Ravinia 2025 Issue 4

PAVILION 7:30 PM SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2025 TRAIN with special guest EDWIN McCAIN † Edwin McCain –Intermission– Train † Ravinia debut EDWIN MCCAIN From Greenville, SC, Edwin McCain has been playing his hit songs worldwide for more than 30 years. Called a “streetcorner prophet” by USA Today , an “aching tenor” by Slate , and a “great American romantic” by the New York Times , he rides a career wave created by recording two of the biggest love songs in the history of music (“I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask For More”), produc- ing and starring in a TV series ( Flippin’ Ships on Animal Planet), and performing his songs and spinning stories. McCain recently slowed his road schedule to dedicate more time to life alongside his wife and their three young teenagers, but since 2024 he has been back at full throttle to sate fans who have been clamoring for more. Not that his music has ever slowed down— American Idol and The Voice contestants turn to McCain’s ballads every year to help them win over judges and fans. Millions more have been turned on to his catalogue by pop icons Justin Bieber and Charlie Puth, who have both covered his hit songs. McCain is back with Lucky , his first album of new songs in 15 years. Produced by Lee Brice, Lucky features classic McCain songwriting and soulful performances, as well as guest vocal appearances by Brice, Matt Ramsey of Old Dominion, and Rebecca Lynn Howard. Edwin McCain is making his Ravinia debut. TRAIN Train formed in San Francisco in 1994 and quickly moved from coffeehouse shows to na- tional tours, tenaciously building toward their eponymous debut record in 1998. A year later, “Meet Virginia” climbed the charts, reaching number two on the Billboard Top 40 and 15 on the Hot 100, putting the album on track for plat- inum sales. Compounding Train’s success, their sophomore album Drops of Jupiter (2001) went multi-platinum and peaked at number six, fea- turing the Grammy-winning title track “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me),” which itself was certified gold while sitting atop the Top 40 and remaining on the chart for over 40 weeks. My Private Na- tion followed in 2003, also going platinum and reaching number six, and found its greatest suc- cess with the single “Calling All Angels,” which similarly became gold certified and a num- ber-one Top 40 hit. Subsequent singles “When I Look to the Sky” and “Get to Me” also became Top 40 hits, reaching numbers nine and six, re- spectively. For Me, It’s You was released in 2006 and reached number 10 with “Cab” coming in as a number-nine Top 40 single. Following a three- year hiatus, Train surged to the top of the pop charts with “Hey, Soul Sister” off the album Save Me, San Francisco . The single won a Grammy and became the group’s first worldwide top-10 hit since “Drops of Jupiter.” A pair of top-five al- bums followed: California 37 appeared in 2012, featuring another worldwide top-10 single in “Drive By,” as well as the hits “50 Ways to Say Goodbye” and “Bruises,” and the country-in- flected single “Angel in Blue Jeans” advanced 2014’s Bulletproof Picasso . Train paid homage to Led Zeppelin’s second album in 2016, re-creating the landmark collection in its entirety in concert and on record, with all album proceeds going to charity. The band’s 10th studio album (and sixth top-10), a girl, a bottle, a boat , preceded by the multiplatinum single “Play That Song,” was released in early 2017. Along with standalone singles like “Mai Tais” (2019) with Skylar Grey, “I Know” (2023) with Tenille Townes and Bryce Vine, and “Long Yellow Dress” (2024), Train has released the studio album AM Gold (2022) and a live recording of their debut in London’s Royal Albert Hall. Train first appeared at Ravinia in 2010 and tonight returns for its seventh season at the festival. RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JULY 21 – AUG. 3, 2025 74 JASPERGRAHAM(TRAIN)