BY JOSE MARTINEZ

LIVE lead singer Ed Kowalczyk played a surprise solo-acoustic set at Hotel Café in Hollywood last week, much to the delight of the sold out crowd of less than 200 lucky fans. An early set by Hollywood club standards, Kowalczyk took the stage promptly at 8:30PM and performed for nearly an hour. The intimate evening with Ed showcased the singer's personality that often gets lost in the intensity and pomp that LIVE, a ‘90s alternative rock breakout band, is so well known for.

Requesting a whisky from the stage, the 37-year-old singer joked it was a "whisky kind of night." Noting that he was unaccustomed to playing without feedback, Kowalczyk performed stripped down versions of some of LIVE's most indelible hits such as "Lightning Crashes,"  "I Alone,"  "Selling The Drama," "The Dolphin's Cry," as well as LIVE's new single, "Forever"  from the band's  new CD Live At The Paradiso - Amsterdam.

"Forever" is currently the most played song at LA's The Sound, 100.3 FM's playlist which is how most fans found out about the show. In addition, the band recently performed "Forever" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show."

In between whisky sips, the singer would raise his glass which brought out of fits of laughter from the audience as it seemed more prop than a much needed rock & roll essential beverage. Standing alone with guitar in hand, Kowalczyk's deeply moving lyrics that have garnered a loyal and huge following worldwide were really on display.

A local of York, Pennsylvania, the singer is now Southern California based and hinted that last night's performance may not the last time he plays the tiny singer-songwriter showcase venue. "I want to be able to hear my kids," the father of two joked about the intimacy and lack of sheer volume that playing such a small venue offers a musician used to playing in front a stack of Marshall speakers for years.

Call it nostalgia or reliving one's youth, without the pushing and shoving, it was a welcome treat to hear some of these songs I personally haven't heard in years stripped down to their core. And Kowalczyk's sense of humor and lack of ego, confessing some of his witty banter came to him during his morning shower, proved to create a pleasant and refreshing night on the town.

[Photo Credit: Jose Martinez]