Black Crowes Reunite For New York Shows

[Jahfin]

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/ ... on=single1

Black Crowes Heat Up

Reunited rockers back in stride at secret gigs

According to the Black Crowes' official tour schedule, Tuesday night will mark the end of their almost four-year break . . . but their official tour schedule is wrong.

What began with the announcement of All Join Hands, a five-night stand at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom, has quickly evolved into an all-out tour -- including two more nights at Hammerstein and stops in Canada and at major summer festivals like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Bonnaroo. But the tour has also quietly grown on the front end as well, and Tuesday will not be the Southern bluesy rockers' first performance since Halloween 2001. For the past week, Chris and Rich Robinson, Bill Dobrow (drums) and Crowes alumni Eddie Hawrysch (keyboards), Marc Ford (guitar) and Sven Pipien (bass) have been hitting small northeastern venues and performing under the pseudonym Mr. Crowes Garden -- the name the Crowes chose when they formed in 1984.

The run began Tuesday, March 14th, at the Staircase in Pittston, Pennsylvania. The next night the group traveled to Burlington, Vermont, to play at the Higher Ground. The venue is well-known as one of Phish's early haunts, and former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio joined the Crowes during a two-song encore. Thursday found the band at Toad's Place in New Haven, Connecticut. They performed at the Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, New York, on Friday and then ended the pre-tour at Pearl Street Nightclub in Northampton, Massachusetts, on Saturday.

It was in Poughkeepsie -- where Bob Dylan also got in shape last summer for his tour of minor-league baseball parks -- that we tracked the Crowes down. As the lights dimmed shortly after 9 p.m., the audience immediately burst into boisterous applause, leaving no doubt this band has been missed, even by those who had seen them the night before. Incense wafted toward the balcony, the fragrance mixing along the way with intermittent puffs of pot smoke. The band members entered from the Chance's backdoor straight onto a stage so crammed with equipment the two backup singers were practically pinned to the back wall.

Surely it was no coincidence that this Friday evening show opened with the Floyd-twang psychedelic harmonica drawl of "Good Friday." And for the next couple hours, the Brothers Robinson and gang guided a tour through the group's career -- from Shake Your Money Maker (1990) to Lions (2001), skipping only By Your Side (1999) in the process.

The crowd enjoyed the crunchy guitar rock and high-pitched chorus of "Nebakanezer," the slow-burning angels and devils of "Thorn in My Pride," and covers of Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Pre-Road Downs" and Delaney and Bonnie's "Coming Home." The single-set show peaked and ended with the rousing triple hit parade of "Twice as Hard," "Jealous Again" and "Remedy."

All the while, the band members themselves could be seen feeling the same wallop this music still packs. The backup singers bobbed heads to tunes they were sitting out. Chris Robinson -- with his faded patched jeans, Captain Lou Albano-esque tie dripping from his scruffy beard -- revealed his vulnerability to the boogie groove with the occasional spastic hand clap or foot stomp.

Returning for an encore, the Crowes powerfully delivered their best-known ballad, "She Talks to Angels," and finished the evening somewhat anticlimactically with a cover of Bob Marley's "Bend Down Low."

Over the course of all five pre-Hammerstein shows, the group has been careful to practice as many songs as possible, the set lists indicating very little overlap. Still, as the Poughkeepsie performance proved, it would be unfair to label these as "warm-up gigs." There was no sense of rusty musicians feeling their way back. This felt more like a time warp to the days when the Crowes were first coming up in the club scene. And they didn't miss a beat.

The Black Crowes' set list (The Chance, Poughkeepsie, March 21st):

Good Friday
Nebakanezer
Hi-Head Blues
Pre-Road Downs
Ballad in Urgency
Wiser Time
Sometimes Salvation
Young Man, Old Man
Thorn in My Pride
Coming Home
Twice as Hard
Jealous Again
Remedy
She Talks to Angels
Bend Down Low

[IsleReef]

Not too bad a set list................ Some good tunes in there............ But the Black Crowes change up setlists from show to show like no other band I have ever seen.............(Not a bad thing, just hope for some consistency when it comes to some of my favorites I look forward to hearing.................

[PalmettoSon]

BREAKING NEWS FROM THE BLACK CROWES

THE BLACK CROWES

ANNOUNCE SUMMER TOUR DATES WITH

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS;


BAND KICKS OFF SEVEN NIGHT SOLD-OUT RUN IN NYC FOLLOWED BY IMMEDIATE MULTI NIGHT SELL OUTS IN BOSTON AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF ADDED SHOWS


As the BLACK CROWES get ready to take the stage on Friday night for the third of seven sold-out shows at New York Cityπs Hammerstein Ballroom, news emerged that they'll be touring this summer with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The major summer trek with Tom Petty begins June 8 in Florida, and wraps July 30 in upstate New York, with tickets going on sale Friday, April 8.

