Live's Kowalczyk, a York native, flies solo at Strand

Ed Kowalczyk, Art Alexakis and Leigh Nash stood onstage naked at the Strand Theatre Thursday night.

All of the musicians were fully clothed in black pants and shirts, but they performed without their backing bands, sound systems and all other rock star trappings.

Kowalczyk only carried two white guitar cases onstage for his short sound check at 7:15 p.m.

"It all sounds great," he told the guys behind the soundboard after playing the opening chords of "Turn My Head." "Let's open these doors."

A few hundred fans waited to take their seats in the Strand lobby. Some came from right around the corner -- where Kowalczyk grew up. But others, including Jason Sadlek and Lonnie Ward, traveled further.

The Pittsburgh natives said they saw Live, Ed Kowalczyk's band, in the mid-'90s. They drove almost four hours Thursday to hear Kowalczyk and Alexakis share the stories behind their songs.

"We grew up listening to these guys," Ward said.

Ian Logan, 16, of Hershey was a Live fan since he was in a crib.

He and his dad, Todd, wore Live T-shirts, but stopped at the merchandise table to buy another one before the show.

Todd Logan, 52, said he's seen Live about six times. He keeps his ticket stubs in a drawer at home.

"It's tradition," Todd Logan said.

But Thursday night wasn't a traditional Live concert. Kowalczyk, who hasn't played in York in five years, organized the "Open Wings-Broken Strings" tour after playing a gig with Alexakis a few months ago. The idea

was for the artists to strip down their sound. He chose to unveil his new sound in York.

That acoustic formula has worked at the Strand, marketing manager Gary Taylor said. Bryan Adams' April 2 acoustic show sold out.

There were still some open seats at the Strand on Thursday, but the three artists bared it all to a mostly full house.

Both Nash and Alexakis broke the cardinal rule of the entertainment business and openly talked about their ages.

Nash said she's a 33-year-old once-divorced devoted mother of one who writes songs that people might not recognize.

Alexakis told the crowd he's 47, has been married four times, is raising a stubborn teenager and can't sing that well.

Kowalczyk openly shared on his blog that he's 38.

"This is probably my 10th gig on this stage," he told his hometown fans Thursday between "Forever" and "Scarred Like That." He added that he's only gotten paid for a few of them since some of them were with his school choir.

The crowd chuckled and cheered during each candid monologue. Kowalczyk might have even inspired a few young musicians in the crowd.

Sophia Nicholson, 7, who just started taking piano lessons, attended her first concert Thursday night.

Her parents, Deb and Geoff, of York, who have been Live fans since "Throwing Cooper," were excited to see Kowalczyk again.

"It's been a while," Geoff Nicholson said.

emccracken@ydr.com; 771-2051

About the artists

Ed Kowalczyk -- formed the band Public Affection in 1984 in York with his middle school friends Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey. The group signed a record deal in 1990 and became Live in 1991. They toured the world, made the cover of Rolling Stone in 1996 and made eight full-length albums. Kowalczyk is now pursuing solo projects.

Art Alexakis -- grew up in Los Angeles and formed the band Everclear with Craig Montoya and drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1992 in Portland. They signed with Capitol Records in 1994. Their 1995 album "Sparkle & Fade" went platinum. Their 1997 effort "So Much For The Afterglow" was nominated for a Grammy. The band's gone through lineup changes, but it recently released an acoustic album.

Leigh Nash -- grew up on Texas, where she met guitarist/songwriter Matt Slocum. They formed Sixpence None the Richer and scored hits with their songs "Kiss Me," "There She Goes," and "Breathe Your Name." The band took a hiatus in 2004 and Nash released a solo record, "Blue on Blue," in 2006. Sixpence None the Richer regrouped in 2008.

Last time

May 28, 2004: York-native rockers Live -- Ed Kowalczyk, Chad Taylor, Patrick Dahlheimer and Chad Gracey -- perform a special 20th-anniversary show at the Strand Theatre in York. The band's first show in York County in a dozen years sold out in less than a day.

Sept. 11, 2004: Live performs at the York Fair.

What's next

Friday: Open Wings-Broken Strings hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg

Saturday: Open Wings-Broken Strings plays the Community Theatre at Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown, N.J.

Spring 2010: Ed Kowalczyk plans to release a solo album.

On the web

Read an interview with Ed Kowalczyk: www.flipsidepa.com/musicdirectory

Visit Kowalczyk's Web site: www.eddieklive.com

Follow Kowalczyk on Twitter: twitter.com/eddieklive

Share your thoughts on the show: inyork.com/exchange. Click on the music discussion under The Living Room.

Also of interest

· You maybe didn't know it but ... they're from York County.