Why Live's REUNION IMPLODED & Became a DISASTER!

The story of Live's reunion and why it imploded.
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I’ve done a ton of stories on my channel about bands who started from humble beginnings, they blew up and became big, only to breakup and then reunite and live happily ever after. Well the 90’s band Live, was not one of those groups. In fact their late 2010’s reunion was so ugly and took so many strange turns, that it seems unlikely they’ll ever have a happily ever after story. I’ve had quite a few people request this story, so let’s take a look at the ugly breakup of live.
Formed in York, Pennsylvania, in 1984 by Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals, guitars), Chad Taylor (guitars), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), and Chad Gracey (drums). The band's origins trace back to their high school days when they performed under the name Public Affection."
Kowalcyzk remarked to an interviewer
"We were just a bunch of high school kids who loved playing music. We never imagined it would take us as far as it did."
"Public Affection released their debut album, 'The Death of a Dictionary,' in 1989. While it didn't make a significant impact, it set the stage for their future success."
"In 1991, the band changed their name to Live and released 'Mental Jewelry,' produced by Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison. The album's lead single, 'Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition),' received significant airplay on MTV after it became a buzz bin clip, helping the band gain a wider audience." Fun fact you guys may not know is that the night the video premiered on mtv, the band was on the road and just happened to be staying at the same hotel as another up and coming band most people hadn’t heard of at the time - Nirvana. That night MTV played Operation Spirit and Smells like teen spirit back to back.
"Live's big break came in 1994 with the release of their third album, 'Throwing Copper.' which landed in stores several weeks after Kurt Cobain’s death. Following the demise of Nirvana, Live was a new breed of rock band’s being heralded as post-grunge. Throwing Copper went on to become one of the biggest rock albums of the decade selling over 8 million copies in thanks to hits like 'Lightning Crashes,' 'I Alone,' and 'All Over You' "
Live’s success continued with their follow-up albums, 'Secret Samadhi' (1997) and 'The Distance to Here' (1999), both of which solidified their status as one of the leading rock bands of the '90s." They soon became part of a rock scene alongside matchbox 20, and third eye blind that saw frequent media coverage lump these bands as being faceless - people knew their songs, they sold millions of albums, but the public struggled to name any of the musicians in the groups. By the new millennium every member of Live was a millionaire. But then the sharks started circling. For guitarist Chad Taylor it wasn’t uncommon for family or friends to hit him up for money and he foolishly complied buying them cars and furnishing their homes.
But cracks were beginning to form in the band according to guitarist Chad Taylor who rontman Ed Kowalczyk who wrote a majority of the band’s songs, wanted more of the band’s publishing. By the time Live released their 1999 album The Distance to Here, Taylor claimed Kowalcyzk told the members he would write all the songs himself and the other members would be relegated to supporting roles.
But Taylor’s bandmates, including drummer Chad Gracey didn’t think the demand was too much to ask telling Rolling Stone. “Ed has written every lyric and every melody for Live ever, and Chad would try to take credit,”. “Chad might come up with a guitar idea that would become a song, but he didn’t write the song.”
Gracey added that Taylor had a dangerous relationship with alcohol that was made only worse by his mental health issues recalling one time Taylor nearly jumped off a balcony while the band was on tour.
As the year 2000 rolled around little did Live know, that there fortunes would drastically chage. Suddenly the type of music they were playing, seemed uncool as MTV latched onto nu-metal acts like limp bizkit and korn as well as teen pop and boy bands. Couple this with the ill-suited timing of releasing their sixth studio album a week after 9/11 in addition to changing music industry thanks to napster and record

[@rnrtruestories]

What other reunion stories should I do?

[@rnrtruestories]

@@Dick_Dynamite no

[@VicariousThePot]

@rnrtruestories Omg I'm not even a fan of the band, but Van Halen 2004 reunion tour...... apparently that was one of the worst reunions in rock history

[@ActionFigureMagic]

The New creed reunion.. seems tight. Or? Best of Both worlds w Sammy and and Micheal Anthony and company ! 😊

[@dwade6322]

Black Sabbath reunion? Iron Maidens reunion with Bruce Dickinson around '99-2000.

[@gnoghead]

Sepultura and the Cavalera bros seems like a reunion that has been about to happen forever now. Max sounded open to the idea not that long ago, but sounds like he's against it again.

[@trenchcoatmafioso]

Any band with two Chads in it is doomed.

[@Peekay9]

It’s truly the most basic math there is.

[@MatthewRamey-s5u]

@@trenchcoatmafioso Chad gracey is so nice

[@michaelharrington75]

One of them is a 'Taylor'. Bands can have several Taylor's in the band and survive.

[@johnlewis4275]

Hahahahahahaha

[@SheriffJohnStone]

Lol that's hilarious😂

[@radivel1]

Fun fact: Live has always been one of the most difficult bands to download music from because it was such a pain in the ass to find them. Literally every band has a Live performance of something or other. Might as well name your band "music" or "mp3".

[@marthy995]

Yeah the name change buffels. Odd that they even got a bit fame. Sure it was. Before web search etc but the name was fucked up already back in the day's.

[@jessiehermit9503]

Search "the band live," not live band. Easy peasy.

[@Mike-fu9hu]

​@@jessiehermit9503then you get the live version of up on cripple Creek

[@humanbeing2420]

Good thing nobody actually ever wants to stream or download their music.

[@humanbeing2420]

@@Mike-fu9hu Which is good, because the Band is awesome whereas Live is awful.

[@slipknotpurity00]

Good lord what a mess this band is. Throwing Copper was truly one of the iconic album of the 90s... it was everywhere.

[@TimSmith-b6o]

How's ur band doing? Bigger than Live yet? Lol

[@andrewmize823]

@@TimSmith-b6o If a plane crashes, you don't have to be a pilot to know that somebody fucked up.

