Collective Soul

Long before I realized that Pearl Jam was the greatest band that has ever been or ever will be, I thought Collective Soul was pretty good.  I certainly liked them a lot more than I liked Pearl Jam back then.

I didn't see Pearl Jam at the Ranch Bowl.  I saw Collective Soul.  It was outside in the volleyball area.  It was roughly 100 degrees out.  My buddy Kevin and I slowly worked our way right up to the front of the stage.  We were drenched with the sweat of the crowd. The show was lots and lots of fun.  The Lead singer guy was continuously dowsing us with ice cold water to keep everything cool.

We cheered and rocked and had a really great time in the frenetic crush of the crowd.

Then a few years later, I saw them again.  It was the first (and only) time I bought tickets for a show to see the opener.  Collective Soul was opening for Creed.  I didn't hate Creed yet, but I didn't care if I saw them or not.  I went with my wife and her sisters.  I was all excited about Collective Soul.  I was telling the girls how at the Ranch Bowl, they opened with my favorite song "Where the River Flows"  which is such a fine rocking good song, it just makes me smile all serene and shit.

Well guess what?  They opened with that same song at the Civic.

After they were done with their set, we all agreed that that was one hell of a great performance.  The lead singer guy is a master at throwing the microphone stand around.  He spins it way high in the air or knocks it over and somehow catches it and brings it back.  All while rocking out quite pleasantly.

Then Creed came out and everyone felt the need to take a shower or confess or something. Anything to get the Creed out. On the way home from that concert we all agreed it would have been perfect if we'd left when Collective Soul was finished.  That was when I started hating Creed.

So Saturday, we went to the Stir Concert Cove to see Creed.  Just kidding.  We went to see Collective Soul.  The Lead Guitar guy looked like he probably wasn't the original since I don't remember any toddlers playing lead guitar at the Ranch bowl.  But the singer, other guitar guy and bass player were probably the originals.

The Gin Blossoms opened for Collective soul.  Even though they're not the guys who sang the "Friends" theme song, I thought they were because every one of their songs sounds like the "Friends" theme song.  In fact, I was hearing songs I recognized, saying, "Now this is definitely the Friends theme song, right?  No?  Hmm."

"Singin, I'll be there for you ..."

Kind of makes me feel foolish that I started that chant,  "FRIENDS THEME SONG!"

Anyway - after that finally ended, Collective soul came out and I didn't even dare to hope that they'd open with "Where the River Flows"

But would you believe it?  No, me neither.  They played something else that rocked pretty hard.  Just not "Where the river flows" hard.

So the front of the stage was kind of crowded, but nothing like the press from before or the time I got to the front at the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  Now that was a crush of people.

Here it was all please and thank you.  There was lots of elbow room, but most people understood that you were not to squeeze in front of someone.  It was seen as bad Council Bluffs manners or something.

In any event, I patiently wormed my way up to about the 6th row where I was content.  My friends had made it with me for the most part and we were having a good time.

After Dark, there was a little pushing and shoving going on as the songs got more energetic.  There was the slightest of pressure from all sides, but way less than I was used to.  I had my forearm in front of me because I didn't want to press my chest up against the guy in front of me.

I took this to decide if I should get a different camera before Pearl Jam.  Yeah, I should.  Anyway, all the originals that remain are in this photo.

Then the best song (Where the River Flows) started.  I was pushed from behind in the excitement, causing me to push on the back of the guy in front of me.  He turned and said "Don't push on my back!"

I said, "Yeah I know! This song is fucking awesome!"

He said, "NO!  DON'T PUSH ON MY BACK!"

Oh.  Sorry.  I had forgotten my council bluffs GA Pit manners.  I was ashamed.  From then on, I tried to not make physical contact with this guy in front of me who wants to be in the crowd, but hates being touched (or so I thought).

Here's where I started to realize that the people who go to concerts at Stir Cove need to chill the fuck out and just have a good time.  I mean, let's just enjoy the music and stuff.

After that song, a few people in front of us bailed and we got to about the 4th row.  Then something very weird happened.

There was a guy there with his woman.  They were mid 40s and she was having way more fun rocking out to the smooth beat than any of us.  She was smiling and singing all the words to all the songs.  A true fan.

The guy was about 6'2".  Three young, shortish girls kind of weaseled their way in front of this guy.  I thought, so what?  They're shorter than him and he didn't get pushed back or anything.

Then the weird thing happened.  This jerk tapped one of the girls on the shoulder.  She was surprised.  He bent down and was obviously scolding her for cutting or something.  Stupid.  Anyway, he yelled at them until they left.

I was thinking, geez, that would not be a very fun way to enjoy music.  In fact, it would suck.

So the next thing I did was concentrate on enjoying myself.  I started letting shorter people in front of me, etc.

Then my buddy "Don't touch my back" guy made a fatal error.  He cut in front of that "No cuttsies" douche.

What do you think the guy did?  These weren't little girls.  This was a man.  A decent sized man with a strong back and nice muscular shoulders.  Ahem.

Well "No cuttsies" actually took his hand and grabbed Mike's (that was the don't touch my back, cutter's name) ball cap from of his head and threw it to the ground.

This act caused sort of a confrontation.  They looked at each other for a while.  I was immensely entertained.  It seemed so just.  The two guys who have no clue about crowd dynamics are facing off.  Brilliant.  I felt like Willy Wonka after Charlie pressed that one button on the Wonkavator.  I had no idea where this was going, but I was thrilled with whatever outcome.  I had a great vantage point to this impending nightmare.

But as is usually the case, big guys who pick on little girls will back down in the face of, well a face.

Mike did the "I got my eye on you" thing where you point your index and middle finger at your eyes and then at the eyes of your opponent.  Then Mike, bless his heart refused Douchebag's exhortation that he should go back.  Mike kept dancing.  Powerless, Douchebag and his girlfriend left the crowd in disgrace.

Afterwards, I said to Mike (carefully and without touching him at all) "What a dick that guy was."

"Yeah that hat was more than just a hat to me.  I'm Mike.  I'm from Minneapolis."

Then we all rocked out for a while.  At a lull, I looked down to about where I figured Mike's hat would be.  Miraculously, it was unstomped.

I grabbed it and offered it to Mike.  Then he insisted that I not only touch his back, but give him a big old hug because I had just retrieved the only thing he had left in this world to remember his brother or something. I don't remember what it was exactly but it was pretty damn important.  Also - then why the hell wasn't he looking for it?  Anyway, I'm pretty sure it all ended with a big manly hug.  Or did it ...

My hat came with my USGA membership, so it's pretty important too.