the black crowes...the first of many posts.

i posted this on amorica.org and wanted to share it here.

i've only seen the crowes 3 times...in '90 at rupp arena in lexington, opening for zz top, and that was a large crowd. saw them in '97 at riverbend in cincinnati as part of the furthur festival, and that was a nice crowd (though hard to guage, as i think even most of the people that had pavillion seating ended up out on the lawn getting tall).

i saw them this year in louisville, with becky, at the palace, which is a small venue, and it was packed. we will be going again to riverbend in a couple of weeks.

all i know is that it makes me sad that i wasn't able to attend more shows throughout the years, and i can only hope that this band stays together, in this form, for a long, long time to come. they are one of the last true rock and roll bands playing music today, and when they go, there will be an awfully large hole to fill.

i think that a lot of people have let them slip off of their radar after they didn't follow up "hard to handle" or "she talks to angels" with the radio friendly material they wanted to hear. i have a couple of friends that just couldn't stand any of the records outside of SYMM. i tried to pull them in, but they just got locked into the songs from that first album and weren't willing to open up to the rest of the stuff.

SYMM was a GREAT album, as far as i'm concerned, and while there's this little part of me that wants to dismiss it or not like it, just because it is the one that was popular, that is just silly and petty. "twice as hard" is still one of my absolute favorites, and when they played "jealous again" in louisville, i almost lost my freakin' mind.

i think it happens a lot that some fans get alienated on a band's 2nd album because they expect it to be just like the first one...pearl jam is a good example. because there wasn't another "jeremy", a lot of people that loved the first album just dissed the 2nd one and never came back for another listen.

my friends that dismissed southern harmony now think that some of the best crowes songs are from that album, and neither of them has been able to stop listening to the recording of the louisville show that i gave them. something interesting is that their favorites from the louisville recording are songs that they hadn't even heard before. one of them is going with us to the cincy show, along with his wife, and i just know after that, they are going to be completely hooked. him even more than he is right now.

i'm not sure what the band could do any differently to try and encourage folks that think the only 2 songs they ever recorded were H2H and she talks to angels to give some of the other music a chance. i will admit that when amorica first came out, it wasn't my favorite, but now, it is at the top of my list.

i just hope the crowes keep touring for years to come and just continue to play great rock and roll music, converting people all along the way. i think they are growing as a band, and i think all the jams that people are talking about this year are a sign of that growth. i could honestly see them start to pick up a lot of the folks that followed the dead as time and tours go on and start to position themselves as THE premier touring band in this country. it ain't gonna happen over 1 or 2 summers, but i think it can happen.

anyways, this year has been my complete rebirth as a crowes fan. the passion never went away, and i never stopped arguing with anyone that would listen that they were the only band left that was making true rock and roll music...but seeing them in louisville just did something to me that was beautiful and sublime...my love for this band was renewed, and i witnessed the birth of a new fan...becky, who had never really even listened to them before, got completely absorbed by the whole vibe of the show right from the start when they lit the incense on stage before the band took the stage, and she fell absolutely in love when they played "title song".

so no, they may not be making a whole lot of money on this or any other tour...but really, if it was just for the money, i don't think they'd even be touring at all. and i think they are gaining some new fans along the way...because honestly, as incredible as they are on a studio recording, it cannot hold a candle to being right there...it has warped my mind, and i just want to follow them everywhere now.

but when it all comes right down to it, i'm just glad to know that they are out there every night, playing good rock and roll music in a laid-back, funky-ass vibe.

what more could you ask for?