[@JustMe-fo4ev]

@@TimSmith-b6o What a truly weird comment to leave.

[@ryannewell1975]

@@TimSmith-b6oI’m a big fan of live but there is no need to meat ride them like this

[@mneugent7658]

Eh... iconic? I don't know about that. They were just pretty sorta OK as was the album.

[@Hykje]

When you start a band it's best to start suing each other from the beginning just to get it out of the way.

[@Frikkieman]

😂😂

[@TheByron130]

That's great advice.

[@nickelmanful]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@dragonkings01]

🤣🤣

[@sseltrek1a2b]

i spoke with an attorney a while back who's whole legal focus was keeping bands from imploding once they finally began to make a name for themselves in the industry...i'll say it again: a band is a "team sport"- if you can't get past your own ego in it, it's never going to survive, and you'll end up with a world of hurt for your trouble...

[@patrickr.452]

I remember an aspiring musician asking Axl Rose for advice. His answer, "Take business classes".

[@Lance37a]

Someone from Live did, it seems. Ed Kowalczyk

[@violetviolent7980]

Excellent advice.

[@gst013]

It seems like every member of the band other than the singer have the financial sense of an eight year old on a sugar high.

[@SuperStrik9]

Talk about selling the drama...😜

[@IncontinentiaButtocks-jx3wq]

Excellent comment lol

[@Ticonderous1]

🤣

[@damienrockstarthholyonofg3103]

YOU STOLE MY COMMENT

[@mstbeta]

I was wondering how far down the thread I was gonna find this…😂😂😂

[@mikeguaraldo]

@SuperStrik9 You just slam dunked this comment thread like Shaq breaking the backboard! lololol nicely played

[@AntonCoil]

Wow! Back in the day we all thought Ed was the problem. Great work!

[@maverick_trail]

Ed asking for more publishing is fair, but 40% of tour gross is just being a jerk. With that said, sounds like Chad Taylor was the bigger jerk. He seems pretty full of himself yet he could have been easily replaced and no one would've cared. Obviously that wasn't the case with Ed.

[@lukasketner]

@@maverick_trail Yeah, album returns based on creative output are one thing, but on tour every member of a band is putting in the same work.

[@brendanthompson2082]

@@lukasketnerIf they didn’t like it they didn’t have to agree. The singer was that band. The other guys are totally forgettable

[@PressStartOnce]

@@maverick_trail I think the point was they had tried to be Live without Ed and knew that without him they were a cover band. So if I were Ed I would have asked for more than 40%.

[@MK-xl9tt]

@@brendanthompson2082disagree known Patrick since the late 80s a genuine stand up dude and hell of a bass player. He and gracey always seemed grounded and would hang with the locals when they were In town. You may not be a fan of their music but they are good dudes.

[@Ripkenotter]

Those 1st 4 albums were solid- Mental Jewelry Throwing Copper Secret Samadhi The Distance to Here

[@steverye8872]

Samadhi will always be my favorite. Half of the album is melodic chaos, the other half goes hard as fuck.

[@neonshark337]

Killer album​@@steverye8872

[@Leebetter]

@@steverye8872 I agree.

[@41Vega]

The first two are incredible but they sorta lost me with the last two. Actually I don’t think I ever gave TDTH a listen, I was onto drum and bass by then(Squarepusher, Aphex Twin)

[@steverye8872]

@@41Vega Venetian Snares too, right? Right!?

[@chrishoptheinventor]

SECRET SAMADHI.... why is this album so painfully underrated. It is so crazy original in it's contradictory light and dark vibe.

[@travelchic908]

Yes! I always preferred it to Throwing Copper. I had a cassette of it i remember listening to on my Walkman all the time back in the day 😂

[@jackstraw0223]

I actually prefer both Secret Samadhi and Distance to Here to Throwing Copper

[@goodpainlive1]

Agree. It’s an amazing album.

[@deoodolecki2979]

Because A. The song titles make no sense. They have nothing to do with the song. B. The lyrics don't really make any sense. It's just words put together. They don't say anything. C. They were already on the way out when it was released. D. MTV stopped playing music videos right after so it didn't get the airplay throwing copper got. I always liked them despite all that but I lived through it. Saw it live. Saw them live twice. But them and Bush. I stopped liking Bush when I realized their lyrics didn't say anything. But I was still able to extrapolate my own meaning out of lives music. I couldn't do that with Bush.

[@NordicDan]

I rushed out to buy it the day it was released because I had been so jazzed by Throwing Copper (still one of my all time favorite albums), and it totally lived up to my expectations. Live did some outstanding music back in the day. It's a bummer that things ultimately turned out the way they did.

[@WileECoyoder]

Any time a project is promoted as "creating jobs", be wary.

[@rnrtruestories]

yup and creating "tax revenue"

[@Hykje]

Many lawyers got work there anyway.

[@wendyhamm9722]

I got a chance to meet Ed on his solo Throwing Copper anniversary tour in 2015. A very nice guy. He took the time with each of us, taking pictures with us and signing things. He signed my cane.😊

[@hitleractually8180]

Live's fan so old now, they walk around with canes lmao

[@avolite719]

After 30+ years of working in the concert industry and most of that time spent being on the road crew with several bands, myself and other people in said industry just shake our heads when fans of any band walk away from either a chance meeting or the paid for "VIP meet and greet" thingy think they have met the "real" person of so and so band ..... I can assure you that you did not. Sure there are a lot of nice people of celebrity status, but even more just give said fans THE bare minimum to help move it along and they then can continue on with whatever and not give you or others any other thought a milli-second after these encounters end. I have also been witness to a few highly narcissistic a-hole band members flash a smile, pose for some pictures with the fan, barely answer some sputtered question directed at them, and then just go back into a-hole mode afterward. The point is , THEY are ACTING. Enjoy the picture you took with them, enjoy the scribbled name on some piece of paper you made them sign for you (something I still do not understand any value in all these years later) ... but honestly, it really is nothing more than that.

