Live (band)

Live (/laɪv/, often typeset as LĪVE or +LĪVE+) is an American rock band formed in York, Pennsylvania, in 1984 by Ed Kowalczyk (lead vocals, guitars), Patrick Dahlheimer (bass), Chad Gracey (drums), and Chad Taylor (guitars). Kowalczyk is the only remaining member of this original lineup. The band started to gain attention following their single "Operation Spirit (The Tyranny of Tradition)", the video for which got regular airplay on MTV, and the moderate success of their second album, Mental Jewelry. Their biggest success came in 1994 with their third album, Throwing Copper, which sold eight million copies in the U.S. The band had a string of hit singles in the mid-1990s, including "Lightning Crashes", which stayed at the top of the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for ten consecutive weeks and the Modern Rock Tracks (now Alternative Songs) chart for nine weeks from February 25 to April 22, 1995. The band has sold over twenty million albums worldwide. When touring, Live has used additional musicians, including Ed Kowalczyk's younger brother Adam, British keyboardist Michael "Railo" Railton, rhythm guitarist Christopher Thorn of Blind Melon, and guitarist Zak Loy of Alpha Rev. In 2009, Ed Kowalczyk left the band; he was replaced by singer Chris Shinn and the band released the album The Turn in October 2014. Kowalczyk rejoined Live in December 2016 and in 2018, they released a new EP, Local 717. Kowalczyk fired Taylor in June 2022 after taking majority control of the band. Rolling Stone reported that Gracey and Dahlheimer have since been let go as well. Kowalczyk began touring with other musicians as Live in October 2022.