Live/Reef
November 6, 1997
Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PA
The widely awaited return of Live to State College happened on November 6, 1997 at the Bryce Jordan Center on the Penn State University campus with special guest from the U.K., Reef.
Reef's performance was the first date on opening for Live's "Secret Samadhi" tour. Reef, whom were in England a day earlier, did a great set with a lot of material from GLOW, including "Place Your Hands," which really got the crowd rocking as the band's second song of the night. However, much of the crowd was not too into the band, for they were only there to see Live, which was disappointing, for they were opened to the band's blues based rock and roll. Reef proved that they are a hard working live band who, in time, will open up audiences to their sound.
Live's show was sort of homecoming to State College -- for the band has tons of friends and relatives in the area since the days they played the local bar scene in the area, including such local nightclubs as Yesterday's Party, Ebensburg, PA, and The Crowbar, State College, when the band was called Public Affection. This mixed crowd plus all the Liveheads made this one crazy show. Playing a mixture of old and new material, Live delivered what their fans wanted -- hits and more hits such as "Rattlesnake," "Pain Lies On the Riverside," "I Alone," "Shittown," "Lightning Crashes," and more. They really outdid themselves, and the band even modified some of their lyrics for the local crowd. Playing close to 2 hours, Live demonstrated they are a working class band and a fans' band, giving the people what they wanted, and that is good rocking rock and roll in a "Live" manner.
311/Sugar Ray/Incubus
November 20, 1997
Bryce Jordan Center, State College, PA
With a crowd of only around 3,300 people, 311 with special guests Incubus and Sugar Ray delivered a crowd moving show which fans of music could really get into.
First on the stage was Incubus, who shocked a number of people with their mixture of rap, funk, metal, and rock. Most people were unfamiliar with the band, who around a month or two earlier opened up for Third Eye Blind at the Crowbar in State College. Most of the songs played were from their Immortal release S.C.I.E.N.C.E. But what was most impressive about the band was that you could hear the band's DJ/mixer's scratching of record not being drowned out by the guitars and drums. The band also worked up the crowd by throwing t-shirts, bumper stickers, and other stuff into the audience during their performance. Also, after their set, the band walked around the BJC and gave autographs and stickers to fans, which is seldom heard of at a concert today.
Second was Sugar Ray, combining elements of ska, reggae, and punk to get the people up dancing and partying. The stage had bright orange lights with the name Sugar Ray on them. They did songs which people were familiar with, including "R.P.H." and "Fly." But the song which they had the most fun with was an old Frank Sinatra tune where the band created a corner coffee shop on stage and relaxed as the lead singer sang solo. Also, the lead singer jumped into the crowd and jogged around the BJC and said that it was a dream come true to run around a Penn State stadium once in his lifetime and saying that he was a big Penn State fan.
Lastly was the headliners of the night, 311. They were not as long as one would believe. However, the band performed a number of tunes from all their albums -- MUSIC, GRASSROOTS, 311 (BLUE ALBUM), and TRANSITOR. Most of the tunes were the basic hits such as "Down," "All Mixed Up," and others. Highlights included the band's tune from Capricorn Records' HEMPILATION compilation, "Who's Got the Herb," and "Fat Chance" from MUSIC. Even though the crowd was rather mellow for the show, 311 smoked one hell of a show, which fans enjoyed. Bombastic.