[@travishardy5757]

"Who's in charge of this company"!? "Oh, its the entire 90s band Live" "Jesus..

[@burtonupchurch1690]

lol 0% chance of success

[@BlackJesus8463]

lol

[@jeffwalker6815]

The lawsuit reminds me of when Pete Best was sued for selling a solo album called 'Best of the Beatles' which he won because it was technically correct.

[@MrRockett88]

A lot of drama. You could say they are "Selling the Drama"

[@satorified1612]

I think PB deserved the $100 he made from that album.

[@skriabinfly]

Reminds me when coder Michael Rowe started a software company called "Mike Rowe Soft" and defeated "Microsoft" in court because, well, it was his birth name.😂

[@brian-ld4vd]

Pete Best was the Most Talented Beatle in History.

[@alanfike]

Well he'd have to change his name for it to be true.

[@TiberiusGracchusII]

How did Andre Agassi have all that time to be frontman of LIVE and play all that tennis ?? Must have slept like 1-2 hrs a nite or something ?? idk😏

[@kylereece1979]

😂😂👏👏 The "sleeping 1 - 2 hours a night" line also reminded me of Meat Loaf's line in "Fight Club", when he was talking about Tyler Durden. Incidentally, Ed Kowalchek had a small role in that movie aswell!

[@thefleecer3673]

Beat me to it!!!😂

[@JamesCraigWhoop]

Being with Babs Streisand

[@crodriguez2360]

LOL

[@lamipalma]

@@kylereece1979 I hadn't the slightest clue, thanks so much for this! Man I really need to rewatch that pearl of a movie.

[@fleetwarrior75]

I lived on Throwing Copper in the summer of 94!

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

I vomited because of Throwing Copper in 94

[@satorified1612]

Yep. When I hear songs from that album, my mind goes right on back to the Seattle house I lived in at the time.

[@fleetwarrior75]

@elbob17 I was in my A school right after Navy boot camp!

[@Saturndragonfly]

Great album.

[@ThatSockmonkey]

I was in the infantry corp, just turned 18. That record is still pretty high rotation for me.

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

Selling their stake in the publishing was such a huge mistake. They probably could have overcome all the dumb investments if they still had that revenue coming in. Ed Kowalczyk might be an egomaniac, but he was right to separate his business interests from everyone else.

[@miker.9138]

That one dude proved to be a conman... so they did ANOTHER business deal with him. Lol. I would want those guys having power over my money either.

[@g8btony]

Sometimes the biggest egomaniacs are also the smartest businesspeople. See also: Billy Corgan

[@echolalia682]

@@g8btony Billy Corgan is not an actual egomaniac. He just played one at the behest of music execs for your "entertainment". Watch his Rogan episode. Smashing Pumpkins and their whole persona were manufactured because angsty music being played by erratic druggies was all the rage at the time

[@hutch1197]

I'm not seeing any indication that Ed was an egomaniac. Sounds like the band members were generally dysfunctional.

[@dylangrey2003]

I’m from York PA and I’m the same age. I also lived for a while in Colony Park where Ed lived with his mom. Public Affection was universally hated in the town. They were indie/alt rock but it’s a blue collar rock town. Their song Shittowne is an apt description of York. I met Pat and he was super nice. Chad T married a girl from my high school class. My mom and sister met Ed at a local Subway and he was super nice and gave them an autograph. Never met Chad G. Bottom line is Ed wrote all the songs. Period. If anyone deserved more of a share of the publishing it’s him. Chad T does have a bad reputation especially in York. He deserves all the bs he created.

[@MK-xl9tt]

I’m from York as well knew Patrick through my band mates, he and gracey were super nice and pretty much agree with everything else you said. Those were good times in York in the 90s.

[@joesmith9216]

Interesting info man! I think I have been to that area once, I am from nepa. I would not doubt public affection were not well liked in that area, Ed is certainly a liberal. Seems chad taylor just wanted to take control of the band, bet his WIFE made him do it, always the same tale, wives of band members always want the gold!

[@bburns]

I love "Shittown"! 😅

[@reggiebannister4098]

Wow, Ed made the right choice. The rest of them sound like bad, upperclass ex-boyfriends with all their economic misadventures

[@InkedMisfit]

Actually Patrick is really cool I know him personally. He was actually at my wedding

[@justinharvey1355]

I like Ed and Pat. They were the only two members of Live that have any sense of legitimacy. I can't say the same for the Chads.

[@rumblefish9]

@@justinharvey1355 What? Chad was a beast on drums.

[@nearvanaman]

I've always read that Dahlheimer was a good dude. Chris Shinn said the same thing in a very good interview with Rolling Stone.

[@TheAxiomChronos]

dated a lot of them have ya? kinda shows..

[@morganmedrano920]

The only way Live got hurt by file sharing would be under exposure. You go look for them, and if you don't look by the song name or the album, you will never find anything. All you will find is albums recorded by other band live. 😆

[@tpbrcombo]

This is an excellent point.

[@macrosense]

It is bad for the algorithm

[@GreyMatterShades]

Yeah they clearly picked their name before SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) was a thing. 🤣

[@oasisbeyond]

Yeah bad name.

[@arejaycee5704]

So true. You need to write Live (band)

[@bonecanoe86]

"Investing in a bulding in Reading, Pa"

[@keithangstadt4950]

I'm pretty sure it was the old Luden's building. I remember seeing about the deal in the newspaper and thinking all the drugs must have finally caught up with them.

