/ 29 August 2006

Rockers Live back in SA for third time

Popular band Live will return to South Africa for the third time during their upcoming Black Mountain — White Light tour in October, Big Concerts said on Tuesday.

The tour will begin in Johannesburg at the Coca-Cola Dome on October 27 before moving on to Durban on October 28, Port Elizabeth on October 30 and Cape Town on October 31, said spokesperson Lara Cohen in a statement.

The group have just released their seventh album, Songs from Black Mountain, and recently toured both the United States and Europe.

Live have sold more than 20-million records during a celebrated career that has spanned more than half the lives of its four band members.

Singer Ed Kowalczyk, guitarist Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey first performed together close to two decades ago at their school talent show in York, Pennsylvania, said Cohen.

Their first album, Mental Jewelry, was released in 1991, followed three years later by Throwing Copper, which ”propelled the band into the rock mainstream”.

Next came Secret Samadhi, which debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200 and featured the single Lakini’s Juice. In 1999, Live released The Distance to Here with the hit single The Dolphin’s Cry that topped charts.

A tour to South Africa, after the release of this album, was attended by almost 80 000 fans.

The album Birds of Pray followed in 2001, and Awake: The Best of Live in 2004.

Songs from Black Mountain contains the best elements of their earlier albums, an inspiring lyrical theme and contagious pop melodies.”

Tickets for the shows went on sale in August and are available at Computicket. — Sapa