Billed as “An Evening with Collective Soul,” their current tour made a stop at The Town Ballroom in Buffalo, NY this past Saturday night.
When the stage lights came up and Ed Roland approached the mic, the fans in attendance roared. He addressed them and explained the agenda for the night’s performance, stating that they would play through their 1999 album “Dosage,” take a short break, and come back out to play another set.
Playing through “Dosage” was uneventful, save for the biggest hit off of that album “Heavy,” which was the second song in the set. They took no breaks to address or acknowledge the crowd, it was as if you put the CD in your car and drove to work. One song followed another until they ended with “Crown.” Roland thanked everyone, and said they would return after a short break.
When they opened their second set with “Welcome All Again,” the show officially started. Roland lost the jacket and glasses he had worn during the first set and was dancing all over the stage. This is what everyone had come to see, and why Collective Soul is known as one of the most entertaining bands around.
Roland took time to talk to the crowd and connect with the fans, asking if they were ready to party with Collective Soul for the rest of the night. With the crowd erupting into an ovation, he took the opportunity to lead them into a deafening roar.
Playing through their set, covering hits from their other seven albums, Roland had the crowd singing and dancing along with him. During “Gel” the crowd sang the chorus for him, while giving Joel Kosche an opportunity to demonstrate his skill during a brief guitar solo. Watching Roland move with his mic stand, balancing it on edge at times, was fun to watch. His movements are so fluid, and express his emotion that he puts into his music.
They wound things down and finished the set with “The World I Know.” The lighters and cell phones lit the venue as they played. They thanked everyone for coming out, unstrapped their guitars, set them at their feet, and exited the stage.
After a brief chant of “Collective Soul,” the band returned to another deafening ovation. Roland asked if everyone wanted to hear a couple more songs. Before playing the encore, he went around and introduced everyone in the band. The encore consisted of two of the most iconic Collective Soul songs, “December” and “Shine.” The crowd sang every word to “Shine,” helping them close the show. Roland even held his mic out over the crowd and yelled “It’s all you Buffalo!”
When done, the five members of the band gathered at center stage, and took a bow. The crowd cheered as they waved, clapped, and then exited the stage.
With the slow start the show has, unless you’re a diehard fan, you may lose interest. Take my advice; you do not want to miss the second set. Once the show starts and Collective Soul gains momentum, you’ll be singing and dancing to every song.
Setlist:
Tremble for My Beloved
Heavy
No More No Less
Needs
Slow
Run
Generate
Compliment
She Said
Not the One
Crown
Welcome All Again
Better Now
Forgiveness
Gel
Hollywood
Why, Pt. 2
Precious Declaration
The World I Know
Encore:
December
Shine
We would like to thank Ashley Lanaux from Pop Media Group for allowing BackstgeAxxess.com to review the show.