[@myworms]

Lightning Crashes was a massive hit. I remember it being on the radio almost nonstop for a time.

[@josephham5216]

that's what i remember. more than really any other song it was played for such a long time. For a year after it came out then they would take a break for a few months and then come back. throughout the time i went to high school 95-98.

[@myworms]

@@josephham5216 it kinda became the unofficial song for the victims of the Murrah Building attack in OKC and they played it on the radio with news audio mixed in

[@joeshoe6184]

My first exposure to Live was on SNL I believe. I was frankly blown away by the power coming from the stage. I never became a true fan, but I'll never forget that first impression...

[@BrianMooney]

Thanks for the video. I always imagined it was one of those lead singer ego issues. Turns out, he looks like the reasonable one.

[@saberserpent1134]

"Mental Jewelry" is extremely underrated. "Operation Spirit", "The Beauty of Gray", "Mirror Song", "Water Boy", "Good Pain"... SO MANY excellent tracks, mostly with an overarching spiritual theme based on Yogic/Vajrayana practices. It's one of the best albums I've ever heard.

[@wendyhamm9722]

The Beauty of Gray is my favorite LIVE song!

[@thomasbalzer3179]

I used to love Operation Spirit

[@211tfahey]

Mother Earth is a Vicious Crowd is my fav. I never used to think it stood out for some reason.

[@BigBoyToys-ce5qg]

"one of the best albums I've ever heard." You should listen to more albums...

[@211tfahey]

@@BigBoyToys-ce5qg it's an opinion lol but ur right. Alcohol helps with it.

[@pawlpoche8736]

“The Damn at otter creek” is massive!

[@InkedMisfit]

People used to steal the sign all the time. I’ve actually listened to the song while swimming in it once 😂

[@600joe]

Freaks is great.

[@nascarsteve]

It's deep enough to dive.

[@erikkibler3466]

It’s def deep enough to dive.i saw a Jamaican guy jumping from like 80 feet up,when i was younger and there swimming and smoking

[@V0lk]

Fun fact: there's no dam.

[@Bbbbad724]

Lightning Crashes still goes through my head at times.

[@brinta2868]

Migraines?

[@shawnc318]

@@brinta2868yeah migraines from the annoying lyrics

[@arphod]

​@@shawnc318 Yeah. I could've done without the placenta. 🤮

[@dan82500]

It's gotta be the only song with the word placenta in it, right?

[@Bbbbad724]

I don’t understand why you object? It’s a spiritual song, passing from life to death. Is everything in our world to have no meaning?

[@FirstNameLastName-io5co]

Their album "V" is completely underrated and is my favorite album of theirs.

[@mr.timebombman2230]

So was V from Saint Vitus as well.

[@filthyrightnow5599]

They were not allowed out of the 90s.

[@Maureen.EccentricEclectic]

The best part of this band was the vocal of Ed Kowalczyk ..dude gives me chills.

[@thequintanashow5058]

“LIVE” sounded like a great band name on 1995 - then social media happened and now you can’t find them for shit!!!😂😂😂

[@satorified1612]

It's like naming a band The Band. Oh wait ..... 😂

[@thequintanashow5058]

@@satorified1612 or “The The”

[@satorified1612]

@@thequintanashow5058 I'm sure searching for music by The The must be a chore. 😂

[@henrygvidonas9573]

@@satorified1612 That's why quotation marks in search engines are a thing. Just search for "the the" with quotation marks, as a a literal phrase. Easy peasy! Pages and pages of nothing but links relating to Matt Johnson's band - and literally nothing else.

[@southphillylilly]

It really isn't that difficult. You can search lightning crashes, and when it comes up, click the artist and there you have everything you need to know about them, which, is too much.

[@Scrodybonjovilalala]

I know bands that toured with them. I know people that grew up with them. They are allegedly the biggest assholes on the planet seems to be the common consensus so i am not surprised by any of this....

[@palehorse1111]

oh man, to be a fly on the wall I would love to hear a few stories about that :P

[@tjevans9893]

A lot of those stories were likely born or embellished out of jealousy, too

[@MK-xl9tt]

I’d have to disagree I’m from York, played and hung with them in the 90s, Pat and Chad gracey were cool as hell didn’t have much contact with ed or Taylor but played with Ed’s younger brothers band back in the day.

[@joesmith9216]

@@MK-xl9tt yeah, chad gracey, the drummer, he even talks to people on youtube comments! he is a awesome guy!

[@snuckersnucker3043]

I remember veruca salt once said they were terrible to tour with. Apparently the crew they hired treated the opening acts badly. Something about they were not allowed to be louder than the main band. Don't quote me on this or make me unearth that interview from a 1997 cassette tape 😅

[@leighfoulkes7297]

York, PA was adequately described in Live's song "S#!* Towne". Always felt like for every small group of friends/people/family there was one sane person surrounded by a bunch of loonies.

[@Louisejames23]

They did one of the best (& hottest) concerts I’ve seen back in 1999. Still love those 90’s albums ❤

[@redsunflowers7322]

I saw Live live in 1997. Definitely a fun show. I still listen to Throwing Copper once in a while. Agree, great '90s music!

[@seanfeld-]

I saw live at a festival sometime in the late 90's to early 2000's and they were amazing. I'm not even a fan of theirs but they were one of the best live bands I've ever seen.

[@kymrakurinskas5482]

Seeing them live for the first time in 1995 made them my band. Saw them over 40 times. They put on a great show 🥰

[@smathfury]

Ed is an an absolute nightmare to work for. He did a solo show in Upstate NY. He treated everyone like crap! Some of of the staff were literally in tears!

[@AL13NM]

He became a "christian" rocker, which just screams Con Man!

[@ScuffedF]

Rock stars and their egos. Some things never change, despite the times.....

[@nathueil1]

And it was he alone hating you?

