Meghan Trainor’s ‘Timeless Tour’ Triumphs: How Her Voice & Live Show Returned Stronger Than Ever

After wrapping up “The Untouchable Tour” in 2016, Meghan Trainor prepared to undergo her second vocal chord surgery. In the leadup to the procedure, she worried about what would result, fearing she’d never be able to sing again. While the surgery was successful, the pop star felt it was best to take a pause from the road.

Following her vocal surgery, she had to remain silent for weeks in order to prevent further strain on her vocal cords and the idea of taking the stage again became a daunting task. She turned her focus toward her relationship with actor Daryl Sabara and her personal life, but still Trainor continually thought about whether she’d one day be able to tour again.

Since then, she got married and had two children. She worked with a new vocal coach and she discovered better ways to take care of her voice. In all, it took eight years for Trainor to feel ready to hit the road.

“We worked really hard in every category,” Trainor, now 30, says. “With my voice, especially. I got a new vocal coach, I’ve been training it like it’s at the gym. I talk higher because it’s safer and it has really changed my life. I used to not be able to get through a tour without surgery, and now my voice feels stronger than ever. I also make sure to stay away from really acid-y foods.”
The preparation for Trainor’s “Timeless Tour,” which supports her sixth studio album, Timeless, released via Epic Records June 7, was rigorous. Her vocal cords were at the top of mind for both Trainor and her management, Full Stop Management’s Tommy Bruce and Sali Kharazi.

“Meghan started rehearsal back in August,” Kharazi says. “It started as dance rehearsals and then moved up to production rehearsals where we built the stage and lights in a room and practiced it full out. We even did a friends and family show where we were like, let’s run it for real and pretend it’s happening. That was the preparation. This is Meghan’s first tour in almost eight years, and the last two both ended with vocal surgeries. We’ve been very cautious about how much she warms up her voice and taking care of her instrument. That’s been a big part of the preparation. She’s been doing her warmups very diligently, working with a vocal coach to make sure she’s taking care of her voice.”

Throughout the tour rehearsals, Trainor remained vigilant on preserving her vocal cords. She went about her tour rehearsals an entirely different way, singing only certain parts of songs she was genuinely practicing and otherwise dancing the routine through. She avoided interviews and unnecessary speaking and regularly saw her doctor, Dr. Anca Barbu, who performed her surgery.

The vocal surgeries weren’t the only thing keeping Trainor off the road for so many years. She remained represented by CAA throughout her time off touring, performing private events. In 2019, there were plans to have her be direct support for Maroon 5 on their stadium tour, but those were scrapped with the pandemic. She continued to connect with her fanbase through social media (particularly on TikTok) and with her podcast she co-hosts with her brother, with her husband also joining, “Workin’ On It with Meghan Trainor & Ryan Trainor.” Though she wasn’t performing on stage for her fans, she remained in the limelight. And, with so many young fans who had yet to see her perform, her demand only increased. While online support doesn’t always translate to hard tickets, her team was hopeful that they’d be able to have a successful tour.

Her team didn’t solidify the trek until early 2024, providing her with two options for what the “Timeless Tour” could look like. The first was eight shows sprinkled throughout the U.S., allowing Trainor more balance. The other option was a 26-date run throughout amphitheaters and arenas — marking her biggest tour yet. Trainor decided if they were going to hit the road, they might as well do it fully and commit. Despite the short notice, her team was still able to snag dates at top-rated venues that often book out far in advance, including Morrison, Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, New York’s Madison Square Garden and Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum.

The “Timeless Tour” was 98% sold out, with an average gross of $527,068 and 163,927 tickets sold per night, based on 17 reports submitted to Pollstar Boxoffice. Her Sept. 25 show at Madison Square Garden was the highest-grossing reported date from her tour, bringing in nearly $1.2 million with 12,469 tickets sold. Other stand-outs from the tour include an Oct. 5 show at Rosemont, Illinois’ Allstate Arena that sold 10,253 tickets and grossed $788,010 and a Sept. 28 stop at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage that sold 15,857 tickets and grossed $680,189.

Trainor and her family piled into the tour bus, where she brought her husband, two kids, parents and two brothers along on the road. Five buses and six trucks joined them. Her brothers tagging along made perfect sense for the tour, with Ryan serving as Trainor’s hypeman before she takes the stage with a quick DJ set and Justin having helped Trainor with her show, working on the sound and music for her so she could perform without a band. Both her brothers have writing credits and sing background on Timeless, along with her parents and husband supplying background vocals.

“We’re not massive, but we definitely have a lot of hands on deck,” Kharazi says.

