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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 26, 2002
ST. PETERSBURG -- The rock act Live had a moral message for the 9,500 fans who attended the fifth Starfest in Vinoy Park, sponsored by WSSR-FM 95.7 (Star 95.7). And no, it was not the ersatz spirituality that has become a rock 'n' roll cliche, but rather a message of harmony.
"Let me hear you scream if you're sick of all the bad news in the world like me," said Ed Kowalczyk, Live's lead singer. "How about we make a little good news straight out of Florida tonight?"
Like a religious guru, Shaman Ed and his expert sextet delighted fans who were treated to live music all day by bands such as King Konga, Avril Lavinge, Course of Nature, Rubyhorse, Heather Nova and Dishwalla.
Fans sung along on All Over You, as a dramatic Kowalczyk elicited screaming by waving his hands in the air. "The sun, the fields, the sky," he sang.
Augmented by keyboardist Michael Railton and Kowalczyk's brother Adam on guitar, Live traversed genre lines from stentorian, blistering songs like set opener Simple Creed to organ-bleated funk on The Distance. Voodoo Lady, moody and earthy, allowed Kowalczyk to let loose his falsetto; he crooned with sensitivity.
Live's other members, Chad Taylor on guitar, Patrick Dahlheimer on bass and drummer Chad Gracey, provided rich backup. Before Stood Up for Love, Kowalczyk offered a nugget of wisdom: "People should just respect each other and what they believe in."
Other songs conveyed the message including an acoustic reading of Selling the Drama and the soaring Lightning Crashes.
Dishwalla, who warmed the crowd before Live, is nothing if not egalitarian. Typically with modern rock bands, the lead singer gets all the glory, but Dishwalla singer J.R. Richards seemed eager to share the attention. Guitarist Rodney Browning Cravens and bassist Scot Alexander formed an adroit tag team, lacing Dishwalla's mid-tempo rock with pulsating riffs while keyboardist Jim Woods provided a spacey, synthesized introduction to the set. Even drummer Pete Maloney served up a spicy solo.
Dishwalla's team work shone throughout its 60 minute set, as the band played a dynamic assortment of tunes, judiciously allotting time for material from its latest album Opaline and 1998's Pet Your Friends.
Highlights included the chunky, rollicking opener Charlie Brown's Parents, in which Richards sung, "I don't want to keep on pretending." Much of Dishwalla's material communicates a sense of brooding urgency despite its danceable, catchy nature.
The hit single Counting Blue Cars, which Richards dedicated to the ladies, garnered raves from the attentive crowd.