[@smathfury]

@@nathueil1 haha!!

[@bryanhawley3182]

Lame ass Christian lyrics didn’t help any either

[@TheArtofGuitar]

"Throwing copper to laying cable." Best line!

[@rnrtruestories]

Agreed!

[@paulianhodgson]

I like how you've started playing music from the band you're discussing in the background. My band once played a show with Chris Shinn, he just did a solo acoustic thing if I remember correctly. We only found out later he was singing in Live as well at the time. He was a cool guy, very friendly to us South African guys.

[@marcosdepaula3593]

Chris Shinn is a really cool dude, there is a Rolling Stone article where he describes being heart broken about how Chad Taylor spoke dismissively of him when discussing the reunion tour with Ed in 2017. Chris has a killer band right now, they may not be famous but they are really good, I saw them at a club here in Charlotte. Sometimes being a really good musician and enjoying what you do is way more important than anything else. Live behaves like a bunch of posers!!!!

[@eon6274]

When I used to download my mp3 files from limewire or other sites, I remember it always being a pain in the ass to find this band's songs because of their name Live. I'd always end up downloading some random live performance instead and it was a whole ordeal kids today will never understand

[@duaneabrahams-b5n]

i had the same problem and solved it by entering the full song name or the title of the album. Secret Samadhi was tough to spell

[@drewtheunspoken3988]

If you think about it, though unintentional, it's a genius name to thwart piracy.

[@mikepalmer1971]

Imagine going to the store and buying an album…you kids will,never understand either. Lol.

[@duaneabrahams-b5n]

@@mikepalmer1971 i have a 9 year old and i doubt he knows that music can be loaded onto a cd let alone vinyl. Vinyl is so expensive i would prefer that over any format today. Oh, and the 9 year old has and never will know what it feels like to be in a record store

[@TheRadFactor]

@@duaneabrahams-b5n being in a record store was more satisfying that s** 😂

[@jamesstaggs4160]

Such a bummer. They were a great band and one that seems to get left out a lot when talking about the nineties. I was a massive grunge fan but it didn't take long for every single band to have the same sound and especially the same vocal affectations, we all know what I'm talking about. Live had their own thing going on and they were a band with a message that didn't want to point fingers and deepen divides but instead made calls for an appeal to the universal. Too bad they didn't apply that to the band.

[@rawkguy4896]

The Rolling Stone article on these guys is unbelievably crazy. One of the most insane band stories I've ever read

[@TheDarthXander]

Great piece. What a sad place they ended up.

[@jamesmason1347]

Which issue of Rolling Stone?

[@derekpine5686]

Throwing copper is a solid offering to 90s music.

[@tkyusko]

Yeahhh after this weekend I think Janes Addiction reunion needs to be added. Perry and Dave getting into a fight on stage.

[@knowmad81]

Bruv... that was Perry tweaking out... wouldn't really describe that as a back and forth fight....

[@theincredulousr]

I like the band but the name is rubbish for the internet age. Searching for 'Live' or 'Live band' is so ambiguous.

[@chris-yo8nj]

Lol

[@fiendishmaven]

Just add a plus sign on each end of the word. +Live+

[@thatampguy]

Secret Samadhi was epic

[@arejaycee5704]

Totally underrated follow up to Throwing Copper. Turn my head is off the scale.

[@AusTraLiaNPsyChO]

From Benjamin Burnley himself, it was one of the biggest influences for what post-grunge would become in the 2000s.

[@211tfahey]

Best album.

[@archadias1]

I could not agree with you more. Such a great record. I listened to it on the schoolbus via my Sony Discman...which skipped if you breathed on it.

[@stvdog]

my favorite Live album \m/

[@AnodyneJS]

If only Chad Gracey had been the bass player, then we could have had an all-Chad supergroup with Chad Kroeger, Chad Smith, Chad Taylor and Chad Gracey. I mentioned this someplace else and the best suggestion for a name was Chad Company. Honorable mention should be given to Chad Season, since that was also a sort of supergroup of '90s musicians.

[@monkeytailhock2295]

There's a band called Botched Chadification. Look them up.

[@Jay-Jose]

CH4D

[@kylereece1979]

👏👏 And the Mad Season album, "Above" was good! "River of Deceit", "Long Gone Day", and the storming instrumental, "November Hotel" are fantastic songs.👍👍

[@josecarlosramolete6109]

​@@Jay-Jose Channel 4D?

[@johnjackson1449]

"Hanging Chad" would have been a great name, especially in 2000.

[@Phelper99]

I actually really liked that album with Shinn. I wasn't necessarily LIVE but it was a good record.

[@nearvanaman]

I gave it a re-listen recently - first time since the year it came out - and I thought it was better than I remembered. Certainly no worse than the "Black Mountain" album.

[@clarkerots9348]

Better than the 3 Live albums before it......

[@TheDopekitty]

I saw the lead singer in 2014 performing the throwing copper album. It was nice, but it didn't feel as "big" as it should have

[@ericthiel4053]

Was so bummed when Live fell off. I still love each album and play them quite often!! Truly one of the greats!!

[@davidlinehat4657]

when I was in 5th grade, Live was the bands the nerds listened to. Kinda like Stewart liking Winger.

[@rawkguy4896]

Personally speaking, they've always just been kind of "there" for me. I heard the Throwing Copper singles on my rock radio all the time in highschool but I never felt the urge to really dive into their music. They're heavier than a band like Matchbox 20 but less heavy than Creed so they've never really stood out.

[@AprilSixth]

Robin Diaz is the coolest dude and such a great drummer. He recorded four tracks for me when I was in April Sixth. ❤❤❤❤

[@DrumdumsOfficial]

Geez. What a tangled mess! Throwing Copper is such an amazing album. Still holds up. Great coverage on this!

