+LIVE+, Collective Soul and Our Lady Peace Bring the Unity Tour to a Close in Atlantic City
I didn’t go to my first concert until I was a freshman in college. My first show that year was Collective Soul at The Bayou in Washington, DC, and my last was +LIVE+ on campus at Bender Arena. Fast forward thirty-one years and both bands are still going strong. So when they brought their Unity Tour to Atlantic City this past weekend, I knew I had to be there. While the beards and hair may have more grey now (this photographer included), the music still sounded great and the nostalgia was in full effect.
Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace have been opening this tour, and I was excited to finally see them live. They brought their A-game and played an energetic set that included “Superman’s Dead”, “Clumsy”, “Somehwere Out There”, and “Starseed”. They even played their song “Whatever”, which unfortunately has been tied to the tragedy of professional wrestler Chris Benoit. This year they re-wrote and re-released the song to help shine a light on suicide prevention and mental health awareness, and you could sense the emotion behind its performance.
Collective Soul was up next and they played with as much enthusiasm as they did that night many moons ago. Ed Roland is a great frontman, and it was great to hear so many of their hits like “Shine”, “December”, “The World I Know”, and “Heavy”. They even played “She Says”, a personal favorite which was the hidden track on the album Dosage. This tour was a family affair for the band as Roland’s son had been traveling with them and bassist Will Turpin’s son Tristan now plays keyboard for the group.
+LIVE+ closed out the night (and the tour) with another great set. While the band members may have changed over the years, Ed Kowalczyk sang his songs as passionately as ever and this may have been the loudest the band has ever sounded. This new lineup is a great compliment to York, PA’s favorite son as they ripped through hits like “All Over You”, “Shit Towne”, and “Lakini’s Juice”. And of course they closed with their two biggest songs—“I Alone” and “Selling the Drama”.
Overall it was a great night of classic 90s era rock and roll. Its always fun to watch my college mix tapes come to life, especially when I get a front row seat for the first three songs. The crowd of diehard fans at Ovation Hall added to the night’s energy, and I doubt anyone went home disappointed. Now that the Unity Tour is in the books, you’ll need to check out where each band is headed next if you want to get yourself a similar dose of nostalgia. Meanwhile, be sure to check out all three acts wherever you stream your music.
Also, Our Lady Peace is currently donating all monies earned from streaming “Whatever (Redux)” to suicide prevention initiatives across North America. If you would like to help this incredible cause, go give that song a listen too.
+LIVE+
Collective Soul
Our Lady Peace
Coverage from August 30, 2025 at Ovation Hall in Atlantic City, NJ.
All photos are © Michael Campanile Photography and cannot be used without permission.
