The Wake

“Concert” might be too strong a word. The Collective Soul event on Wednesday, Nov. 10 was more like a commercial cross-promotion convention. Collective Soul’s one-hour set at the Mall of America was intended to help promote their new album Youth, but instead came off as defiantly entrepreneurial.

The post-grunge group, known for having the most number-one rock singles in the 1990s, played mostly old favorites that spanned the band’s entire backlog, from the crush-gush juiced out rock of “Gel” to the starry balladry of “The World I Know.” Hopefully, those in attendance expected such nostalgia. Because the only song the nineties hit-makers played from their decidedly underwhelming new album was the radio-friendly single, “Counting the Days.” Apparently this is the exception to the rule however, with Ed Rollins, lead singer and front man, declaring on stage that a Collective Soul concert has only one rule: “Sing along.”

Appropriately enough, the show took place in the Megamall’s Sam Goody rotunda, a corporate-sponsored architectural structure resembling a small, inverse skyscraper. There, a respectable group of devoted fans gathered, wearing the autumn-amber T-shirts sold at the last concert in town. Rollins, wearing a black, long-sleeved, hooded T-shirt and jeans, worked the small crowd with Brian Setzer-esque moves, while throwing the microphone stand in the air circa a pre-heath-crazed Mick Jagger.

And though it was blatantly apparent that this was just as much a bra-filled bonanza as it was a rock concert, The Victoria’s Secret Pink promotion didn’t seem to mar the band’s sense of humor. In the middle of the set they began to play Aerosmith’s “Pink,” along with a medley of AC/DC tunes while Rollins promised to return next year with the band for a “real show,” much to the excitement of the audience.

But even that doesn’t mean the group cares too much about their lagging rock legitimacy. In an after party held at the first-floor Victoria’s Secret, Will Turpin, the band’s bass player, admitted that the band is more of a vodka-tonic or vodka-cranberry drinking kind of a group, but they’ll always go for a beer.

Surrounded by bras, panties and mannequins that looked strung out on heroin, Rollins says that he had no idea how he got involved with such a surrealistic promotion. “We have managers that take care of all that stuff,” Rollins says, “It’s the music aspect that I’m real involved with.”

… Sure Ed, sure.

Ironically enough, however, the band’s album uses a somewhat independent release method, a model they hope will catch on with up-and-coming bands to counteract conglomerate record companies. The label releasing Youth is listed as Warner Music Group, but the album was independently produced by a very small group of people.

Turpin says that Collective Soul is a special case when it comes to trying new methods of record production. Because of previous radio play and record sales success, Turpin feels the band has license to experiment with new methods that allow bands to have more ownership of the music. Instead of having a record company with 50 executives, Collective Soul now runs their own company with two people in charge, Turpin says.

The album itself has 11 tracks, including the single “Counting the Days,” with the sound combining 1980s pop with the Collective Soul of old. After a break of four years and a change in lead guitarists (Ross Childress left the band following their last album, Blender with Joel Kosche replacing him), the album hardly seems the best in their career.

While Collective Soul’s live show remains energetic and raw, the few catchy tunes and miscellaneous sounds on their newest album will most likely become a footnote in the band’s career.