[@PearlJamaholic]

I still think Ed only rejoined the band so he could fire them and tour under the band name. His solo shows had zero interest, even now with the name Live Ed isn't doing much. Live was one of my favorite bands growing up, and to see them now is a little sad. One original member and very little fan interest left. Saw them in Harrisburg, near enough to a hometown show, and there were empty seats in the front rows. The difference between Live and a lot of the other reunion tours, is Live faded after their peak. Most of the other bands broke up when they were still huge bands in the mainstream. If Live called it quits after Secret Samadhi people would be nostalgic for the band, but people tired of them with their last few albums which were very bland.

[@mikespearwood3914]

They quickly turned into one of those cliche/boring insufferable 90's/2000's mainstream rock bands (Creed, Nickelback etc). I remember hearing "Dolphin's Cry" and it sounded like such a generic late 90's/early 2000's pop rock song.

[@PearlJamaholic]

@@mikespearwood3914 The Distance To Here wasn't a bad album but Dolphin's Cry was a bad omen of where the band was going. Instead of being an angst spiritual REM inspired alternative band, they started to follow whatever was trendy. Case and point V...

[@jesterr7133]

I have the Throwing Copper cover art as my desktop. It has to be one of my favorite album covers, and one of my favorite albums too.

[@BubbleoniaRising]

"Turn and face the wall... The band is coming through. Do not make eye contact with the band"

[@SBoss281]

This is sad. I loved this band. When I heard about their breakup years ago, I thought it was Ed being greedy. But from this explanation, it seems Ed was the only sensible member of the band.

[@alexvigil29]

sounds like Ed is worth millions now and the other three are penniless over get rich quick schemes failing , sounds like the other three got swindled outta every penny they ever made

[@djmdallas72]

There is no live without Ed.. his voice is the main signature of the band

[@renzo_kookin4208]

Its a crazy crazy mixed up town

[@selfan2005]

It's the Rattlesnake I fear.

[@MatthewRamey-s5u]

Secret samadhi is a masterpiece

[@TheScorpio1999]

@@selfan2005 In another place, in another time...

[@saoirsethewanderer]

@@MatthewRamey-s5u and that’s definitely one of the best songs

[@saoirsethewanderer]

And one of the best concert intros ever. I could remember sitting in the crowd when the rattlesnake was starting and you just knew it was about to get amped up from there.

[@JunkheadAlice]

I just saw them on Friday with 311. It was only Ed and hired guns. They were great. I wasn't aware that he was the only original member left.

[@RogueBishopBRB]

Live was my ultimate favorite band of the 90s when I was a teenager, full stop! I was lucky enough to see them in Detroit for some Verizon tour BS before they broke up. When they reunited, they played Holloween horror nights at Universal here in Orlando and it was Amazing! The world sucks thank you to Ed and the band for making it just a little more acceptable. You F ing ROCK!!!!!

[@Bat-Ben]

Throwing Copper to me is still my number 1 album of the 90s.

[@richardwintle1020]

Thanks for this. And now I finally understand why United Fiber and Data and Live were co-branded sponsors on James Hinchcliffe's IndyCar in 2014.

[@mheberling5939]

Always liked them. Throwing copper is so rad.

[@MrRockett88]

To me Throwing Copper was a bit of a disappointment. I loved Mental Jewelry and when the college radio station I was with at the time got the new record, I put it on the air within minutes. But overall, kinda not as good

[@mheberling5939]

@@MrRockett88 I dug mental J, but when TC was released, I was blown away. To me that record every single song is a hit. I remember Live toured with PIL for Mental Jewelry when it was released.

[@MrRockett88]

Actually, I'm going back on that a bit. Selling the Drama is a very good song.

[@bdl2112]

@@mheberling5939Secret Samadhi was even better. I love all their albums.

[@captyonah1378]

@@MrRockett88lol

[@MrDotaleavers]

in 1994 i first played Selling the Drama in the classroom. The time i learned to play the guitar... It was the greatest song that i felt that everyone comes to enjoy... it was a blast back in my time... our only distraction was of course Michael Jordan and his ballerina moves we always likes to imitate with a tennis ball..

[@bsjeffrey]

best band with the worst name.

[@phillipweber6059]

I always thought the same

[@seanlandonclarke]

I was never a Live fan, but when they came out, I thought the same thing about the name. Seemed so generic. On top of that, I remember people pronouncing it wrong, saying Live, as in "I live in the city."

[@nimhard]

I think the name is genius, it's just unfortunate that they didn't have internet at the time and wouldn't know how hard it was to search for them in the early years of the internet.

[@selfan2005]

Same with the band Bush. You'd type in the name and get the now ex-President.

[@jwwj30]

Every successful rock band in history had the exact same financial issues. They all buy their friends & families homes, cars or just give them money. Remember, these guys did not graduate from Harvard with a degree in finance, many did not even graduate from college. Thus when the cash starts rolling in, usually by the 2nd or 3rd LP, (along with the drugs & alcohol), this leads to poor management decisions. In Live’s case, sounds like Hines repeatedly took advantage of them to the tune of several million dollars.

[@goodpainlive1]

My favorite band of all time. It’s a shame what happened. Gracey is a phenomenal, underrated drummer and Patrick is an unbelievable musician. Never was in the spotlight or got any credit. His baseline in Pain Lies is iconic. Seeing them this month w STP.

[@joesmith9216]

CHEERS! yes Pat is a bass god, and wow, he's the only normal guy in the band, well, gracey is too, rhythm sections, only normal people in bands.

[@ChipsNCellos]

Watching all their online behavior over the years too, they’re just extremely immature people. It’s a crying shame that a band with so much talent combusted the way it did- twice!!

