Concert Review: Collective Soul 4/12/05

A couple of months ago I was checking upcoming concert listings, and what did I see? Collective Soul was paying a visit. I had no idea that these guys were still around, much less touring. I quickly found that they have also released a new album. Anyway, I remember liking them a lot back in the early and mid 1990's, when they had a string of hits. They always had a unique sound which helped them stand out from other bands in the genre. So, I of course decided that I must see them.

I got to the club just as the doors were opening, bumping into a friend and his girlfriend in the process, we made out way to the line and waited for the inevitable carding and pat down at the door. Once inside, we made our way to a pretty good vantage point, maybe 15-20 feet from center stage. We talked music until the lights dimmed signalling the start of the show.

There must have been some scheduling change, the advertised opening act was called Low Millions, but they were not the band that was taking the stage. The band was called North Allen from just outside of Albany, NY. I must admit, I thought they were a decent band. They sounded like a cross between like Better Than Ezra, or The Lemonheads, crossed with the Dave Matthews Band. They are a five piece act featuring both electric and acoustic guitars. When they first started playing, I was a bit, shall we say, non-plussed. The band was tight, but the singer could use a charisma injection and his voice was a touch to the mumbly side. But as their set went on, they won over the crowd, including me. Their confidence grew, and they loosened up, and it did wonders for their performance. They each had some solo segments, the most impressive being the bass player, who when let go on his own shone brightly, there were some nice guitar licks as well. The best part of the set came towards the end with an extended jam which used portions of "All Along the Watchtower" and "Stairway to Heaven." In the end, they were quite impressive, and I was happy that they had almost an hour to develop the performance.

Now, the moment the we'd all been waiting. At approximately 9:40 the house music died out and the lights dimmed, the crowd erupted. One by one, Collective Soul took to the stage and the real show began. I have to start with my closing reactions, "Wow." This show was better than I had hoped for, it completely changed my outlook of the band. I always liked what I heard, I liked the pop-rock radio-friendly sound they produced, I also loved how within those confines they created a sound that was unique and stood out from the rest of the crowd. There were a number of songs that I did not recognize, I only listened to them sporadically after their first two albums. That said, I am glad at the number of tracks that I did recognize. They even did a great cover of The Who's Squeeze Box. They played all the old hits, "December," "Gel," "Heavy," "The World I Know," and the rest.

There performance was not what I had envisioned. I always saw them as a more sedate live act, just by the sound, instead what was delivered was a very high energy and fun band that was not afraid to show it. At any given moment you could look on stage and get a variety of rock cliches, not a criticism, more a sign of fun. Joel Kosche, the lead guitar player had the classic legs spread crouch, wielding the guitar like a weapon. Guitar player Dean Roland with the long slung guitar and laid back attitude. Will Turpin, clutching his bass, hanging out in the background, occasionally venturing forward on the stage. Shane Evans keeping the beat going on the drum kit. Then there is frontman Ed Roland, prowling the stage like a hyperactive child. He claimed to be sick, but you would never guess it by how good his voice sounded, or by how he was running around the stage or batting his mic stand around. The energy emanating from the stage was incredible, the band was tight and you could tell they were having a blast. More than that was the reaction from the crowd, they were cheering (me included) as if they were still at the tops of the charts. Ed and crew fed off of this energy and he reacted to it, thanking us for the applause, and unlike some acts I've seen, it felt genuine.

A number of times Ed would mention that the new album was out and it was very good, and after hearing some of those new songs, I am inclined to believe him. He led the crowd in sing alongs, and noticing some AC/DC shirts got the band to start playing some of "Highway to Hell," it's a shame that they didn't play some more of it, but it was still fun.

At the end of their set, Ed got us singing part of "Better Now," and as the song ended and they left the stage, the crowd kept singing, all the way until they returned for the encore, "Shine." Like I mentioned before, this was a lot better than I had expected and the crowd was larger and more involved than I had expected. This combination of great performance, great crowd, and the small club atmosphere all combined to make one hell of a night!

Collective Soul is back, and I am hoping to stay. This show was a great reintroduction to a band that had disappeared for awhile. I can also only hope that they decide to pay another visit, I am sure the reaction would be the same. If you get a chance to see them, do not pass it up.

Setlist (not complete, if you have one that is more complete, please let me know!):
Counting
Listen
December
Heavy
Sister Don't Cry
Precious
Squeeze Box (The Who)
Perfect to Stay
Run
Heaven's Skies
Highway to Hell (AC/DC, intro only)
Gel
The World I Know
Satellite
Why Pt. 2
Home
Better Now

Encore:
Shine

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