After spending most of March on the road in Canada, Collective Soul has returned for a stateside tour in support of its new album, "Dosage," which has already spawned two hit radio singles, "Run" and "Heavy."

To kick-off the American leg of its current tour, the band literally had to climb the mountain -- as the inaugural gig was held at snow-covered Stratton Mountain in Bondville, Vermont over the weekend.

Inclement weather at the resort contributed to a few technical glitches, but according to frontman Ed Roland and guitarist Ross Childress, those problems didn't damper audience reactions to the show.

In fact, the classic-rock concert move of holding a lighter aloft during the ballads apparently wasn't enough for one attendee, as Roland was beaned -- and temporarily knocked out -- by a lighter hurled at the stage by one over-zealous fan.

"This tour, so far, has been what I always dreamed it would be," Roland said, "'cause now whatever I want to do, I'll do it. Wanna hit somebody, then I'll hit 'em. I don't care. We've been hit ourselves, so --"

"How's that going by the way," Childress asked Roland, "is that doing all right?"

"I got knocked out the other night," Roland explained. "Somebody threw a lighter and popped me."

"At the very end of the show," Childress interjected.

"And I was out for a second," Roland said.

"We were on a ski mountain," Childress said, "playing outside in the snow, and at the very end, somebody threw a lighter and smacked him right on the side of the head."

"I kinda have a devil's horn thing happening over here," Roland said as he pointed out the bruise on his forehead,

Collective Soul will finish up a two-night stand in New York City on Tuesday, after which the band will head to Hartford, Connecticut for a show on Thursday. Trinket will serve as Collective Soul's opening act until April 5, after which the Marvelous 3 will assume the slot for the rest of the tour.

The dates for Collective Soul's spring tour:

  • 4/1 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
  • 4/2 - Sea Bright, NJ @ Tradewinds
  • 4/3 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
  • 4/5 - Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theater
  • 4/6 - Detroit, MI @ State Theater
  • 4/7 - Pittsburgh, PA @ St. Vincent's School
  • 4/9 - Dubuque, IA @ Five Flags Arena
  • 4/10 - Milwaukee, WI @ Modjeska Theater
  • 4/11 - Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theater
  • 4/13 - Duluth, MN @ Duluth Entertainment Center
  • 4/14 - Green Bay, WI @ Weidner Center
  • 4/16 - Normal, IL @ Braden Auditorium
  • 4/17 - Winona, MN @ McCown Fieldhouse
  • 4/18 - St. Cloud, MN @ St. Cloud Civic Center
  • 4/20 - Lincoln, NE @ Pershing Auditorium
  • 4/21 - Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
  • 4/23 - Austin, TX @ South Park Meadows
  • 4/24 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheater
  • 4/25 - Charlotte, NC @ Center Cityfest
  • 4/30 - Nashville, TN @ River Festival
  • 5/1 - Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown Festival
  • 5/20 - Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheater
  • 5/21 - Pelham, AL @ Oak Mountain Amphitheater
  • 6/5 - Hampton, GA @ Atlanta Motor Speedway