ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND . -- At 9:05 p.m. on June 29th, Live became the fourth major international band to take the stage at Mile One Stadium in St. John's, just a little over a month after its grand opening. The Pennsylvania natives sonically assaulted the more than 3500 people who showed up, and while the stadium wasn't full, the ones who came seemed to be the truly faithful.

After being sufficiently warmed up by the straight-laced rock of opening act Crush, the audience screamed to the dirty crunch of Chad Taylor's opening guitar riff for "Lakini's Juice." Lead singer Ed Kowalczyk emerged wearing a baseball cap on backwards, sunglasses, and jeans tight enough to fit any true rock star. About half way through Juice, he stood behind drummer Chad Gracey and asked "You guys wanna dance with us tonight?", his first of many addresses to the audience. The crowd responded with a roar that grew louder with each song.

To prove that they truly are an alt rock band with guts, the second song the band played was known to no one. Introduced briefly by Kowalczyk as a song off their brand new album, "Deep Enough" was definitely a good choice as a follow-up to "Juice," with a short, high-pitched guitar intro that quickly fell into heavy, in-your-face power chords. The audience seemed somewhat surprised by the lyric style--Kowalczyk gives Fred Durst a run for his money with verses that are almost rap--but they quickly caught on. Some just stood to listen, but most swung their heads to the beat.

After setting the pace for the evening with two back-to-back hard rock songs, Live took fans on a walk through past records and hits, playing songs like "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)" from their 1991 debut album Mental Jewelry for hardcore fans, and the anthemesque "They Stood Up for Love," a song that had fists shaking in time with the music (the audience was also treated to a few brief lines from U2's "One" in the middle of the song--a move that was most likely a nod to a band that has influenced Live right from the start).

Still, the stand-out parts of the show were still to come, as Kowalczyk exclaimed "This song is for all the ladies in the house; you know who you are!" before breaking into "Voodoo Lady." During "All Over You," Ed finally managed to find a way into the crowd--something that he seemed to be looking for since the show began--and sang a good portion of the song while standing amidst a crowd of star-struck spectators in the left balcony area. It was all easy for the band after that, with the already-excited crowd eating out of their hands. No one on the floor could possibly stay in their seats, and they played 'Simon Says' with Kowalczyk, waving obediently when he waved and jumping when he jumped.

While Live is partly known for their hard-hitting crunch guitar rock, they also have a more mellow, haunting side. This side was shown during the night, when they performed songs like "Turn My Head" and the inevitable "Lightning Crashes" to a darkness very quickly lit by lighters. (All the fire must have inspired some of the smokers to be generous, as a cigarette flew onto the stage during "Turn." Kowalczyk, unfazed, popped it in his mouth during the guitar solo).

While the band ended up playing 15 songs, only two were from their new album, much to the chagrin of longtime fans anxious to hear some of the material from "V" (formerly titled "Ecstatic Fanatic"), expected out in September. The second new song they played was "Simple Creed," the first single slated for radio release on July 31st. If the crowd's response is any indication, it will be big. The fans weren't the only ones who seemed to be enjoying the song, as Taylor, Gracey and Bassist Patrick Dahlheimer all seemed to get into the groove more than they had for the previous tunes. The usual badass guitar work from Taylor mixed with a catchy vocal melody from Kowalczyk makes "Creed" a song for any radio willing to dish out something a little more avant-garde then your average Pop stuff.

The band ended the set with "Dolphin's Cry," a good choice to close the show. Fortunately for them, the crowd wasn't happy with a quick good-bye, and they ended up playing two encores, featuring the melodic "Run to the Water," "Shit Towne," and "I Alone" (with a surprise rendition of "The Way I Am" by everybody's favorite rapper Eminem mixed in for good measure). The last song they played was an appropriate one, given their rock-band status. Kowalczyk sang "Imagine" in a voice not unlike Lennon's while the crowd backed him up.

Overall, Live proved that their name is not a joke, and 'live' is definitely the best way to experience them. The show brought in the widest age group that any rock show could hope to attract: from 40 and 50-year-old men and women in the bleachers who cheered and clapped like they were teenagers to kids in the first few rows who probably missed their bedtimes after the first encore. Kowalczyk seemed quite good at remembering every rock move in the book, no matter how cliched. He shook his ass to the guitar solos, gyrated everything you can gyrate to the screamers in the first few rows, and asked the audience how they were doing after every few songs. Each time a positive response came back, getting louder as the night went on. (More on: Live).

Set List

(1) Lakini's Juice

(2) Deep Enough

(3) Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)

(4) Selling the Drama

(5) They Stood up for Love

(6) Voodoo Lady

(7) Turn my Head

(8) All Over You

(9) Simple Creed

(10) Lightning Crashes

(11) Dolphin's Cry

(12) Run to the Water

(13) I Alone

(14) Shit Towne

(15) Imagine

JAM! Rating: 4.5 out of 5