Concert Review
Rockin at the Knox 2017
Our Lady Peace
Collective Soul
Tonic
Albright Knox Art Gallery
Buffalo, NY
Friday June 29, 2017
Thursday evening in Buffalo was a music lover’s dream. With shows by national acts at various venues around town it was the return of Rockin’ at the Knox and their stellar lineup that led the way. For the strong crowd of approximately 4,500 it was an easy choice as they were treated with fantastic sets from Our Lady Peace and Collective Soul and opener Tonic.
Tonic got the ball rolling with a solid 35-minute set that featured two of their best in “Open Up Your Eyes” and closer “If You Could Only See” both from their platinum smash debut Lemon Parade. Vocalist Emerson Hart and company played a good mix of the band’s repertoire and were a decent way to start the show.
Up next was that good ol’ band from Atlanta, GA, Collective Soul. They hit the stage with a flurry as singer Ed Roland ran back and forth across the stage like it was 1995 all over again. By the time the band dove into “Shine”, the third song of their much too short set, Roland had the crowd right where he wanted them. Collective Soul is not a band that rests on their laurels as the set list played proved. The band even slipped in a new song “Right As Rain” which seemed to go over well.
With all the songs the band could have played. an hour was just not enough time for them to really pull out all the stops. Songs such as “Gel”, “Why Part 2” and “Counting The Days” all gems in their own right, were missing from the set basically because the band did not have the needed time to play them. Every time Collective Soul comes to town they always deliver and then some and there was no exception Thursday evening.
Headliners Our Lady Peace put on a spectacular show that not only touched on all their giant hits but also featured a new song “Drop Me In The Water” from their soon to be released album. Singer Raine Maida stated they have been working on the new album which is great news for OLP fans.
OLP is comprised of Maida, bassist Duncan Coutts, guitarist Steve Mazur and drummer Jason Pierce. With the bands close proximity to Buffalo they have played here many times over the years and the crowd has grown accustomed to the band for straying from the norm. Which could explain why almost ten minutes after they ended with “Starseed” that the fans were still chanting and at the very least hoping the band to come back out to say goodbye one more time but it was not to be.
The show also marked the final show of the short tour for all three bands. It was also the first time Rockin’ The Knox made an appearance since 2010. The early signs of the sold-out show with a solid lineup, point to it being the right time to bring the show back. Let’s hope they give it the old college try and bring it back next year as well.
Our Lady Peace Set
Innocent
Is Anybody Home?
Superman’s Dead
One Man Army
Paper Moon/Life
Somewhere Out There
Drop Me In The Water
Not Enough
In Repair
Clumsy
Heavyweight
4am
Starseed
Collective Soul Set
Simple
Heavy
Shine
Better Now
Contagious
Right As Rain
December
The World I Know
Where The River Flows
Run
Tonic Set
Open Up Your Eyes
Liar
Top Falls Down
You Wanted More
Sugar
Mountain
If You Could Only See
