Collective Soul & Gavin Degraw at HOB Last Night

There was a full house last night at the House of Blues. I was slightly surprised by the turnout to see Gavin Degraw and Collective Soul. Although I had found out recently through Twitter that Collective Soul has a pretty large following.

Just want to mentioned that I really enjoyed the first band last night, Green River Ordinance. It's always a pleasant surprise when the opening band you've never heard of turns out to be a good one. If you haven't heard of them definitely check them out. They are coming back to the HOB later this summer and opening up for David Cook.

Gavin Degraw performed following Green River Ordinance and it was great. I'll admit that I wasn't a huge fan before seeing the show but I was quite impressed with his performance. He addressed the crowd quite a bit, maybe a little to much for my liking. I might be in the minority but I would rather hear the band sing then talk. No need to tell a story before the song.

Gavin played a great mixture of songs from all three of his albums. Towards the end of the show is when he played some of his biggest hits such as "In Love with a Girl". The closing few songs seemed to have more enthusiasm from both the crowd and Gavin than the beginning of the set.

Colective Soul took the stage around 10:15. This was later than expected but I would rather a show be longer than expected than shorter. About a year or two ago I saw Collective Soul at Classic Park in Eastlake. For some reason I remember that performance being a little more exciting than last night's show. Maybe it was the venue. They seem to fit the ampitheater or outdoor venues better than the House of Blues. I always feel the venue plays a huge role in the overall quality of the show.

During the first three songs it was difficult to hear the vocals but things seem to get better during the fourth song. It was surprising to hear "Shine" played so early on in the set. Definitely thought they would save this for one of the last songs. Just like Degraw Collective Soul played a great mixture of old and new.

When I was leaving the venue there was a young kid behind me that said Collective Soul messed up by playing their best song (Shine) fourth. I thought this was funny especially since the kid probably wasn't even born when that song first came out. What do you think? What is Collective Soul's best song?

One question for the House of Blues. Why are there only a few stools located around the bar area? You could definitely fit a few more seating options along the bar or against the walls. For a girl who can't stand for a long periods of time but loves concerts this would be appreciated.