Collective Soul continue to 'Shine' on their Summer Tour

September 10, 2021

With over two decades of touring experiences and countless hit songs, Collective Soul has become a powerhouse of the live concert industry and remains to be so due to their excellent performances on every tour they hit the road on.

While it seems like it has been a lifetime as touring halted during the pandemic, Collective Soul's return to Bethlehem comes not too long in the touring world following their sold out performance in 2019 at the Wind Creek Event Center. This time the band was scheduled to hit the stage in front of the SteelStacks outdoors on the Levitt Pavilion stage on the Artsquest campus with a great billing of support from Better Than Ezra and Tonic on the show.


Summer shows in Pennsylvania this summer have been a hit or miss batch as the state has suffered some of the worst severe weather in decades with a record number of tornado warnings being posted this summer. Luckily, fans were treated to one of the nicest evenings of the summer as cool weather drifted into the Lehigh Valley that saw the large crowd widely dressed in jeans and even a few hoodies for this late summer concert. As the minutes drew closer to the band's arrival fans began to press in closer to the stage and the anticipation only continued to grow when the band's iconic Collective Soul backdrop became visible on the stage.

Just past 9:15 the stage lighting dramatically shifted and the large crowd that had gathered for the concert in front of the massive remnants of the old Bethlehem Steel factory began to roar as Ed Roland led the rest of the band on stage. Led by Roland, Collective Soul ran through a beautifully constructed 14 song setlist that allowed them to spotlight a few newer additions from their discography but remain focused on all of the critical hits that shaped their legacy as a band. Fan favorite "December" made an appearance early in the night and triggered what would be one of the first of many full crowd singing sessions of the night. Roland couldn't help but smile as he let the crowd take over for a chorus section and was met with a loud refrain from them that was truly incredible.

Across the stage Dean Roland, Will Turpin, and Jesse Triplett worked the crowd all night long with numerous moments of fan interaction that left both parties smiling. Behind them Johnny Rabb kept the night moving with a definitive performance behind the drum kit that provided the backbone of a solid set from Collective Soul. Ed Roland has always been one of the more ambitious frontmen of his generation of rock n' roll and not even a pandemic could slow him down as he remains the life and soul of a Collective Soul live performance. His vocal delivery was flawless all night long and took songs like "Shine," "The World I Know" and late in the set "Run" to heights not heard on the studio versions.


As the night came to an end the crowd departed Bethlehem both satisfied with yet another stellar performance from Collective Soul and more than anything grateful. Grateful for the show they just witness, grateful to be back in crowds for live concerts and lastly grateful that while things may not seem the brightest right now - Collective Soul was able to help them forget even if just for a little while.


That's the beauty of live music.

Article Written By:

Matt Christine

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