Live Review : Collective Soul + +LIVE+ + Our Lady Peace + Greylin James Rue @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta GA - Aug 9th 2025

Chris Collett
2 hours ago
3 min read

Saturday night in Alpharetta hit all the right notes. The Summer Unity Tour brought together a lineup that felt like flipping through a 90s alt rock mixtape. Collective Soul, +Live+, and Our Lady Peace packed the bill, with rising artist Greylin James Rue opening the show. From start to finish, the night had a pulse that only comes from a stacked lineup and a crowd that genuinely showed up to feel something.

Greylin James Rue kicked off the night with a short but soulful set. It’s always a gamble being the first artist up, but she had a calming presence and a voice that made people stop mid-conversation. Her stripped-down approach worked well in the early-evening light, and it felt like the perfect way to ease into the show. No gimmicks, just solid songs and a beautiful voice worth listening to.

Our Lady Peace came out swinging. Raine Maida still has that unique vocal tone that defined a lot of early 2000s alternative radio. Tracks like “Superman’s Dead” and “Somewhere Out There” had people singing along, but what stood out most was the energy. This wasn’t a nostalgia trip for them. They looked like a band still hungry to make a connection. Even in a shorter set, they delivered.

During the set, Raine Maida took a moment to talk about the song “Whatever” they had not played in years. It was originally written for Chris Benoit’s WWE entrance music. He explained how the tragedy surrounding Benoit had made it difficult to revisit the track, but the band felt it was time to bring it back as part of a larger effort to raise awareness about mental illness. It was a raw and honest moment that reminded the crowd that music can be more than entertainment. It can also be a way to start difficult but important conversations.

+Live+ surprised me. I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially with lineup changes over the years, but Ed Kowalczyk sounded fantastic and commanded the stage. Songs like “I Alone,” “All Over You,” and “Lightning Crashes” hit hard. There was a rawness in their set that felt real. A lot of bands from that era lean on production to fill space, but +Live+ let the music speak for itself. It worked.

By the time Collective Soul came out, the crowd was all in. They kicked off their set with “Mother’s Love” from Here to Eternity before jumping into “Heavy,” and the energy never really dropped after that. Ed Roland was in full frontman mode in his blue toile race horse fabric short suit, a cowboy hat, with matching sunglasses and glitter covering his chest. You could tell he was there for a good time and was soaking up the love from his hometown crowd. Collective Soul loves Atlanta, and the feeling is mutual; you can tell how much it meant to them to be playing on that stage again.

I haven’t seen Collective Soul since they opened for Aerosmith back in the 90s at Lakewood. Hearing them again brought me right back to that time. It was wild how those songs still hit just as hard, maybe even harder now.

Highlights included “Shine,” “December,” “The World I Know,” and “Right as Rain.” Each one landed like a memory set to music. The whole amphitheatre lit up for “Shine” in particular, with the crowd singing every word like a choir. The night wrapped with “Run,” and instead of ending on a bang, the band walked off stage while the audience carried the last verse. It felt honest, and kind of perfect.

This tour really is about unity. Three iconic bands from the same era, all bringing something different but equally powerful to the table. And then there’s Greylin, representing what’s next. If you missed it, you missed something special. But if you were there, chances are you left with a full heart and maybe a sore voice.

+LIVE+ – Setlist

1. Pain Lies on the Riverside

2. Selling the Drama

3. All Over You

4. Iris

5. Lady Bhang (She Got Me Rollin’)

6. T.B.D.

7. Shit Towne

8. The Dolphin’s Cry

9. Leave the Radio On

10. Rattlesnake

11. Lakini’s Juice