Georgia based rockers, Collective Soul, made a stop on their North American Tour in Salt Lake City this past weekend for a performance at The Union Event Center.  This night was just for fans of Collective Soul to celebrate the music that made them 90’s mainstays and everything they have produced since as there were no other acts on the bill.

 

The fans poured into the venue once the doors opened with some fans staking out a spot in the most desirable areas to watch the show as others rushed to get in line for merch before the line became too long.  As fans kept pouring in, I noticed lots of families bringing in their younger children with them which made me smile to see a whole new generation being introduced to Collective Soul. 

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For me and a lot of others it was a nostalgic trip down memory lane to hear some of the most iconic songs that we grew up listening to such as “Shine” and “The World I know” among others.  It was also great to see how their music has evolved and hear their newer songs which we got right out of the gate as the band opened with “Cut the Cord.” Off their most recent album, Vibrating.  Fans already knew this one as you could hear the crowd singing along to every word as vocalist, Ed Roland, danced around the stage singing.  Roland is a very engaging front man, and he does a perfect job of singing and engaging with the audience and working the crowd. 

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5 songs into the set the opening notes for “Shine” rang out from the speakers and the energy in the venue spiked noticeably with the crowd letting out a roaring approval and singing along to what is arguably the bands biggest hit. 

The show also included the solo performances they have come to be known for, as drummer, Johnny Rabb, gave a mesmerizing solo that had the audience cheering, and lead guitarist Jesse Triplett, whom Roland introduced as “Mr. Showoff” tearing the roof off the venue with his solo performance. 

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As the night went on, we got to hear a mix of old and new music and relive all our memories of seeing this iconic band with others who love them just as much as we do.  It was an incredible night that was capped off with the show being closed out to “Run,” which has always been one of my favorite songs by Collective Soul.