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CONCERT REVIEW: Roland's Electrifying Concert Loses to Lame Crowd
From: U-WIRE | Date: 10/4/2007
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By Jordan Overturf
The Daily Cougar ( U. Houston )

(U-WIRE) HOUSTON -- "Whoa! Heaven let your light shine down." Ed Roland, lead singer of Collective Soul, couldn't have said it better. The band played its closing number halfway through Tuesday night's concert at the Verizon Wireless Theater, and fans eagerly awaited the arrival of Live. The newly solo Emerson Hart opened the show with a packed half-hour set mixed with new goodies and old favorites. Hart was received with mediocre enthusiasm from one of the lamest audiences I have ever been a part of. It's a shame, too: Hart's confidence amplifies his sense of ease on stage. The front half of about 300 people acted with some exuberance, bouncing to fresh pop melodies and up-tempo rock. It was clear that it took Hart pulling out "If You Could Only See," a Tonic tune, for people to realize "who the hell he sounds like." As more people began to file in, I began to realize that this is the first concert at which I have felt out of place. I anticipated a show with people about eight to 15 years older than me. The audience was mostly made up of this group, but with an influx of people I could call my parents. This perplexing combination and lackluster crowd cheapened the great performances from all three of the bands. But for the die-hard fans, there was no chance of being brought down on this night. As Collective Soul took the stage, what was once a nervous tension transitioned rapidly into the purest form of positive energy: great music. There was a wild, blue canvas backdrop, and in the middle was a spiral that would casually interact with the vibrant light show. Imprinted eerily behind the spiral, there was a giant, shadowy tree of life. "Where the River Flows" came railing out of the amplifiers. Roland was running around the stage, whipping his mic stand around and doing the strangest form of jazz hands that I have ever seen. The band's attitude on stage was at points more energetic than the crowd's and was similar to organized recklessness. For the band, it was all about the show and having a great time.However, when Collective Soul began to break into cuts from the new record, Afterwords, released in August, the motive of this audience was clear: bring on the hits, then hit the road. Songs such as "New Vibration" and "I Don't Need Anymore Friends" were brushed aside, while "All That I Know" and "Hollywood" began to stir the floor, especially when Roland inserted Angus Young riffs during "Hollywood," teasing the audience with just enough to get them jumping. "Gel," "December" and "Heavy" received the respect they aptly deserved as people began to move instead of staring blankly with a beer in hand. After they closed their set with "Shine," the raw energy was replaced by an exciting atmosphere of anticipation for Live. The air was filled with it, and when the lights went out, the crowd finally began to rile up. "All Over You" takes the cake for openers. Ed Kowalczyk took one last drink of wine from his glass near the back of the stage, then, boom. The crowd progressively showed more energy throughout the night while Live began pouring out gem after gem: "Pillar of Davidson," "The Beauty of Gray," "The Dolphin's Cry," "Selling the Drama" - a whole laundry list. While I can give credit to Kowalczyk for his musical talent, I must say he has the worst case of white-man dancing I have ever seen. The band came out to the encore of a small drum solo and the sweetest bass solo - and Kowalczyk waltzes out shirtless. I see two eyes, as big as half-dollars, protruding from the face of the young lady standing next to me. I think it was the most excitement I had seen from her all night. Closing with "Lightning Crashes" finally got some of the electricity the bands were putting out there to connect to the entire audience. What could have been merely a nice vision of two great bands some missed during the mid-to-late 1990s was instead three different performances from bands that are relevant now. Hart is a great songwriter with incendiary melodies, Roland is still up their jumping around like a madman, which I love, and Kowalczyk still drives deep messages into the hearts of fans. The show was a breath of fresh air from old friends. Maybe now the crowd is thinking of the bands in the present instead of lingering on the past. Ed Kowalczyk said it best: "Oh now feel it coming back again/ Like a rollin' thunder chasing the wind/ Forces pullin' from the center of the earth again/ I can feel it."