This news comes on the heels of the seven sold-out shows in New York Cityãtheir first official shows since the group took a hiatus after their last concert 10/31/01ãas well as the announcement of headlining and festival dates that run from April 21 through May 29.

The BLACK CROWES tour itinerary is as follows:


Headlining & Festival dates


Date CITY/STATE VENUE

Tue 3/22 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Wed 3/23 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Fri 3/25 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Sat 3/26 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Sun 3/27 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Tue 3/29 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Wed 3/30 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom

Thu 4/21 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theatre

Fri 4/22 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest.

Sat 4/23 Gulfport, MS Gulfport Grand Casino

Mon 4/25 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues

Tue 4/26 Charleston, SC The Plex

Wed 4/27 Raleigh, NC Disco Rodeo

Fri 4/29 Knoxville, TN Knoxville Civic Auditorium

Sat 4/30 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

Sun 5/1 Memphis, TN Beale Street Music Festival

Thu 5/5 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle

Fri 5/6 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle

Thu 5/7 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle

Tue 5/10 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre

Wed 5/11 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre

Fri 5/13 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino

Sat 5/14 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino

Mon 5/16 Montreal, CAN Metropolis

Tue 5/17 Toronto, CAN Kool Haus

Sun 5/22 Pensacola, FL Pensacola Springfest

Tue 5/24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution

Wed 5/25 Orlando, FL House of Blues

Sat 5/28 Little Rock, AR Riverfest

Sun 5/29 Montgomery, AL Montgomery Jubilee
Sat 6/11 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music Festival



With Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers:


DATE: CITY/STATE: VENUE:

Wed 6/8 Ft. Myers, FL Germain Amph

Fri 6/10 Tampa, FL Ford Amph

Tue 6/14 Cinncinati, OH Riverbend Music Center

Wed 6/15 Pittsburgh, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion

Fri 6/17 Camden, NJ Tweeter Waterfront

Sat 6/18 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center

Tue 6/21 Wantagh, NY Tommy Hilfiger @ Jones Beach Th.

Wed 6/22 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Ctr

Fri 6/24 Hartford, CT The Meadows

Sat 6/25 Darien Center, NY Darien Lakes Amph

Tue 6/28 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena

Thu 6/30 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center

Fri 7/1 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amph-Summerfest

Fri 7/15 Tinley Park, IL Tweeter Center

Sat 7/16 Cadott, WI RockFest

Wed 7/20 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theater

Wed 7/27 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion

Sat 7/30 Saratoga Springs, NY SPAC


MORE DATES AND ON SALE INFO COMING SOON

[LIPH]

I saw the Black Crowes at the Hammerstein Ballroom Saturday night. I always liked their music but I can't say I have an encyclopedic knowledge of their catalog and I had never seen them in concert before, but what a mistake that was. These guys put on some show, I might even be tempted to put them in the top 5 of live performers I've ever seen. Chris Robinson dominates the stage, but he must have studied at the Mick Jagger school of front men because he has a lot of the same moves. The band was great too, much better live than on CD. I thought the highlight of the show was Thorn In My Pride. They started with an instrumental intro that lasted probably 3 or 4 minutes, then went right into the song and about halfway through took another instrumental break. I'd say the song lasted close to 15 minutes and when they were done I felt kind of like I do whenever I hear the Allman Brothers do Whipping Post live, I wanted them to keep going. Great show. Damn good opening act too, the North Mississippi All Stars.

[ph4ever]

I wish they would come to the Pacific Northwest

[IsleReef]

I saw the Black Crowes at the Hammerstein Ballroom Saturday night. I always liked their music but I can't say I have an encyclopedic knowledge of their catalog and I had never seen them in concert before, but what a mistake that was. These guys put on some show, I might even be tempted to put them in the top 5 of live performers I've ever seen. Chris Robinson dominates the stage, but he must have studied at the Mick Jagger school of front men because he has a lot of the same moves. The band was great too, much better live than on CD. I thought the highlight of the show was Thorn In My Pride. They started with an instrumental intro that lasted probably 3 or 4 minutes, then went right into the song and about halfway through took another instrumental break. I'd say the song lasted close to 15 minutes and when they were done I felt kind of like I do whenever I hear the Allman Brothers do Whipping Post live, I wanted them to keep going. Great show. Damn good opening act too, the North Mississippi All Stars.

