Date: Fri 08-Aug-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

concert-Live-Meadows-Samadhi

Full Text:

(rev Live concert at The Meadows, 8/8/97)

Concert Review-

A Band That Still Cares What It Sounds Like, Live

(with photo)

BY SHANNON HICKS

HARTFORD - The best live performances in history have always been ones where

the performers have been enthusiastic, not bored, about playing. Musicians

should be excited about being on the road, and excited about playing in front

of fans, which of course transfers into the feedback an audience responds

with.

When Edward Kowalczyk, vocalist and part-time guitarist for the band Live,

took the stage last Friday evening at The Meadows Music Theatre, there was a

definite sense of excitement. Along with Kowalczyk, Live bandmates Chad Taylor

on guitar, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey jumped headfirst

into the opening chords of the song "Rattlesnake."

It was a perfect opening for a show that did not sell out, but came very

close, as nearly 30,000 turned out to see Live performing a full-fledged in

Connecticut for the first time in nearly three years.

For an hour and a half, Live played an exciting concert that whipped fans into

a fun frenzy with music that came off its new album, Secret Samadhi , and a

lot of songs from its previous album, Throwing Copper . An excellent show from

start to finish, the band appears so tight, so intense, the group has managed

to reach a spot where all four members are functioning as one. Perhaps this is

the secret Samadhi vocalist and main lyricist for the band Kowalczyk was

referring to when he chose the Hindu word, meaning "spiritual realization,"

for the title of the latest album.

The band did a small warm-up tour of about ten dates last fall, which included

a show at Toad's Place in New Haven, which was quietly advertised but

wall-to-wall nevertheless. But the band considered those shows just that:

warm-ups for a tour of an album that was coming on the heels of the band's

breakthrough recording, Throwing Copper , an album that generated radio

staples "I Alone," "Selling The Drama" and "Lightning Crashes."

The tour for that 1994 album turned into the biggest one so far for the band,

with over 200 sold-out dates, including a two-week arena tour Down Under where

two of the band's shows at the 11,000-seat Entertainment Center in Sydney sold

out quicker than any other show in recent memory, according to Sydney

organizers.

An ambitious tour, the new one has the band hitting over 50 cities (53,

actually) in just ten weeks. The Hartford show was exactly one week into the

Secret Samadhi Tour, which kicked off in the band's home state July 25. By

starting with "Rattlesnake," the first cut into Samadhi , the band introduced

a new song, and reintroduced the juice and energy it has built a reputation

on.

For 90 minutes, Kowalczyk wrapped his voice - and in many cases, his body -

around the mic stand. And yes, the singer has grown his hair. Having gone with

a shaved head for years, seeing Kowalczyk with hair - short, spiky white hair

- is so unfamiliar, it almost feels like it's someone else on stage.

But the moment he starts singing, any doubts are gone. Kowalczyk's distinct,

and strong, sound is this decade's answer to the unique vocalings of lead

singer Jon Anderson from the band Yes back in the late 70s/early 80s.

Although many rock shows have moved away from solo band member performances,

the guitar work of Chad Taylor stood out in the live show as much as it does

in the band's recorded works. It is his edge that gives songs like "Lakini's

Juice," also performed early Friday night, such a distinct sound.

A 25› surcharge is being added to tickets in ten cities, to be donated by the

band to local AIDS service organizations through the LifeBeat organization.

Although the Hartford show was not one of the dates chosen for the automatic

surcharge, there were limited edition band posters being sold at the show.

Fans could pay $5 for a copy of the interesting wall hanging, and the proceeds

from those purchases would go to charities.

"We decided early on that we wanted to give something to charity," drummer

Chad Gracey said over the phone a few weeks ago. The band was still home in

Pennsylvania, rehearsing for the tour. "We had our managers round up about ten

great charities, and we finally picked LifeBeat.

Gracey went on to explain that donating directly to charities is a first for

the band, which has in the past donated jackets and other memorabilia to be

auctioned for the benefit of non-profit organizations.

Between the energy coming off the stage and the excitement of seeing a band

that is riding the crest of its largest wave of popularity yet, Live would

have a hard time putting on a bad show these days. Even better, all four of

the musicians in Live are still very much concerned with putting on great

concerts, which came through loud and clear last week.