Authored by: Amy Breaux
I’m going to take you back to 1994 and an 18-year-old girl sitting on her boyfriend’s couch listening to their favorite album Throwing Copper by the ultimate alternative band Live. It was the total soundtrack to her senior year of high school, which did include a few instances of screaming “I Alone” when driving around town (your welcome for not having to actually hear it). Fast forward twenty-five years and you would have found her screaming it along with a few other hundred fans during Live’s stop at Champions Square Tuesday night when their Altimate Tour stopped by along with double-billed headliner Bush.
New Orleans is always steamy. We’re below sea level and life in the swamp is sweaty. None of that mattered as we waited for Live to take the stage. As drummer Chad Gracey took to his kit, the crowd began to stir. The cheers got progressively louder as guitarist Chad Taylor and bassist Patrick Dahlheimer arrived and then erupted as lead singer and ultimate alternative frontman Ed Kowalcyk walked center stage. Starting their set with the hit song “All Over You” from Throwing Copper everyone was transported back to that wonderful time when alternative music was really starting to find its footing and place in the music scene. By the time Ed jumped into the crowd to sing “I Alone” with them, I was once again that 18-year old girl belting out lyrics in her hand me down Carolla tooling around Lafayette.
The boys from Live surprised the crowd by playing a couple of covers, REM’s “Losing My Religion” and “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones. But it was the hits the people came to hear, and Ed and company were more than happy to oblige. While they played mostly songs celebrating the 25th anniversary of Throwing Copper, they also threw in other popular songs like “Lakini’s Juice” and “Turn My Head” from Secret Samadhi and “The Dolphins Cry” from The Distance to Here. The crowd loved every second of it. They ended their set with the hit “Lightning Crashes”, solidifying the reason why the songs and Live themselves have endured for twenty five years and will continue to be beloved by not just the “alternative” crowd, but music fans.
