Collective Soul ’09
by Joe Toeben
It’s always great to see a band live that at one time shaped your musical world at a young age. My first experience with this was in January when I saw AC/DC live at the Xcel Energy Center. In my opinion there is nothing more exhilarating than seeing a band in concert that you have been listening to for quite a few years. Now I had been listening to AC/DC far longer than Collective Soul but the guys from Georgia were the ones that really got me into the hard rock/post grunge scene. With 7 albums under their belt with number 8 on the way along with a slew of successful singles ranging from 1994 to the present, Collective Soul broke through the mainstream rock scene with some tangible riffs and some pretty catchy hooks.
Arguably their most famous song “Shine” is the one song I can definably trace back to my childhood. I probably heard it once a day when I was 5 years old, whether I was sitting at home with my dad or going to the lake with my mom, “Shine” always seemed to be on the radio. They progressed from poppy rock or light alternative rock to some heavier hits like “Where The River Flows, Why Pt. 2, and Heavy.” Collective Soul helped to define the 90’s alternative scene, taking away from the grungy happenings of Seattle that would inevitably die off.
The show started off a little later than expected. The doors were to open at 6 pm but they only started letting people in around 6:40 which was less than desirable. When I got inside a band called Ryan Star was playing. Ryan Star was a runner up for the Rock Star: Supernova TV show that aired a couple years back. He and his band mates play a regular mainstream alternative rock style, complimented with some jumping around and rowdiness. Next was Safetysuit from Nashville. Their video for their song “Someone Like You” peaked at #1 on the VH1 music video chart due to voter recognition. They play a softer style of alt rock but in vain tryed to attempt to make it look heavier with their stage antics. Nothing special here folks, just 2 opening acts.
Starting out I don’t know if I’ve ever been to a concert with that many screaming fans in such a small area. Everyone there was a fan, and a serious one at that. I doubt there was a casual fan at that concert being that everyone including myself knew the words to just about every song played. They played most of the 7even Year Itch greatest hits album including “The World I Know, Heavy, Run, Shine, Gel, December, Breathe” and one of their newer hits “Hollywood.” They also played some new tunes from the new album that drops later this month called Rabbit. One of the new songs called “Dig” really brought back some of the older Collective Soul. It makes you think of the earlier years with Ross Childress on guitar.
Since 2001 a great lad named Joel Kosche has replaced Ross on lead guitar but that doesn’t divert from the original sound at all. Do the heavy riffs of “Heavy, Why Pt.2 and Where the River Flows” sound different with Joel on lead? They sure do, but it’s not because of him, it’s because of the live performance. Those 3 songs are among my favorite by CS and Joel does justice to every one of them. Joel is one of the most gifted guitarists I have ever seen play. He hits everything with precision and the sound from his guitar is nothing less than spectacular. After a short break they came back on stage for the given encore. They brought a keyboard where Ed played a song that I was no familiar with. Ed’s performance was so great as well. He still has the energy he did when he was younger and maybe a bit more to add. He danced all over the stage and occasionally played his signature blue acoustic guitar. They ended with one of their best songs called “Run.” Ed just kept on playing his guitar even when the other instruments had finished their parts. Everyone knew the worlds and just kept on singing the chorus and it was probably one the best ends to a concert I’ve ever seen in my day. When the other guys were done they put down their equipment and shook the hands of concert-goers in the front of the stage and slowly walked away from the stage. Ed kept on playing and took his guitar as he followed his band mates but you could still here the beautiful notes of the song he refused to quit playing.
Overall it was an amazing concert. It was nothing less than I or any other person there for Collective Soul expected. They played all the hits and even a few new songs. I know a lot of people are psyched for this new album since the last one was a little disappointing to the public. They had energy, and were quite personable when it came to interacting with the crowd. Having the crowd sing some of your song when you are a band of stature such as Collective Soul is pretty crucial in my opinion. I cannot express how important this concert was to me. I have been listening to CS since I was a mere 8 years old. It great for me to see some of my favorite musicians still kicking and it great fashion no less.
