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As lead singer Ed Roland reminded the fans in attendance at Nissan Pavilion midway through his band's set, Collective Soul was a guest of the Cranberries, there to "warm up" the crowd for the main show. When the group played its last number, however, the crowd was on fire, wondering what the so-called "main act" could possibly do to top Collective Soul's performance. Though the group is anything but an opening band, they will go down in my book as the best opener I have seen in my years of concert watching. When they had concluded their twelve song set, the crowd was swaying, fists were pumping, and the band members were bowing to raucous cheers.
Collective Soul has the benefit of knowing that a great many of its songs over the last 5-6 years have graced airwaves at some time or another, so finding a knowledgeable audience is not as difficult as it would otherwise be. On the other hand, many in attendance at Nissan Pavilion were there to see the Cranberries, so persuading those fans to buy into the Collective Soul aura may have been a bit more difficult. While the band kicked off its set with new tune "Tremble For My Beloved," the audience waited for the second number to truly come alive. "December," the most successful song off of the band's self-titled second album, was a thrilling success that far exceeded my initial expectations for the song. It also presented fans with the night's first sampling of the majesty of lead guitarist Ross Childress. Childress and Ed Roland (whose brother Dean is also in the band) oozed cool and charisma on stage, and this magic, which was showcased with "December," dazzled again with "Precious Declaration." Childress produced some fantastic extended riffs that started to bring the seated masses to their feet; that, however, was only the beginning.
Seizing the momentum, Ed Roland led the band further into its collection of older hits, delivering a ripping turn of "Listen" - complete with some more Childress mastery - and the softer "World I Know," a sure-fire crowd favorite. Admittedly, the set did suffer when the band trotted out its newer material, with the exception of "Heavy," which exploded to life near the end of the group's show. One of the many highlighs was the band's take on U2's classic melody "I Will Follow." As the stage lights shone out on the crowd, thousands could be seen echoing the song's famous chorus. "Walk away, walk away! Walk away, walk away! I will follow!" And, of course, Collective Soul saved its most popular number for the end, unleashing a guitar-heavy rendition of "Shine" on its very eager fans.
Collective Soul took well to its role as a warm-up band, and Ed Roland and the gang clearly seemed to be having a good time up there. At times, he even looked (from my vantage point) like a slightly more animated Eddie Vedder, swaying left and right while belting out his band's signature songs. He kept up a lively banter with the crowd, though never stopping long enough for the crowd to forget that his band was there to play music. While his voice often played second fiddle to Childress's entrancing solos, Roland managed to leave an indelible mark on the show. And Collective Soul, with their magnificent set, left an indelible mark in my mind.
Setlist:
Submitted 8/20/99.
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