While Saliva is best known for their chart-topping hard rock hits featured in movies, video games, and WWE events in the early 2000s, the platinum-selling alternative rock band embarked on an acoustic tour called Live and Unplugged this year to show a different side of the band, stopping at The Leonard Theater in downtown Scranton on Friday, April 14.
Exclusively announced through NEPA Scene last month, this concert also provided an opportunity for three different Scranton rock bands to strip their music down to the bare essentials – University Drive, Give Up, and Destination West. Just a few weeks before, University Drive singer, songwriter, and guitarist Edward Cuozzo performed acoustic versions of two songs from their debut album, “On/Off: Reset,” live on the NEPA Scene Podcast.
Bathed in darkness as the lights slowly came up to cheers and applause, Saliva strummed a few chords as vocalist Bobby Amaru greeted the audience from his stool.
“Scranton, PA, how you guys doing tonight? It’s good to be here. It’s Friday night! I want you guys to have a good time – let’s hear a bunch of crazy shit, all right? Just let it all out!” he said.
“You guys are going to be fun tonight – I can tell.”
Opening with “Broken Sunday” and “Ladies and Gentlemen” from their fifth studio album, “Blood Stained Love Story,” which debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard 200 in 2007, Amaru praised the whisky drinkers in the crowd as the band streamed those songs live on their Facebook page.
Performing other hits like “Click Click Boom” from 2001’s double platinum-selling album “Every Six Seconds,” along with more recent tunes and covers like “Nutshell” by Alice in Chains, Saliva left the crowd satisfied before heading to Harrisburg the next day.
Learn more about University Drive and stream or download two exclusive acoustic tracks in Episode 2 of the new live streaming NEPA Scene Podcast.
