back to their childhood and we all got a big dose of the ‘Nostalgic Feels' we all crave for.   I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer evening, and the show was truly one for the ages. The Summer  Road Trip Tour  has only a few dates left, but hopefully this tour will commence again next year.  Until then,  All hail Yacht, Pop, and Hard Rock!!