Live, Woodlands Pavillion, September
22, 1997
Far be it from me to let something like a little monsoon keep me from a concert, an outdoor one at that. Last night which happened to present the worst weather Houston has had all summer, Live played the Woodlands Pavillion. Out of seven tickets, only one friend was brave enough to don the raingear and proceed to our lawn standing location. I wouldn't have missed it for anything. We arrived just as Luscious Jackson was finishing the set, a band that I would have liked to have seen under better circumstances. We only had to wait a short while before Live was ready to take the stage. They opened with Rattlesnake and proceeded to entertain us with selections from their most recent Secret Samadhi and their last Throwing Copper. Of note were a couple of Throwing Copper songs that I hadn't expected given their ever growing body of material, including White Discussion, Iris, and Waitress. Missing was my absolute favorite Live song Top. Also missing to my disappointment were several favorites from their first CD Mental Jewelry, Beauty of Gray and Pain Lies on the Riverside. The only MJ song played was Operation Spirit.
The show was full of energy. The set was amazing with this large structure that looked like a cross between the "golden arches" and some pieces from an enormous erector set. Lead singer, Ed Kowalczyk, gyrated and danced as intense lighting complimented his every movement. He seemed very happy in a relaxed sense, probably due to the fact that their summer tour was winding down and they had accomplished the near impossible in the music industry: following up one monster hit CD with another. He writhed and moved spiritually at times, with first his black jacket and later his white shirt coming off. Their sound was perfect, Ed's voice rang clear on the beautiful "Turn My Head" and raucous on "Freaks". Lead guitarist, Chad Taylor, lends a powerful sound and stage presence with unique riffs and energetic movements. Live offers both hard and soft edges often within the same songs, as is the case in Iris. There was little banter or discussion, but none was necessary as the music was the message last evening.
Of course, there were the obligatory teenagers that were less interested in the music and more interested in the show as an opportunity to fling themselves down a mud covered hill. Despite the rain, the crowd that showed up was treated to an excellent show. Live's development over the years proves their ability to grow and change their music, delivering a sound that has a popular appeal while maintaining strong artistic integrity. Ending up the show with some of the more popular tunes, Lightning Crashes and I Alone, Live left the rain-soaked crowd yelling for more.
This was the fourth time I've seen Live, each time in larger venues, and they keep getting better and better. I just hope I won't have to wait 2 years before they come around again.
On That Note, I'm outta here......