[Existentialist]

You know you've been owned when you have to make up material to work with!

[Hoodstock]

You know you've been owned when you have to make up material to work with!

This is from you:

We will be postin up our black asses at this place too.

Sounds like a frequent thing that I want no part of. I guessing it involves banana's doing this ( ) up your ass.

By the way, you're the whitest sounding black man I know!

This post has been edited by Hoodstock: Oct 31 2007, 12:41 pm

[LiveRoCkS77]

This is from you:
Sounds like a frequent thing that I want no part of. I guessing it involves banana's doing this ( ) up your ass.

By the way, you're the whitest sounding black man I know!

And you'd know because you've graduated from bananas to big hairy, greasy cock right?

[Hoodstock]

And you'd know because you've graduated from bananas to big hairy, greasy cock right?

Fucking halarious. Don't live out your fantasy here. Notice I said guessing cause I really don't know. Ex will have to explain what posting black asses means.

[LiveRoCkS77]

Fucking halarious. Don't live out your fantasy here. Notice I said guessing cause I really don't know. Ex will have to explain what posting black asses means.

Yeah right, you've seen more ass than Liberace and Richard Simmons combined. Probably diddled more than Michael Jackson too. Your nickname isn't Chester the molester for nothing...

This post has been edited by LiveRoCkS77: Oct 31 2007, 1:01 pm

[Hoodstock]

Yeah right, you've seen more ass than Liberace and Richard Simmons combined. Probably diddled more than Michael Jackson too. Your nickname isn't Chester the molester for nothing...

I wish I knew what you were talking about! Maybe you can fill me in. Uh ... nevermind ... I'm just talking about an explanation, you might take that the wrong way as something you would enjoy.

[LiveRoCkS77]

I wish I knew what you were talking about! Maybe you can fill me in. Uh ... nevermind ... I'm just talking about an explanation, you might take that the wrong way as something you would enjoy.

Good comeback. I wouldn't be too angry just because your mom sucks more cock than kellogs has corn flakes. Get over it.

[Hoodstock]

Good comeback. I wouldn't be too angry just because your mom sucks more cock than kellogs has corn flakes. Get over it.

At least it's not my dad sucking the cock like your dad you sick fuck!

[LiveRoCkS77]

At least it's not my dad sucking the cock like your dad you sick fuck!

LOL, i know you are but what am I? God you're actually dumber than a bowl of captain crunch. world's first sub zero IQ...

[Hoodstock]

i know you are but what am I?

Sorry, didn't know I was dealing with someone who was about to dress up for trick o' treating!

[LiveRoCkS77]

Sorry, didn't know I was dealing with someone who was about to dress up for trick o' treating!

Yeah, I'm going out as your mother.

[Hoodstock]

Yeah, I'm going out as your mother.

Cause you like to suck cock?

This post has been edited by Hoodstock: Oct 31 2007, 1:58 pm

[LiveRoCkS77]

Cause you like to suck cock?

Admitting your mom sucks cock freely....first step to recovery is admitting to the facts.

[Hoodstock]

Admitting your mom sucks cock freely....first step to recovery is admitting to the facts.

You're mom doesn't. Man, she must be a real drag in bed. I feel bad for your dad!

[LiveRoCkS77]

You're mom doesn't. Man, she must be a real drag in bed. I feel bad for your dad!

And don't be jealous, somebody other than your own mommy will blow you one day. Probably for a few hundred bucks and a blind hooker, but that's better than mom!

So 200 bucks should only take how many years for you to save? 10 maybe?

[Hoodstock]

And don't be jealous, somebody other than your own mommy will blow you one day. Probably for a few hundred bucks and a blind hooker, but that's better than mom!

So 200 bucks should only take how many years for you to save? 10 maybe?

Like I said, you are a waste of time and I'm done with you.

This post has been edited by Hoodstock: Oct 31 2007, 6:20 pm