"You Got My Soul Singin', Soul Singin"...The Black Crowes in Boston, Oct.30, 2001
Oct 31 '01
The Bottom Line 3 words that describe this concert: fun, exuberant, and rocking.
"Yeah, yeah, yes, rock and roll music." Those were the words Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson said to us last night after a triumphant, rollicking and rocking version of Midnight From the Inside Out, the lead track from their latest disc, Lions. Robinson almost has it right. While they are nicknamed the "most rock and roll rock and roll band in the world," the Crowes are more like "rock and soul." Only they could be deserving of such a title as a band. And last night, they brought plenty of rock, and plenty of soul to the Orpheum Theatre in Boston on night one of a two night stand that wraps up their North American tour.
Whenever the Crowes announce a tour, there are 3 venues that are guaranteed to be listed: the Greek Theatre in LA (although that show was canceled because it was supposed to happen on 9/11), the Beacon Theatre in NY (4 shows this time around), and the Orpheum here in Boston. A quick cursory look at the Crowes' website tells you they are playing like 5 Orpheum Theatres on this tour. But the true Orpheum for this band is truly Boston. And speaking of 9/11, there is perhaps no better band to bring you out of the blues and to get your "soul singing" than the Black Crowes.
Strutting on stage confidently and with swagger, the opening Midnight was just about perfect. The sound was perfect, the crowd was just absolutely going nuts, and the always feuding (although not as much anymore) Robinson brothers were bringing the house down. Keeping the momentum up, the band ripped through old favorites Sting Me and Thick N' Thin.
Robinson then took a minute to talk about how music can take you to a very special place, a place where you can relax, forget about your problems, and have a good time. "For now," he said, "the next 5 minutes or so, that place is called the Greasy Grass River."
River is a great song, although live it gives both lead guitarist Rich Robinson and rhythm guitarist Audley Freed a good chance to show off their impressive chops. Anyone who thinks that the Black Crowes are derivative are right; but after watching them live you have to be impressed with how skilled they are as musicians.
After the kick a$$ rock and roll song that is Kickin My Heart Around, the band pulled out the first of a few gems, with the opening notes of Cursed Diamond ringing through the Orpheum to a crowd that immediately cheered to show how appreciative they were. I love this song. Next to Descending (god I hope they play that tonight), it's my favorite song off Amorica. It was here that I noticed just how good Chris Robinson sounded. I don't know if he's just on pot nowadays (come on, we all KNOW he's not giving that up!) or what, but his voice sounded a lot better than when I saw the Crowes in 1999 here, and better than in 2000 when I saw them with Jimmy Page. This is even more impressive when you consider the Crowes have had about a month off from touring since May, and have been going non-stop for the most part since the end of August.
After a very loud Nebakanezer, Chris once again spoke. "This is a song about the cosmos. (pause) Oh come on now man, you KNOW we're gonna play at least ONE song about the cosmos. More specifically, this is a song about a Cosmic Friend."
If there's one song that truly shows the influence that Jimmy Page had on the Lions album, it's Cosmic Friend. It just oozes Led Zeppelin, both musically and lyrically. I can really see Robert Plant singing these lyrics and Jimmy Page cranking out this riff.
They kept on coming. Sometimes Salvation was a highlight, and How Much For Your Wings was just achingly gorgeous, stretched out nicely by a long jam that just seemingly wouldn't end. Normally with me, that would be bad, but this time, it was just magical. After the awful Young Man Old Man (god I hate that song), the band began jamming what's known to fans as the "Thorn's Progress Jam" which went into the "Mojo Hand Jam." This is where the Crowes of 96/97 popped up. Again, these two jams went on what seemed like forever, but it was just SO good. Once those were over, Thorn in My Pride started, and they had the crowd in their back pocket again.
After a nice Time Will Tell, Robinson simply said into the microphone "yeah, Boston's got my Soul Singin' tonight." If there is one song that should've catapulted this band back into superstardom since their sales declines of the mid to late 90s, it's this song. For some reason, it never totally caught on. But last night, the goddamned balcony was shaking. This song was a big old celebration, and if your soul wasn't singing, you had some serious problems.
It was clear that the band wanted the regular set to end on a high note. Wiser Time was just absolutely f*cking awesome...no other words can possibly do that song justice last night, it was just...the perfect song at the perfect time.
Surprisingly, Hard to Handle didn't get a big cheer as it started. It wasn't until about halfway through the song that the crowd really got into it. I don't know why, but it's clear to me now that this is no longer an Otis Redding song, it's a Black Crowes song.
And then there was Remedy. Oh, the balcony's shaking again. Cool. =)
Coming back out for the encore, the band whipped out Title Song, a song they hadn't played in almost 5 years, and a song that a lot of diehard fans had been waiting for. I myself had no idea what the hell it was, as I had never heard it. They then played Can't You Hear Me Knockin, sending the 2800 or so people home with gigantic smiles on their faces.
If you missed the Black Crowes on this tour (and with only tonight's show here in Boston left, and no reviews up on this site until now, it looks like a lot of people did), you missed what many die-hards are calling their best tour ever. They are a powerful live act, and last night, they proved it to Boston once again.
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