Live is one of those band names that is just perfect for wordplay. When the band split in 2009 as a result of lead singer Ed Kowalczyk’s departure, pundits must have been rushing to beat each other to the punch. Just think about it: “Live is dead” – there’s a headline for you. None of that matters anymore however, because Live is (a)live again – that much is obvious after the band’s Reunion World Tour which graced Australia last week. Kowalczyk and chums (with an extra guitarist and drummer) kicked off in Brisbane on the 15th before moving on to Melbourne and the Hunter Valley, with hits off their multi-platinum certified albums in tow.
Before Live took to the Riverstage, concertgoers were greeted by two other American showstoppers in The Calling, followed by Lifehouse. Both brought their A-game. Nostalgia was at an almost palpable level during Lifehouse‘s “You and Me” – as was “Wherever You Will Go”, belted out by The Calling‘s Alex Band, to roaring applause. The Calling, coincidentally, is also reforming in the wake of Live‘s reunion, confirmed by frontman Alex Band during their hourlong show. Then, after a brief pause, the crowd shuffled closer to the stage. Those previously seated, stood up, and just as darkness fell, Live made their way on stage. The band last appeared in Australia two years ago, then with substitute singer Chris Shinn; the Brisbane gig was the first time in more than ten years that Live we know have played here.
What a welcome return it was. Fans of the band’s earlier albums were in luck: naturally, most of the setlist was comprised of songs found on Throwing Copper (1994), Live‘s most popular record. Other early albums also lent their hits – Mental Jewelry (1991), Secret Samadhi (1997) and The Distance to Here(1999) all contributed their nineties’ rock goodness to the show. The audience were all too happy to sing along to their favourite tunes, with Kowalczyk’s encouraging words to guide them through some of the band’s finest tracks.
The stage design, on that note, deserves special praise: five massive screens behind the band showed beautifully crisp images for every song, transforming a merely good listening experience into an audiovisual one that made the most of the Riverstage. During a touching tribute to the recently deceased Chris Cornell – a cover of I Am the Highway by Audioslave – the singer’s portrait featured prominently on one of the screens. Longtime fans were also delighted to hear the band’s version of the Johnny Cash classic I Walk the Line.
Besides covers and tributes, there was plenty of original Live to go around: Dolphin’s Cry, Pain Lies on the Riverside and I Alone are only some of the memorable and instantly recognisable hits the lineup around Kowalczyk had in store. Finishing off with their chart-topping banger Lightning Crashes – an absolutely haunting performance both by the band and by the audience singing along – Live managed to achieve what so many other bands can only hope for: they left us wanting more. There was an almost audible “that’s it?” after the stage lights dimmed; a testament to Live‘s brilliance after all these years.
To go back to the awful wordplay at the beginning of this review: Live is very much alive again – that much they managed to demonstrate during their show. With the quarrels that once drove Kowalczyk, Taylor, Dahlheimer and Gracey apart now hopefully a thing of the past, Live will once again join us in the world of the living and continue to entertain audiences worldwide.
