Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
Ed Roland exited the stage the same way he had entered it – strumming an acoustic guitar as the crowd exploded in cheers.
In the two hours between “December” and “Run,” Roland and Collective Soul reminded the throng at a sold-out Tabernacle just how hard the band can rock, and did it with a deft mixture of nostalgia and renewed energy.
Yes, Collective Soul has a new album to promote – the excellent "See What You Started By Continuing," which they mostly recorded in Roland's Sandy Springs home during the past year.
But while the dedicated friends and fans who packed the venue for this homecoming show – which was also streaming live on Yahoo TV – first-pumped appreciatively though the opening trio of “December,” “Precious Declaration” and “Heavy,” they responded with equal fervor to the troika of newbies that followed: “Hurricane,” with its throbbing bass drum, “This,” with its chin-walloping guitar riff and “AYTA (Are You the Answer),” a mid-tempo beauty stacked with acoustic guitar and layered harmonies.
Through it all, Roland, 52, electrified on stage, a whirling blur hopping on one foot, skipping and bouncing during guitarist Jesse Triplett’s sizzling guitar solos and raking his hand through his hair – a shorter ‘do than the old days, but still plenty Rock Star-ian.
Although Roland was difficult to understand when speaking to the crowd, his vocals – except for the bit-too-high-to-nail “Where the River Flows” – soared. He and the band sounded muscular and melodic on “Why Pt. 2” (a throwback to 2000’s “Blender” album) and relied on the locomotive drumming of Johnny Rabb to power “Scream” (an even longer reach to Collective Soul’s 1994 debut).
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Roland’s guitarist brother Dean and original bassist Will Turpin were never more than a few feet away from the active singer, but Roland’s favorite onstage partner wasn’t a bandmate – it was his microphone stand. Watching him lean into it in a near-Pilates move, then straddle it, spin it and toss it was to witness a veteran frontman at work.
Likewise, the fierce Triplett ripped out a “that’s how it’s done, kids,” solo on “Better Now,” one of many times he commanded the stage as Roland’s captivating equal.
After a momentary break for the band to exit the stage and a sweat-drenched Roland to toss his jacket and grab an acoustic guitar, he returned for “She Said,” joking afterward, “I just woke up and it’s 1997 all over again!”
The eternally graceful “The World I Know” was accompanied by a hearty singalong, and Roland looked genuinely touched by song’s end as he placed his hand on his heart and flashed a peace sign.
A couple of more new tunes – raw, crunchy rockers “Confession” and “Exposed” segued into the song Roland said was the first Collective Soul tune the band ever recorded, the sticky, sexy stomper “Gel.”
Extended versions of "Shine" ( which Roland performed last week with only a piano and choir backing him at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards ) and "Run" perfectly capped a night that looked back fondly but was firmly rooted in the present.
“It’s been, and it is, an honor to play in Atlanta, Georgia, where we get to call home,” Roland said before launching into the riff of “Run” once more – and with plenty of feeling.
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