Tonight's performance at Maple Leaf Gardens was testimony to the reputation that this band from York, Pennsylvania has developed as being a great band in concert. From the moment the lights went down through to the last note of their encore, Live was able to captivate their audience with songs spanning their four albums including the newly released, The Distance To Here. The lights went down, and the crowd applause ignited members of the band for the ensuing hour-and-a-half. Drummer Chad Gracey started the night off with a four-count lead into "Where Fishes Go" from the new CD to reveal the band bathed in white light. Chad Taylor, guitarist, was stage left dressed in an army jacket, black toque and shades reminiscent of U2's Edge, and in comparison to the rest of the other members of the band, he was the most visible onstage. Where's Ed Kowalczyk? After a lengthy instrumental opening, Ed appeared on stage slowly walking up the middle of it dressed entirely in black, complete with shades, a cowboy hat and a walking cane. He resembled a traveling missionary about to preach about rock 'n' roll and redemption.

Ed Kowalczyk & Chad Taylor

After a small beer-break which Ed described as "my medicine, it just happens to be gold," he announced a new tune called "The Distance," slowing the crowd response a little because they were unfamiliar with the song. As the evening developed, Ed successfully managed to bring Live's well-reputed arena rock to a level where it seemed the audience was in their living room and he usually managed to give a little background for each tune. "Shitown" is apparently about growing up in Pennsylvania where "99.9 per cent of the people there bust their ass working in the factories." Following this seeming tribute to the working class, Ed paid tribute to the original "working-class hero," John Lennon, by leading the band into a version of "Imagine." When the crowd realized what the song was, Ed proclaimed that "You can't hear this song too many times in your life, here it is once more." Another tune from the new CD, "Spark" followed, quelling the audience once more and they remained this way even when Ed asked if Chad Taylor was sexy. It wasn't until Ed recited a little bit of poetry before going into the new single, "The Dolphin's Cry" that the crowd became excited again. Looking around at all the faces in the audience, you could see everyone singing all the words and this was testimony to Live's mass appeal and talent for writing accessible songs.

Ed & Chad

The intensity increased as the hard-rocking "Lakini's Juice" from Secret Samadhi rocked the crowd back and forth. At the song's end, Ed advised the audience, "Do not be afraid, God bless you, good-night" and there was a bit of confusion as why fear should become an issue. Were they not coming back for an encore? Alas, they returned after much prodding from the audience and there was a very, very loud reaction to their reappearance but all that energy dissipated after another new tune, "Run To The Water" opened the encore. This type of song sequencing throughout the night bore a slight resemblance to riding a rollercoaster - there were some energetic, high points and then there were moments where it was time to relax and enjoy the ride. The biggest climax of the entire evening came upon hearing the opening chords to "Lightning Crashes" and there were lots of illuminated lighters and chorus singalongs. The final song for the evening was "I Alone" and it had been extended to over 10 minutes as the band blended it into a cover version of The Verve's (and Rolling Stones') "Bittersweet Symphony." Ed said that the lyrics rang true and that he really like the song and then he paid tribute to Jeff Buckley calling him "a very talented musician" before resuming their big hit.

Ed Kowalczyk

On this night, Live demonstrated how they are a great crowd-pleasing band and how solid they have become over the years, especially in a time where there seems to be little room for conventional rock 'n' roll. If there was any doubt to the skill and appeal of this band, you should see Live live.

Ed Kowalczyk