[@paulc5690]

I seen Live in 2018 and they killed it! Throwing Copper is a head to toe winner too. Hope to catch them again this year!

[@thequintanashow5058]

Throwing Copper probably holds record for most played CD in car CD players…ever

[@davidcox3076]

That CD has stayed in every car I've had since it was released. Pretty sure it's still there now.

[@kevincowan1913]

What a shame . I remember seeing those guys at Barton Hall at Cornell on the Throwing Copper tour and was blown away . To treat each other how they do now is petty and immature. Life life boys to it's fullest and have love in your hearts . You can't start over

[@GoldTop57]

It’s always a tough situation when one member does virtually all of the writing and creation of the song. Similar to the Smashing Pumpkins situation. That person would deserve the lions share, but that doesn’t mean it won’t lead to resentment with the other members.

[@LeadSurge3000]

🤘🏼 *I've heard members of other bands say "I appreciate that I got to hitch my wagon to theirs" & I think that's probably the right attitude. I'm not saying it's easy; but, probably best.* 🤘🏼

[@ratatgp3926]

thing with Smashing Pumpkins is James has shown and always tried to contribute(Mayonaise,Soma.. etc2x) but Billy's way to controlling on writing. dude was even mad James didnt ask him for advice when James wrote his solo record. lol as for live, all songs were written by Ed and never heard or read about CHad T writing a full song.

[@richie7201]

Scandalous! Thanks again!

[@ciceroaurelius3757]

The greed of the average person astonds me, every member of the bad could live a life far beyond what the average persone could ever get. Yet all they want is more more more

[@UndercoverNormie]

When I was a kid, for some reason I always thought Live was like "discount R.E.M." 😆

[@ijustwannawatchstufs]

That'd be the Smiths. Live is like townie kids channeling an REM cover band they heard in their older brother's car one time.

[@SkipTwo]

@@ijustwannawatchstufsNo, no, no. The Smiths aren’t even in the same genre as REM. The Smiths are British indie rock and REM is American pop.

[@MK-xl9tt]

I’d have to say they’re all independent and accomplished more so than anonymous keyboard critics.😊

[@TowGunner]

“Her placenta falls to the floor” is the only thing I remember about this band

[@jamisongugino2887]

I'm a metal head, jazz and classical music fan but really love Secret Samadhi.

[@CoolGobyFish]

Oh wow, I remember them from 1996. So weird to see them old now

[@Godzillafan1980]

Happens to us All... Even you 😮

[@mattzobian]

Ed K was the 'Sting' of his band: the primary songwriter and creative force. And like The Police, his Live bandmembers didn't fully recognize this, and paid the price. It's unfortunate for the fans.

[@bwhotwing411]

It’s too bad what happened with Live. Their early artistic direction touched on some interesting concepts and they could’ve evolved into something really great, but they got kind of sappy with their later albums and seemed to immature.

[@erice3933]

So basically, money destroyed the band. Billy Corrigan said his management tried to convince him to give more points to his bandmates but he felt he was entitles to all the royalties. He later said he regretted that discission, as it destroyed the band. Rush decided early on that all royalties would be split 3 ways. The irony is, Live would have made a lot more money if they weren't fighting about money.

[@nuke97]

The singer wanting that much says everything about how he feels about the members of the band. If you care about the original members of the band you split things evenly otherwise youre asking for a break up. However the band suing the singer when he did his solo thing was a low blow. Sounds like They're all greedy. TOOL knows whats up.

[@EricFansher]

People become resentful thinking "I'm doing all the work while they're out messing around." In reality, if those other members would have injected themselves into the writing process, it would have created a fight. Sometimes the needed part played by a band member is just showing up and playing what you're told to play.

[@joeshoe6184]

Dude wrote and sang all the songs. He deserves the lions share of the credit and the money.

[@alexvigil29]

@@joeshoe6184the guy that wrote all the hits is generally gonna get the lions share in any band

[@joeshoe6184]

@alexvigil29 as it should be. I was drawing a distinction with the original comment which said divide all proceeds evenly among band members.

[@alexvigil29]

@@joeshoe6184 na fk that , if I wrote all the hits I’d want all the dough also , even split my a$$ lol 😂

[@TravJam317]

I thought the album with Chris Shinn was surprisingly good, but you could always tell that they weren't going to get much more out of it than that.

[@Gramercy_Stiffs]

My douchebag radar was peaking when I first started hearing LIVE songs and watching their video clips. Glad to know it was correctly calibrated.

[@JK-gm6kk]

Lightning crashes is such a great tune. It reminds me of riding in the passenger seat of my parent's car, as a kid. Listening to the radio while doing so. There's no way i could have realized how good life was in those little moments, how great the 90s were to grow up in general, in a little rural town, and how different life would become during my teenage years. Even the awful times in the past seem better than life currently, at times.

[@FistyClown]

Lol. Seeing them next week. Hopefully they don't break up again.

[@NickPearce-v2w]

The band you will seeing is not Live. It's Ed with session musicians.

[@THE_BEAR_JEW]

@@NickPearce-v2w Ed is Live. The other guys were in the band but they never stood out at all. It's not a Guns N Roses situation where you could legitimately say each member of the lineup was a substantial contributor to the band's sound and direction.

[@rkline65]

When I was growing up and getting into music in the mid-late 80's/early 90's in Central Pennsylvania, when these guys broke out it was a pretty cool story, especially locally. Childhood friends that made it big. But wow.....I hate to say it, but this is what fame, ego, money, having people around you and listing to people that do not care about YOU....and all those other cliches can do. They had an incredible run and made millions, but did they realty think that a rock band from PA was going to change the world of technology buying into a fiber optics scam???!!! Crazy. When they were working on one of their follow up albums, they played a "secret show" at a really tiny club around where I lived. This was back in the days before file sharing and all that and tape trading was how you got recordings of live shows. There was a huge poster hanging outside the club saying that everybody would have to consent to be searched before entering the "secret show" because they were going to be playing new songs they were working on and they absolutely would not allow any recorders or cameras thru the doors so those songs would not get leaked. Crazy thinking how irrelevant that kind of stuff is now days.....

