One of the biggest bands to come out of the 1990s, Live, stopped at DC’s 9:30 Club recently and I was there taking photos and reliving a bit of my early teenager years. Live is out on tour again following their 2016 reunion, and the band played an amazing set of songs in front of a sold-out crowd at DC’s historic venue on September 16, 2019. The 2016 reunion of Live also gave the band an opportunity to celebrate this year’s 25th anniversary of, Throwing Copper.
The fans were packed tightly for this show; leaving me restricted to a sliver of space in the photo pit, stage left. It didn’t matter though. The second Live hit the stage I was transported to another place in space and time. The band wasted no time and leveled the audience with a barrage of Live classics and fans favorites. It was an intense, emotional experience for most in attendance.
Live is without a doubt one of those bands from the 90s who were hugely popular across the musical board. Their debut album, and still my personal favorite, Mental Jewelry, is not to be overlooked, but with Live’s 1994 album, Throwing Copper, the Pennsylvania natives were thrust into the limelight. Live had hit a sonic grand slam. Throwing Copper sold eight-times platinum and produced four Top 10 songs, including the No. 1 hits “Lightning Crashes” and “Selling the Drama.” The album also produced the hits “I Alone” and “All Over You.” However, in 2009 Live’s frontman Ed Kowalczyk took a hiatus, forcing the rest of the band — guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey — to do likewise.
Thankfully the dust has settled, and all wounds seem to be healed. The reunited Live have been basking in the limelight once again. The band released a “super deluxe” edition of Throwing Copper, which includes the previously unreleased song “Susquehanna” from the album’s original sessions. Live also released new music; an EP in 2018 titled, Local 717.
Noteworthy songs Live played included; “Selling the Drama,” “Shit Towne,” “The Beauty of Gray,” “Lightning Crashes,” “I Alone,” “Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition),” and “White, Discussion.”
If you are at all into rock or “alternative” music, Live is definitely a band worth seeing in concert. They have made a well-deserved triumphant return and appear to be happier than ever and are performing better than ever. Live have been out there reminding audiences worldwide that they are still a potent live act (no pun intended).
Here are some more photos of Live performing to a sold-out crowd at 9:30 Club in DC on September 16, 2019. All images copyright and courtesy of Andy Jillson of Hazy Eye Music Media.
