Grand Prairie, Texas, October 3, 2007 Options

[crazy1]

Collective Soul, Live demonstrate post-grunge flair
POP REVIEW: Soul, Live demonstrate post-grunge flair
11:25 AM CDT on Thursday, October 4, 2007
By MARIO TARRADELL / Music Critic
GRAND PRAIRIE You gotta love Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland's self-deprecating humor. Early in his band's set Wednesday night at Nokia Theatre, he stopped singing long enough to say, "We're here to perform all those tunes you've heard way too many times."
He knows what fans pay for, doesn't he? With his four band mates, including younger brother Dean, Mr. Roland offered a little something from all seven studio albums, including the new disc Afterwords.
Collective Soul is touring with high-drama rockers Live and former Tonic lead singer Emerson Hart. Live was the evening's headliner, but deadlines allowed us to catch only its first three songs. Ed Kowalczyk and company started heavy though, bulldozing through "Selling the Drama," "The River" and "Iris," which went from moody to frenetic. Group drummer Chad Gracey pounded them skins with emboldened fury. Georgia-formed Collective Soul doesn't pack the anthemlike bite that characterizes Live. In fact, the Soul makes palatable rock with pop melodies and plenty of meaty hooks to sing all day long. But these musical entities have a couple of things in common. First, both emerged in the early '90s, just as the Seattle grunge sound all but defined by Nirvana began its stronghold on the American public. Live and Collective Soul took elements from grunge the hefty fuzz tone of drums, bass and guitars as well as the penchant for booming, angst-ridden choruses then mixed them with U2-laced earnestness and Foreigner-fueled radio friendliness, respectively. It's easy to see (and hear) why Collective Soul has endured even after its commercial heyday. Onstage the energetic Mr. Roland, who loves to dance with the microphone stand, lent his potent vocals to his musical buddies' competent batter of guitars, bass and drums.
They spit out songs so instantly memorable "Run," "The World I Know," "December," "Shine" – that you couldn't help but join the party. And they're still doing it. Now an independent ensemble that records on its own label, El Music Group, Collective Soul continues pouring out the goods. "Better Now," a cool rocker that had the crowd of 2,400 singing along, comes from 2004's Youth. The sprightly "Hollywood," the groovy "All That I Know" and the catchy "I Don't Want Anymore Friends" are all from Afterwords. They fit in seamlessly.
So did Mr. Hart, who had the unenviable position of opening act. He and his four players turned in a solid 30-minute set. Most of the cuts were from his solo debut, Cigarettes & Gasoline, including the poppy single "If You're Gonna Leave."
But of course the audience erupted in approval when he launched into "If You Could Only See," his former band Tonic's big radio hit. It gave his stint some familiarity.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...n1.425dcdb.html

This post has been edited by crazy1: Oct 5 2007, 6:36 am

[crazy1]

Got this setlist from FOL, don't know how accurate it is

I Alone
Waitress
The River
Iris
Operation Spirit
Lakini's Juice
Stood Up for Love
Beauty of Gray
Dance with You
Lightning Crashes
Heaven
Walk the Line

[Guest_Cindy_*]

Got this setlist from FOL, don't know how accurate it is

I Alone
Waitress
The River
Iris
Operation Spirit
Lakini's Juice
Stood Up for Love
Beauty of Gray
Dance with You
Lightning Crashes
Heaven
Walk the Line

Setlist includes pretty much everything I remember but is way out of order - Walk the line was much closer to the beginning. I could have handled a few more songs of course, but it was a really great show.