Between shows, Trainor would take her children out to see local attractions, and she worked as an active mom up until the moment before showtime. She’d read her children bedtime stories and tuck them in, rushing to the stage to kick off her show with “Mother.”

Kharazi notes Trainor not having her family on tour with her was never an option, as the singer didn’t want to be away from her two young children for seven weeks.

“I always looked at it like my Olympics,” Trainor says. “That’s going to be the hardest work of my life. I have two small children on the road, how am I going to sleep? How am I going to survive this? All of us, my family, my husband, we were preparing for the tour and having panic attacks left and right, just freaking out. And now we’re here and we’re crushing it. Who knew? We’re pleasantly surprised. We’ve gone to every children’s museum there ever was. My kids are having so much fun. My husband looked at me the other night and was like, ‘Dude, we’re crushing it.’”

The “Timeless Tour” wasn’t just a family affair for Trainor, but the show was curated to be that way for her fans, known as Megatronz. In the crowd, countless families dressed up in royal blues to match Trainor’s album cover and tour theme. Moms and dads with their pre-teen kids danced and sang along.

The team largely stuck to outdoor venues, pricing tickets so families could attend together. Trainor’s agent, Kasey McKee at CAA, ensured that when determining which venues Trainor would play.

“We wanted to do mostly outdoors, if possible,” McKee says. “But we also knew she really wanted to play Madison Square Garden and Kia Forum, that those were very important venues for her. And she sold them out. We were very happy and excited for her. But then we chose a time period because she’s obviously a pop star and she dances and there’s makeup, so doing that in the heat of summer wasn’t going to be ideal. We decided to have the tour start in September and run through October rather than July and August when it’s 100 degrees everywhere. It helped us price the ticket at the point where the families can go. In most of the markets, the top price was $99.50, because we wanted to make sure there were $39 and $50 options so families could afford to go with their kids.”

While there were some nerves before putting the “Timeless Tour” on sale, as eight years off the road is considered a lifetime for many artists, Trainor’s team was confident she could do it. Kharazi emphasized Trainor’s kindness, noting it opened doors with promoters and venues to want to take a shot with her.

“Meghan’s authenticity is what truly sets her apart,” says Tara Traub, SVP of Global Touring at Live Nation, who promoted the tour. “The honesty she brings to social media and her podcast seamlessly carries over to the stage – it’s a true reflection of who she is both on and off stage. Beyond being an amazing singer, songwriter and performer, her genuine connection with the audience is evident in every moment, and having a setlist full of hits definitely keeps her fans dancing!”

Paul Russell, Chris Olsen, Ryan Trainor and Natasha Bedingfield served as the opening acts on select dates of Trainor’s tour, with Russell joining throughout the trek. Bedingfield performed at Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Kia Forum. The show featured backing tracks and dancers, with Trainor rigorously training to provide fans with the full pop star experience.
“I couldn’t afford a band, so I had to decide between a band and dancers,” Trainor admits. “And I wanted to dance. I wanted to put on a show, and I’ve never felt better. I’ve never looked better. I wanted to be a dancer. So, I asked for six dancers (eight at the big, big shows). So I knew my whole show had to be tracks. And my younger brother, Justin Trainor, who produced a lot of these songs sat with me for weeks and built the coolest show ever. He nailed it. He came to rehearsal every day, I’ve never seen him work harder in his life.”

The visuals for the tour also highlight Trainor’s family, videos of her with her husband and children projected before she dives into her single “Timeless,” which features themes of wanting to live forever. “We want everyone to cry when they see my family up there,” she says.

Traub adds, “The ‘Timeless Tour’ is one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever been a part of – from the moment you step into the venue until Meghan leaves the stage. Her fans are some of the most inclusive, energetic and inspiring people to be around – a tone that Meghan herself sets. It’s also heartwarming to see families spanning across multiple generations enjoying the concert together. Many fans attend their very first concert with their parents and grandparents!”

With Trainor off the road for so many years, she hadn’t been able to connect with her fans in a real way. For her and her team, the show alleviated all their worries on whether fans would want to see her or if her voice could hold up.

“She hasn’t gotten to experience this in so long that it’s been so special for her to see,” Kharazi says. “Obviously, you see these things translate online or on the charts or radio. But it’s different than having your own show where people purchase tickets to come and specifically see you and sing your songs. Then, on top of that, it’s one thing to buy a ticket and commit your time to an artist, but to then plan cute outfits inspired by what she’s worn or the theme of the album and make your own signs – it’s really special. Our favorite thing has just been looking out into the crowd and spotting what people have been wearing. They look like they’re having the best time singing and dancing with their friends. It’s a very positive atmosphere. It all feels like one big group and one big warm hug.”