Collective Soul- Concert Review

By Stephanie Dunn

A crowd of 1,400 plus dedicated fans sing at the top of their lungs over the band:

So I walk up on high

And I step to the edge

To see my world below.

And I laugh at myself

While the tears roll down

‘Cause it’s the world I have known.

It’s the world I have known.

Collective Soul, Georgia natives are celebrating their 38th anniversary as a band next year. Lead singer, Ed Roland (sporting a hot pink suit jacket and eccentric green pants), hints at the potential release of a double album that would honor hardcore fans' commitment to their lifelong passion for making music.

A VIP fan in the front row tells me how this is the 20th time he has seen Collective Soul in concert and holds up the custom drum cover that he had the band sign as he smiles. The band escalates the energy of the crowd with each song as they work their way through their extensive music library from current songs to the 90’s hits.. 

In a moment with the crowd, Ed Roland talks about his sons and how the love you feel for your family can be so powerful. Roland carries the band through a contagiously fun line up of new songs and works his way to the complete classics. In the audience, you can feel their positive energy on stage is sending sound waves through the event center.

Ed ties the band’s beginnings to the great state of Georgia and then credits a long list of famous bands/musicians from there as well. The band then breaks into a high energy version of “The One I Love” by R.E.M. - the crowd cheers and jumps to mirror the eccentric front man as they play this hit from a fellow band from Georgia!
It is the end of the night and the band huddles together in a circle stage left as they jam out on tambourine and acoustic guitars for one final number before saying goodbye to Salt Lake City. Their connection to each other shines as they smile, laugh and project their contagiously fun and light hearted vibe back to the fans as a thank you.