Counting Crows Live in NYC
Hammerstein Ballroom — October 5, 2021
Live Music
Hammerstein Ballroom — October 5, 2021
I don't quite understand why so many people malign Counting Crows. It's been like this since they came out with "Mr. Jones" off the T-Bone Burnett produced August and Everything After in 1993.
In 1993, maybe it was jealousy because they seemed to come out of nowhere, fill in for Van Morrison at the Rock and Roll induction concert, and got signed to a recording contract for a rumored large amount of money (giving them the nickname Accounting Crows.)
A band with considerably less temerity and talent never would've lasted what is now going on a successful 30-year career.
Tuesday night, I got to see Counting Crows live at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.
I had only seen them once before. That would've been 1994 at The Beacon Theater, where they came out and played a half electric set and half acoustic set. I was a bit disappointed then, appreciative of the talent, but I wanted to hear live versions of the songs on August and Everything After — not re-arranged ones.
But as it is with any good band — it's the songs. And Counting Crows have very, very good songs.
When the band released Butter Miracle Suite One back in May, I wrote that it was their strongest, albeit shortest, work in years.
Counting Crows — Butter Miracle Suite One
EP of the Day — 31 May 2021popoff.us
The world of live music has been iffy for over 18 months, and even when the album came out and there was some rumbling about a traveling ramble, skepticism was high.
But, like a Boston sports fan drawn to beer and fighting, live music returned — perhaps not with the same rigor as the Boston sports fan, but it did return.
So I thought I'd get two tickets for my birthday, one for me and one for a friend— the show on October 5 was close to her birthday. And then I noticed a VIP Package. There were four levels, each named after the four songs, but not much differentiating them. The two things that stuck out to me were the preshow soundcheck and a signed lyric sheet.
Those were the two reasons I bought the package.
So this past Tuesday rolled around, and off into the city we went.
THE SOUNDCHECK
This was about what I expected. We queued up outside, went through the protocol (mainly tix and vax proof) to get into Hammerstein Ballroom.
We picked up the schwag bag — a canvas Counting Crows album bag (of pretty iffy quality) with a four-pack of buttons and the signed lyric sheet.
Then we waited a few minutes and were allowed in to see the band noodling around on stage, checking levels and lighting cues, etc.
You know — sound checking.
Not too much communication between the band and the 100/150 of us lurking about watching the band work. Although drummer Jim Bogios did acknowledge us as we walked in: "It's like a matinee' show."
The rest of the band, including singer Adam Duritz, stuck to the tasks at hand.
For a music nerd like myself, it was a neat (yes, neat) experience.
As my friend and I left, we were told that another bonus to the package was an early entry into the venue before the show.
With two hours to kill, we did what any two self-respecting adults would do before going to see a rock show — went to a bar to snack on shitty food and drink about one or two too many drinks (we're adults, after all, we can't get drunk ...not too drunk anyway.)
Sho'nuff, when the time came, we got right back into the Hammerstein, easy peasy. It happened to coincide with the bar opening up.
THE SHOW
Frank Turner opened the show, and he was good. He would've been A LOT better if NYC's biggest Frank Turner fan wasn't standing directly over my right shoulder, singing every song verbatim. Loudly.
The guy nearly ruined Turner's set for me.
I say "nearly ruined" because the set was officially ruined when NYC's OTHER biggest Frank Turner showed up over my left shoulder singing every song verbatim. I had the off-key Frank Turner tribute band standing directly behind me, ruining what I imagine was that rarest of rare things at a rock show — a good opening act.
Counting Crows are many things, but topping the list is that they're a great band live. They won't always play what you want, or if they play it, it may not be how you want it …but that is the artist's prerogative. On this night, they stuck to the songs as the fans knew them.
Opening with "Round Here" off of August… they then rolled into "Mrs. Potters Lullaby" from the band's third album, This Desert Life.
Then they cut the albatross from around their neck and played "Mr. Jones" — it's a fine song, it's just not a favorite of mine.
They rolled through thoughtful renditions of "Colorblind" and "Omaha" — the latter of which still packs a lyrical punch.
Over the years, Duritz has learned to write with more precision and brevity. Still, on those first two albums, August and Everything After and Recovering the Satellites, he was unafraid to use the entire song canvas to paint his songs with his words.
And "Omaha" was one of those wonderfully lyrically verbose songs:
Start tearing the old man down
Run past the heather and down to the old road
Start turning the grain into the ground
Roll a new leaf over
In the middle of the night there’s an old man
Treading around in the gathered rain
Hey, mister, if you want to walk on water
Oh would you drop a line my way?
Omaha
Somewhere in middle America
Get right to the heart of matters
It’s the heart that matters more
I think you’d better turn your ticket in
And get your money right at the door
I still think Duritz gets a shitty rap as a songwriter, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. His writing can be marginally derivative and often a little repetitive, but everything is derivative of something at this point in rock and roll. He is a much better writer than he is given credit for.
The band played the fun and quirky "Earthquake Driver" from Somewhere Under Wonderland, which Duritz conceded: "I don't know what this song is about either."
For me, a personal highlight was "If I Could Give All My Love To You — or — Richard Manuel Is Dead." Whether it's about Richard Manuel or the slow death that can accompany a relationship is anyone's guess (but I think it's the latter.)
Their cover of The Grateful Dead's "Friend of the Devil" has probably sent Deadheads into a wormhole of despair over the years. Still, it's dutiful …and has about as much impact as any Grateful Dead song does with me — minimal.
Aside from my friend's company, the four songs of Butter Miracle: Suite One were a highlight for me:
"The Tall Grass"
"Elevator Boots"
"Angel of 14th Street"
"Bobby and the Rat Kings"
The record is a good story, and it takes natural talent to work Paul Smith suits and elevator boots into a chorus of a song as Duritz does in “Elevator Boots” …so that it makes you WANT to sing it.
The set's sing-a-long closer "A Long December," even after 25 years, the song is still beautiful. And people still love singing it. I suppose we all identify with it because we understand that life can often be: "a lot of oysters, but no pearls."
They came out for an encore and did three more songs, "Palisades Park" from Somewhere Under Wonderland. Then Frank Turner came out for "Hangin' Around" off This Desert Life and everyone on stage looked to be having a helluva good time (lucky for me, the Frank Turner fan club had left from behind me by then), and the band closed the concert with "Holiday in Spain" off Hard Candy.
The band gathered at the front of the stage, and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to guitarist David Bryson and then the band left as Duritz stayed to say a few words.
We East Coasters are a cynical lot, BUT Duritz appeared genuinely appreciative of the people that have come out to see the band this year. It wasn't gushing, and it didn't feel fake. It was nice to see.
Was it a drag the band didn't play the songs I wanted to hear? Yea, but not enough to leave me disappointed.
Watching Counting Crows play, there seems to be some telepathy between the band and its audience. Well, at least this audience member. We all know we're moving forward in life and, it's nice to be doing it with musicians and artists who aren't still holding on to some semblance of days gone by.
They all look their age and seem to have comfort in it, as we all should. There ain't no shame in the aging game.
