Pick of the Day: Collective Soul

In late August 1997, I caught Collective Soul at Edgefest in Saskatoon. I took the bone-rattler up from Regina that morning, then took a shuttle bus to the venue -- which could best be described as a cow pasture situated beside Sask Place (now known as Credit Union Centre) on the outskirts of Toontown.

Headlining the bill was Our Lady Peace. The Tea Party and I Mother Earth also played the main stage, along with a Brit pop trio called Dodgy who totally lived up to their name by being lame. Collective Soul played third last between I Mother Earth and the Tea Party. They're one of those bands that, even when you're not a big fan, when you see them live you recognize practically every song they play. Radio-friendly, yes. But also reasonably competent purveyors of catchy pop rock.

Sitting in the Saskatoon bus terminal the next morning, waiting to catch the 8 a.m. bus back to Regina, I first heard via a radio broadcast that Princess Diana had died the night previous in a Paris car accident. So overall, a pretty memorable gig.

Collective Soul is at Casino Regina tonight. Here's video of them performing their biggest hit "Shine" with the Atlanta Youth Symphony Orchestra. (YouTube)