Riverside, Iowa
By Phillip Smith; Jan 29,
2017
Saturday, January 28, Collective Soul (front man Ed Roland, his brother, rhythm
guitarist Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin, lead guitarist Jesse Triplett, and drummer Johnny Rabb) hit the ground running with an outstanding performance of “Heavy”,
bringing a surge of energy and excitement to a sold out show at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. This was my sixth time to experience them since
1995, and it was so good to see and hear them again. Ed
was in rare form and Triplett was
tearing it up on guitar
After tackling “Contagious”
with a big bowlful of grit, Ed
switched over to acoustic guitar to play the “AYTA (Are You The Answer?)” from
their 2015 album, “See What You Started by Continuing”. It sounded terrific. With Ed still on acoustic, he segued in to “Shine”
with a mini intro of “Amazing Grace” before the band burst fully into “Shine”. Camera phones all over the venue rose into
the air to capture this one played to perfection. Ed
poured everything he had into the song, jumping high in the air in ways I could
never accomplish. The crowd totally in
his hands, the song ended with heavy thrashing and audience accompaniment.
Before beginning “Draw the
Blood”, a song so new, it had only been played live once before, Dean unfortunately fell ill and sadly was
unable to continue on for the evening.
After checking with him to make sure he was alright, Ed and the band continued on through
two other newer songs, “Pieces” and the melodically spacey “Rule #1”. As the oh-so familiar riff of “Precious
Declaration” tears through the speakers, the house rises, only to remain
standing through the rest of the show. “December”
opens to a wave of whistles and applause and climaxes with Ed doing a Chuck Berry “duck
walk” across the stage. They played through an amazing “World I know” and rock
anthem “Gel”, putting a big smile on my face.
Still feeding on the frenzy started by “Gel”, Rabb blessed us with a
fantastic drum intro on “Where the River Flows”. This is Rock and Roll at its finest.
Just before closing the night
with their last song, “Run”, Ed commented, “It’s been 23 years now. Not bad for the one hit wonder of 1994.” As
the song came to its end, Ed was the last to leave the stage, still strumming
his acoustic guitar and marching off, like the troubadour, into the dark,
disappearing off to back stage.
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Photos by Phillip Smith
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| Ed Roland |
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| Dean Roland |
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| Will Turpin |
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| Ed Roland |
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| Jesse Triplett |
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| Ed Roland |
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| Will Turpin |
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| Ed Roland |
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| Dean Roland |
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| Johnny Rabb |
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| Jesse Triplett |
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| Johnny Rabb / Will Turpin |
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| Jesse Triplett |
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| Ed Roland |
