The crowes were three hours and we were second row, front and center, flirting with Chris all night. It was as advertised: an exposed acoustic set – fairly obscure in places – that challenged the crowd a bit too much for their comfort. So much so that Chris dressed down the “people running your fucking mouths” the whole show (“the trip has already started people. Maybe you were just late getting on board …”). An electric set that opened with traffic’s feeling alright and went onward and upward from there. Oh! Sweet nuthin … She aint got nothing at all.

Here’s what we saw:

- Acoustic Set -
Soul Singing
Downtown Money Waster -> Jam
Fork In The River
Ballad In Urgency ->
Wiser Time
Oh Sister
Good Friday
What Is Home
Thunderstorm 6:54 PM
My Morning Song
Sister Luck

- Electric Set -
Feelin’ Alright
Jealous Again
A Conspiracy
Exit
Thorn’s Progress ->
Thorn In My Pride
A Train Still Makes A Lonely Sound
High Head Blues -> Jam
Oh, Sweet Nuthin’
Remedy
- encore -
Movin’ On Down The Line
Boomer’s Story

Little sad in the midst of all that joy. Such a soulful group of songs and people. Lotta memories wrapped up in all that rock and roll. Chris leaning back for a note and lifting the mic stand up just a touch while puffing his little frame out. Rich’s deadpan, disinterested demeanor that flashes a little kid’s grin if you make eye contact with him. The great Steve gorman: part ringo Starr part John bonham. Good kids. If that was it, I’m glad I was there with my family. It felt like home.

After that murph took us to a hip little bar and we made it back to the Cheshire inn – a freak out if there ever was one. Murph and I snuck into the pool at about 4 am. I said, “murph, let’s keep it mellow so we don’t get thrown out of here.” she says, “right,” and then procceds to sprint across deck and do a cannonball into the pool. Murph …

Lou fest was amazingly perfect, too. Missed the bottle rockets at noon – noon is my new 9 am – but saw shafleys instead with murph and made it to the fest for an inspired and earnest built to spill set and a conceptually odd, douchilly executed, yet sonically compelling broken social scene set. picked up tim and then back to the fox and hound piano bar at the hotel for some piano man and tiny dancer singalongs.

Good kids. Brothers. Angels. There for you when you need ‘em. I miss you already.

should be the blueprint for how rock bands must must must do retrospective/greatest hits/best ofs from now on.

an acoustic reworking of 20-odd crowes tunes from the catalogue (and a few choice covers … gram parson’s ‘she’ … mercy.)

you know the tunes, but you don’t, cause they’re new. but old. like sleeping with an old girlfriend again after a long time apart.

‘hey, you’ve picked up a few new moves. and i like them.’

anyway, the great chris robinson taking two minutes out of your life to tell a story about a mushroom costume party.

and i quote:

‘we projected sky on the wall …’

not that they give a shit, prolly.

anyway, here’s the black crowes and gem and noel from oasis doing ‘down on the street’ at radio city music hall in june of 2001.

i was at this show.

brotherly love tour. new york city. fine memories. christopher and tp. great summer weather. staying in that weird room above the irish pub on 14th street.

the world trade center still had a few months in it back then.

which reminds me of the funniest thing the great don hodge ever said, which went something like, ‘yeah, man, the twin towers … whatever happened to those things?’

come on!

one of my favorite b-sides overdubbed with clips of two of my favorite interviews with rich and chris.

the overall mash up is probably a bit much, but i’m hung over, and chris looks cool doing his thing, you know.

what intrigues me about this record is that it comes in two forms: the cd form has two different discs, the first is ‘before the frost.’ rock. the second is ‘until the freeze.’ a lil more country, bluegrass even at times. solid. where it gets weird is that the double vinyl, which i have, mixes all the tracks up … alright … but the completed mash up is supposed to then be a concept album with a loose narrative running thorough it about the allure of the city and the return to the country. i haven’t heard enough yet to voice an opinion on the concept beyond saying that these cats have clearly found real inspiration again and have made two back-to-back incredible albums. greenhorn. aimless peacock. appaloosa. what is home? familiar yet deeply experimental. and you have to keep reminding yourself that ‘before the frost … until the freeze’ is live. live in the studio (levon helm’s, no less) before a small audience. they’re becoming the closest thing we’ve seen to ‘the band’ since, well, ‘the band.’ good on you boys. it’s been fun growing up with you. glad you’re still with us.

Movin’ On Down The Line
Wiser Time
Evergreen
Hotel Illness
High Head Blues
Welcome To The Goodtimes
Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan)
Downtown Money Waster
Thorn In My Pride
Oh Jospehine
By Your Side
Sometimes Salvation
Jealous Again
Hard To Handle
Wounded Bird
- encore -
Oh Sweet Nuthin’ (Velvet Underground … sung by Rich)
Thick N’ Thin

***

second best set i’ve ever seen from the crowes. course the best was when i was about 19 and seeing a show at the riviera in chicago for the first time. that was the greatest musical night of my life. early southern harmony. magic.

thursday’s show, though … lotta soul. lotta joy. very tight. luther! shit … luther is no joke. chris keeps getting cooler and cooler. the sweet nuthin’ cover was transcendent, and rich’s vocal was perfect.

sometimes love ain’t enough.

but sometimes it is …