The Live show at the Bryce Jordan Center last night reaffirmed the band's presence on the rock 'n' roll scene and gave its fans reason to believe that its soon-to-be-released album, Songs From Black Mountain, will be a success.

The show last night started on a mellow note, though. Ari Hest, a man encompassing all that is meant by tall, dark and handsome, didn't necessarily set the tone for the evening, but did provide an entertaining set. His distinctive voice, deep and clear, sets him apart from the traditional, quasi-talented, sensitive-male songwriting types as he tiptoed along the lines of country, pop and blues with his music.

Hest's voice is definitely one designed for serenading. In songs like "Anne Marie," he showcased his talented vocals, effortlessly hitting both the cooler low notes and the more intense, emotion-invoking high notes.

Although Hest performed decently, an attractive attribute in an opener, he did not prepare the audience for what was to come. His rich and almost soulful set seemed like an odd match to an intense, energy filled band like Live.

Live hit the BJC hard last night, pumping out energy from the very first song.

Live played to its audience well by not subjecting them to a wealth of songs from its new album that is not yet released. There was a good ratio of classic to new songs.

"All Over You" was played first, leading a string of songs popularized in the '90s by the album Throwing Copper. In this song, Ed Kowalczyk, who is lead vocals for the band, teased the audience by pulling up his shirt a little. I have to admit ladies, he is one sexy bald man.

Throughout its set, Live definitely proved capable of keeping excitement levels up. With songs like "The River," the band showed its fans it is capable of doing new things and not getting stuck in a rut with music that sounds similar to past hits. Also, this song, with its upbeat tempo and infectious lyrics, is a good example of how authentic rock 'n' roll music can transcend musical fads.

There wasn't much dialogue between songs, but Kowalczyk worked the crowd in other ways. He danced all through the set and kept things visually interesting. It was refreshing not to hear a short anecdote about every song that they played; the music spoke for itself.

Old hits like "Lightning Crashes" created a nostalgic mood, but the impact was just as strong last night as it was when the songs were first released. The old music came alive again, giving fans hope for the new album. When Live did play songs from Songs from Black Mountain, the group was extremely well received by the audience. In the song "Show," Kowalczyk got into it by removing his shirt for real this time. With lyrics like "show a little love to me," and "if you want to love like a god," this song was without a doubt my favorite and, again, supports the idea that Songs from Black Mountain will be better than I previously thought.