Ed Roland of Collective Soul entertains the crowd at MECU Pavilion. (Photos by Shantel Breen)
The Rock & Roll Express Tour rolled through Baltimore on Tuesday! This tour featured headliners 3 Doors Down with Collective Soul — and together they rocked the MECU Pavilion on a rather stormy evening.
Collective Soul kicked off this night with a 14-song set list. Taking the stage to entrance music, “Climb Every Mountain” from The Sound of Music, lead singer Ed Roland jumped right into action with their opening song, “Now’s the Time.” Roland captivated the crowd with his energy and charisma, spending most of his time at the front of the stage encouraging the fans to participate and sing along.
For their third song, “Shine”, Roland took a seat at the piano in between jumping about on stage during the chorus. Guitarist Dean Roland demonstrated pure talent on every guitar solo and nearly stole the show!
Dean Roland of Collective Soul taking the lead on guitar.
Collective Soul’s set was put on hold midway through due to lightning. The house lights came up, and the audience waited patiently for the show to continue. About 15 minutes later, the band resumed their places on the stage and powered through the rest of their set as if nothing had ever stopped them.
At the end of the set, most of the crowd were on their feet and everyone cheered loudly as the band walked off stage. It was hard to believe that they were not the headliners. They put on a fantastic performance despite the break in their set.
Fans enjoy an energetic performance by Collective Soul at MECU Pavillion in Baltimore.
Taking the stage at nearly 10pm, 3 Doors Down attempted to follow up with the momentum that their opening band at begun. Their stage set up was very simple with risers and two American flags on each side of the stage. Despite getting a late start due to the delay, the band still made it through their 17-song set list which included many of their top hits, such as “Let Me Go,” “Loser,” “Kryptonite,” and “Here Without You.”
The rain and delay might have dampened spirits a bit as the crowd thinned out midway through the set. Too bad for those who missed a great show!
3 Doors Down headlines the Rock & Roll Express Tour.
Together, the two bands pleased the crowd although it was a bit of a rainy evening. While 3 Doors Down delivered a good performance, Collective Soul really fueled the energy for the evening. Both bands delivered a true rock ‘n’ roll concert that provided their fans with a full set list of all their hits and favorite songs.
Here are some photos of Collective Soul and 3 Doors Down performing at MECU Pavilion on Aug. 21, 2018. All photos copyright and courtesy of Shantel M. Breen.
Collective Soul
3 Doors Down 