[@stephenhaynes3073]

York, PA is a strange place; It's famous for this band, York Barbell, and the York Peppermint Patty.

[@TheVirus-pr8zw]

Why is that strange?

[@roccoz2231]

And pretending to be the "First Capital" of the US...

[@MK-xl9tt]

You forgot caterpillar and Harley Davidson

[@dmh1367]

Just nought tickets to see them in September with STP, Soul Asylum and Our Lady Peace. Hope its a great show! Bring my 7 and 12 year old boys.

[@dwade6322]

I live about 45 mins away from where LIVE started...They are by far one of the most talented musicians from the 90's. They are still played on Rock stations in PA and Maryland on a regular basis. LIVE are true musicians and great at what they do. 🤟

[@WinterInTheForest]

Lame songs that all sounded the same, very basic playing. So much talent.

[@dwade6322]

@WinterInTheForest Lol.and what 'talent' have you presented to us for 30 years? These guys can still sell tickets an play shows. And as for you? 🙄

[@InkedMisfit]

@@dwade6322 Dude going by 1 song 😂

[@dwade6322]

@InkedMisfit "I alone" "Lightning crashes" "Selling the drama" "The dolphins cry". Those are 4 hit songs off the top of my head without much thought. Guess you should of done your homework 👍

[@sendthis9480]

⁠@@dwade6322 Dude…I don’t agree with that guy, but your logical fallacies are almost worse. Think about how many hundreds of millions of people have NOT sold even a single ticket to anything anywhere. You’re going to take away their opinion too? “Well…well…they’re better than you!” Doesn’t really justify any kind of anything. Just that you’re emotional about it. If you need to argue the guy…substantiate yourself. Or else don’t. But using the argument “they’ve got more likes than you, so your opinion doesn’t matter” is really lame and childish.

[@Alysia.in.Wonderland]

never knew if I should pronounce it Live or Live

[@kenbrunet6120]

It's always been pronounced Live. Not Live

[@GuitarP0RN]

It's spelled "Live" but pronounced 'Live', not to be confused with Italian band oLive

[@bangslamwham88]

I guess they did end up selling the drama after all.

[@DrummerGrrrl]

I used to HATE your voice but you have grown up quite a bit and your voice and inflection have improved so much. Yay! 😅

[@ericbrewer2409]

They should mix their set with a fiber optics seminar.

[@rnrtruestories]

@@ericbrewer2409 lol great comment

[@drummerguyron]

Will always be grateful for Throwing Copper. The songs, the mix, the vibe.

[@notsure1350]

Throwing Copper still holds up to this day.

[@Johnnybananass-_]

I worked for Ed kowalcyk on his solo tour, after 30 years in the global touring business I can say hand on heart Ed is the rudest, most arrogant, disrespectful human being I've ever work with- let alone a musician., he threw things at his monitor engineer during soundcheck, like heavy things that could hurt someone seriously,. he abused me after he stood on his own cable and pulled it from his guitar and he told me I was an idiot after he forgot to turn his tuner pedal off when he started a song. He then went on to go to the merch table after the show and actually said this, " its ok, come close people , you can touch me ... its ok.. " and he stood there arms up expecting fans to crowd around him and hug him. he was lucky he didn't get a busted jaw from me that night or a few broken fingers that would have made touring hard for the next few months. I have never worked for anyone like him since and when he came back through I swore to the agent I wouldn't work on his show. I wish the guy nothing but bad luck, bad health and bad news.

[@sabrosapurr]

Innnteresting. I had a similarly interesting experience with the guitarist. He was starting a label and came to meet my band at our studio to talk about signing us. He was the most egotistical musician I've ever met. Rambling, self-centered, egotistical mess of a man. He sold 20 million records. Do you know how I know that, because he must have mentioned that 6 times in an hour long conversation. And I use the word conversation loosely. It was just one long, rambling story about how talented, successful and famous he is. I can't believe there were two of them in that band. What a nightmare.

[@MatthiasPowerbomb]

Sad that such a legendary band imploded so utterly.

[@somarriba333]

I didn't know any of this was happening. The 90's is when I just went further underground with metal occasionally poking my head out to see what was going on. I saw one crappy genre replace another. Grunge, post-grunge, nu-metal... eesh.

[@davidfaustino4476]

Only non musicians don't get it when one member wants writing credits for writing virtually everything. Bands aren't team sports. Most bands have a single creative driving force.

[@Bbbbad724]

Roger Waters syndrome.

[@michaelwills1926]

Not sure how many bands you’ve been a part of but in my experience it all depends on the people involved. Mileage may vary

[@tzt1182]

Not all bands can be Rush.

[@Bbbbad724]

@@tzt1182 Neil had a strong personality. I would hope that Geddy and Alex can play those songs without having to pay Neil’s estate. They were not credited as co- writers. I hope that they can still play the songs that they created together. Does David have to pay Roger? I d pay in nut stomps.

[@brutesquadbbq2268]

@@Bbbbad724I think for the majority of their career each song was credited to the individuals Lee/Lifeson/Peart but I do think you’re correct that Neil had a separate credit for writing all the lyrics. As far as having to pay Neil’s estate, they might have to, but to my knowledge they’ve only played a few times since Neil’s passing. And given that Geddy is on record a countless number of times saying he doesn’t wanna play unless it’s with those two guys, I don’t imagine paying Neil’s estate is of a particular concern for them. No matter how much all of us would love to see them one last time.