Nice review Larry.................... Ya broke your Black Crowes cherry................ They are incredible.......................

[Jahfin]

From Billboard.com:
http://www.billboard.com/bb/livereviews ... 1000864119

Black Crowes / March 23, 2005 / New York (Hammerstein Ballroom)

The past 12 months have spawned more rock reunion tours than even an avid music fan could keep track of, with everyone from the Pixies to the Strawberry Alarm Clock (who hadn't been heard from since the late '60s) returning to the stage to entertain new throngs of listeners.

The Black Crowes are back too, but the thing is, nobody really doubted that the band led by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson would remain on hiatus for more than a few years. As it was, about three-and-a-half years have passed since the Crowes last played together, allowing the brothers to air out their solo projects with middling degrees of success.

So back to the Crowes they have come, and who can blame them? There's clearly still an interested fan base in play, as evidenced by the fact that the band sold out seven shows at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom to kick off the reunion tour. And what solves long-simmering sibling feuds better than the chance to play to the faithful and make a ton of money while doing so?

Fiscal gains notwithstanding, the Crowes were fun and endearingly ragged on the second date of the Hammerstein stand. After a perfunctory opening run through the second-tier "Lions" cut "Greasy Grass River," the group heated up quickly with "Go Faster" and the unrecorded "Another Roadside Tragedy," highlighted by a long, simmering jam.

Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of this reunion is the return of original lead guitarist Marc Ford, who split in 1997. Ford earned some of the biggest cheers of the night for his solos on the steamy "Wiser Time" and a show-closing cover of Bob Marley's "Pimper's Paradise," and rescued a 15-minute version of "My Morning Song" after it threatened to collapse into a space jam and, later, a strange sequence with manic flashing lights and a rollicking rhythm not unlike Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die."

But for every magic Ford moment, there was an instance where new drummer Bill Dobrow seemed lost at sea, particularly the tricky time change in the middle of "Under a Mountain." Dobrow has major-league shoes to fill in manning the drum stool vacated by Steve Gorman, and he was most certainly feeling his way through the Crowes' formidable back catalog.

From said archive came a number of surprises, including five songs from 1996's highly underrated "Three Snakes & One Charm" ("Nebakanezer," "Bring On, Bring On," "(Only) Halfway to Everywhere") and "Sister Luck" from the Crowes' 1990 debut album, "Shake Your Money Maker."

Elsewhere, the song selection was questionable. They're both good, time-tested songs, but do we really need to hear "Jealous Again" and "Remedy" in the same show, and back to back, no less? And while two covers (Marley, and Joe Cocker's "Space Captain") in a 16-song set may not seem like much, they're tough to justify when the Crowes have so many other quality songs of their own to choose from.

One hopes these gigs were indeed just test drives for the more extensive summer outing that begins April 21 in Houston, and that by then, the Crowes will have eased even further back into their still comfortable place in the rock'n'roll universe.

Here is the Black Crowes' set list:

"Greasy Grass River"
"Go Faster"
"Another Roadside Tragedy"
"Nebakanezer"
"(Only) Halfway to Everywhere"
"Sometimes Salvation"
"Wiser Time"
"My Morning Song"
"Sister Luck"
"Space Captain"
"Under a Mountain"
"Bring On, Bring On"
"Jealous Again"
"Remedy"

Encore:
"She Talks to Angels"
"Pimper's Paradise"

-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

[PalmettoSon]

Saw them last night here in Charleston, and I have a few things to say about it. First, yes, Kate hudson was there. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, but judging by my fiancee and her sisters' response to seeing Mrs. Chris Robinson standing on the side of the stage, I discovered, this is a key piece of info.
With that out of the way, the show was a slow starter. I am a fan of the Crowes (especially the By Your Side album), and was aware that they liked to explore their songs through jams, but there is such a thing as too much. On a Tuesday night, in a standing room only situation, spending fifteen to twenty minutes on most songs while playing your hits at their normal length is a mistake.
They played for about two hours (I left before the one song encore since I had to work today) and they only made it through 12 songs, and only 3 were songs I really wanted to hear (By Your Side, Twice As Hard, Remedy). I am not a greatest hits fan, I just prefer the straight up rock 'n' roll that made them famous.
The show closed well, but was tedius, to say the least, for the first hour or so.