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UCR sheds sleepy image for eye-opening ‘Live’ concert
Author: Charles N. Gerencser (Highlander)
Published: November 1, 1994
UCR has never been known for its great concert facilities and Riverside crowds are, to put it kindly, decidedly more mellow than your average rock audience.
These and many other negative stereotypes which have plagued this sleepy campus were blasted away forever last Thursday night when The Fatima Mansions, Weezer, and Live took to the stage at the newly constructed Student Recreation Center.
"This was the first time I have ever seen a UCR crowd mosh for an opening act," an ASPB staffer said. The sleepy UCR crowd as a whole, as an entity, came to life at last when show openers Fatima Mansions took to the stage. Fatima unleashed their politically charged brand of power rock on the eager audience, and the audience responded with a charge of its own.
As soon as the stage lights came up and Fatima launched into their first number "Loyaliser" the crowd began to surge and slowly but surely people began to rise to the top of the musically-charged mob. These brave souls began to engage in the ritualistic practice of "surfing the crowd." Throughout the show the sweaty crowd pressed on. Scores upon scores of daring men and women surfed the crowd until they slid into the awaiting arms of burly security guards who "politely" escorted them back out to the pulsing mass.
Fatima did very well in priming the crowd for the tour's resident slacker rockers Weezer.
"Overall this has been a great tour, it's been a lot of fun," noted Weezer drummer Patrick Wilson.
"In playing with Live we are able to perform for people who may not hear us otherwise. It's a great way to expose yourself, as a musician, to new ears," he said.
Success has caught Weezer by surprise. Their latest single, "The Sweater Song," has been embraced by audiences around the country. "Sweater [Song] isn't even representative of the rest of the album," said Wilson. "It's like a fluke that so many people know and love the song. We never expected to see it released as a single."
Fluke or not, Weezer put on a great show which was, unfortunately, marred by numerous sound problems.
The stage was set for the tour headliners Live. As the house lights came down and Live took the stage, over 1,700 screaming fans surged towards the steel barricade which separated them from the bands.
"It's insane, having a barricade so far away from the stage, but, I guess it gives those fans getting "crushed" somewhere to go," Live Guitarist Chad Taylor said during a post-concert interview.
Live opened their set with "Selling the Drama," the first single off their latest release Throwing Copper. The familiar song whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Ed Kowalczyk proved to be quite a frontman, his narrow frame bouncing and rocking with every note and every power chord.
Live not only showcased music from their current album but also from their first album Mental Jewelry. Older songs such as "Pain Lies on the Riverside" and "Beauty of Grey" were well received by the crowd.
The four members of Live have been playing together as a band for over 10 years.
"We are almost all telepathic, musically...we are careful about what we say [to each other] and how we say it, we know when to tip-toe and when to stomp. It's very, very rare that we fight," Taylor said.
Live has been able to stave off the corruption which mars so much of the music industry. Producing music on their own terms and mastering their own musical destiny, Live has risen to the top of the alternative music milieu. Judging from last Thursday's performance they are there to stay
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