Collective Soul hasn’t lost the knack for making a cavernous room feel like a sweat-soaked club. Standing near the front as the Atlanta quintet tore into “Counting the Days” on March 27, the heavy guitar chords didn’t just hit the speakers—they rattled the ribcage. It was their third trip to The Colosseum in a dozen years, and the place was packed to the rafters with people chasing that mid-nineties high. Ed Roland remains a dynamic frontman, posing with the mic stand and leaning into his vocal prowess like a man who hasn’t aged a day since Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid. But the real magic isn’t just the nostalgia; it’s the sheer analog power they still pull from the stage.
Leading with Counting the Days from their 2004 release Youth, the band from Atlanta, GA got the heat rising right from the first heavy guitar chords and kept it going with the next song, their hit single Heavy. Settled in for the night, they played a few tracks from their most recent studio album, 2024’s Here to Eternity. The album was recorded at Elvis Presley’s Palm Beach estate, and Roland joked that he was the only man to have slept in Elvis’s bed.
There were a couple of deeper tracks like Sister Don’t Cry from their debut album, which has only been played around seventy times, but there were plenty of hits. Roland loves dancing and posing with the microphone stand, and he told the crowd how much they love Canada and performing here. Midway through the show, he coaxed an audience member in the front row, actually a friend of mine, to lead everyone in the singing of Oh Canada. I think it was the loudest I’ve ever heard a crowd sing anything, and it filled me with a sense of pride and hope.
The biggest hits were reserved for the end of the show and also included the song Tremble for My Beloved from the album Dosage, which he explained was inspired by the impending birth of his son and the insecurities of becoming a new father. His son is part of the band’s crew, and he called his son out on stage for a hug. A touching moment indeed.
The crowd really got engaged during the final songs Gel and Where The River Flows and the night ended on a slightly more mellow note with the song Run. It was truly a fun night full of memorable music and good vibes.
Opening the evening, local duo, The Blue Stones, performed a rousing set for the hometown crowd. Their current album, Metro, was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at this weekend’s Juno Awards, and the song Come Apart has been getting heavy rotation on Canadian rock and alternative stations. Their most recent visit to Windsor was a few years ago at the Walkerville Theatre, and they reminisced about playing at iconic local music pub, Phog Lounge, just a few short years ago.
I love their heavy sound and the energy they produce, especially since they are just two musicians. They didn’t win the Juno Award, but they deserved the nomination, and I hope this helps propel them to bigger and better things.
Collective Soul Set List
- Counting the Days
- Heavy
- Mother’s Love
- Why, Pt. 2
- Shine
- Keep It on Track
- Not the Same
- Sister Don’t Cry
- She Said
- The World I Know
- December
- Tremble for My Beloved
- Gel
- Where the River Flows
- Run
Collective Soul:
The Blue Stones:
