Live Review: Live, Lifehouse, The Calling

A couple of support acts warmed up the crowd - The Calling and Lifehouse - both from the US of A. Now that we have hindsight in our favour, both of these bands can now be considered one-hit wonders: The Calling are known for Wherever You Will Go and Lifehouse had a hit with Hanging By A Moment. Both of these are great tracks, but the rest of their catalogues just don't stand up in comparison.

To be honest, this reviewer never thought this day would come. After a combination of suings and public spats, the probability of a full band reunion for Live, the Pennsylvanian four-piece rock band, didn't seem very high. But somehow they've worked through their differences, or as frontman Ed Kowalczyk called it: a seven-year hangover. Now they are back in Australia for The Reunion world tour and the band has been bolstered to six members with an extra guitarist and another drummer brought in for good measure.

Witnessing the four original members of Live finally stride on stage brought huge smiles to the sold-out Melbourne crowd's faces. Then a massive cheer went up when they kicked into their 1994 track All Over You. Then Live launch straight into where it all started with Pain Lies On The Riverside and Operation Spirit. While they have a strong back catalogue, Live are best remembered for their Throwing Copper album from 1994, which shifted a lot of units. Yep, it's really that old. Back then Kowalczyk sported a rat's tail (Google the video for I Alone for the evidence). The rat's tail is most definitely gone, but the band have not lost their firepower. In fact, Kowalczyk seems ageless and his voice is as strong as ever, I Alone particularly proving Kowalczyk still has it. Chad Taylor and his trusty axe are still turned up to 11, drummer Chad Gracey hits the skins as hard as Dave Grohl (unsure why they need that extra drummer?) and Patrick Dahlheimer still knows how to keep that groove going with his bass playing.  

It's their first tour here in over a decade as the original line-up and they play it safe with mainly a greatest hits set plus a couple of covers. Fans wanting to see a run through of their extensive back catalogue will go away slightly disappointed, although five of the seven Kowalczyk-fronted albums get a look in with seven songs from Throwing Copper included. And it's great to hear non-singles Pillar Of Davidson (written about their hometown) and TBD getting an airing. Lakini's Juice and White, Discussion still pack a massive punch - showing off the band's heavy rock riffs - and these songs conclude the first set, leaving the crowd in a slight frenzy.

After a quick break, Kowalczyk returns to the stage for two solo acoustic numbers, Heaven and Turn My Head, before the rest of the band return to the stage for Rattlesnake and Run To The Water. Kowalczyk is quite chatty in between songs, saying it's good to back on stage with "his brothers". There's a poignant moment when the band pay tribute to Chris Cornell, Kowalczyk uttering a few tearful words before the band play Audioslave's I Am The Highway as a portrait of Cornell graces the backdrop.

The band conclude tonight's 16-track set with their biggest, most well-known song Lightning Crashes, during which Kowalczyk lets the crowd take over vocal duty. Let's hope there's a new album in 2018!