“It’s Called Rock and Roll” The Black Crowes Soar Back Home
So there I set, looking through the upcoming giveaways I was assigned to do during my new radio show; and I saw it, The Black Crowes live in Atlanta. “Wow,” I thought to myself, “I wonder if there are any staff passes.” Well, after asking my station manager, I found myself the recipient of two free tickets and a VIP parking pass to the show that was just over a week away.
Now who to take? Audrey and Mike had tests. Mom, Dad, and Danny had work. Jamie, Megan, Rosey, Dave, Matthew, Bob, Colby, and Carlos all also threw out regretful no’s. So it looked like I was stuck attending the show by myself. Then at the last minute, Danny miraculously got out of work early and frantically called me and accepted the open ticket.
And so it was, Danny and I were off to see The Black Crowes in their hometown with Phil Lesh (of the Grateful Dead) and friends opening. It would be my first show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre; needless to say I had great cell phone service.
I arrived and took my VIP parking space and walked toward the venue. Instantly, my new VIP status saw my general admission tickets get upgraded to front row of the 100 section seats. I was riding high as Phil Lesh walked on stage precisely at 6:30.
Phil and 5 of his closest friends strutted confidently on stage and broke into “Passenger.” The Grateful Dead tune was like a call for all hippies to gather together and dance in the most unusual ways. As Phil continued to jam unlike any band I’ve ever seen, I was amazed at the amount of tie die, teddy bears, and patriotic skulls around me. The peaceful Dead Heads were out in force tonight, and the longer the show went on, the more formidable a certain scent became in the air.
Reefer.
It was quite obvious that marijuana was present at the show, but for some reason I expected that.
Phil’s setlist included covers of classic Muddy Waters, Big Momma Thorton, and The Band tunes. Of Course those tunes were also played and made big by The Allman Brothers and Janis Joplin, but I digress. Phill made them his own.
Chris Robinson joined Lesh on stage for the best song of his set, the Dead classic, “Sugaree.” It was awesome sounding. Phil played two more Dead tunes and then left his light up bass on stage and exited. He of course returned for an Encore performance of “Box of Rain” which was tastefully played.
Overall, this was a lot like a Dead show without the Dead. They jammed on every song. I don’t think one song was under 10 minutes. They sounded great, the music was really good, I found myself enjoying the show much more than I expected. I would like to see The Grateful Dead all together performing. I know, I can't believe I'm saying it either.
Phil Lesh and Friends Live from Alpharetta, GA
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
1. Passenger (Dead song)
2. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Muddy Water/Allman Bros. song)
3. Ball and Chain (Big Momma Thorton/ Janis Joplin song)
4. Deal (Dead song)
5. Brown-Eyed Woman (Dead song)
6. Chest Fever (The Band song)
7. West L.A. Fadeaway (Dead song)
8. Sugaree –with Chris Robinson- (Dead song)
9. Help On The Way/Slipknot! (Dead song)
10. Franklin’s Tower (Dead song)
ENCORE
11. Box of Rain (Dead song)
Show Time- 6:30 to 8:15
Rating- 7/10
-The Black Crowes were up next.
“Ladies and Gentlemen… The Black Crowes.” This calmly announced statement was made as Chris Robinson, his brother, and the rest of the band walked on stage to the joy of their hometown crowd. The band started the slow building opener, new song “Move It On Down The Line.” The song was awesome, it built up the suspension and finally the lights covered the stage as the chorus of the song filled the beautiful night. It was the perfect way to open the show. They quickly moved into an old song, “Wiser Time” that they jammed during for 10 minutes or more. Robinson then welcomed everyone to their big hometown festival.
The Crowes seemed very happy to be on stage after a string of approximately 7 shows that got cancelled due to sickness in the band. I could tell they were happy to return to the live circuit, especially in their hometown.
“It’s called Rock-n-Roll,” Robinson said as they flew into the first single off the Warpaint album, “Goodbye Daughters of a Revolution.” The song rocked… hard.
“Thorn in my Pride” was a nice throwback to the band’s hey day in the 90’s. Covers of Bob Dylan and Nirvana tunes followed, not popular songs, slowed the pace of the show overall.
“Locust Street” and “Lay It All On Me” got us back on track just in time for another cover, This time a Howlin’ Wolf tune that Little Feat covered called “Forty Four Blues.” This was another long jam that just couldn’t keep my attention as good as Phil Lesh’s jams did. Just goes to show you that the Grateful Dead is the greatest jam band still to this day.
One of the highlights of the night was “God’s Got It,” in which the drummer came to the front of the stage to play a marching bass drum that sported some pretty hilarious drum heads. One side was the typical Black Crowe Head Logo, the other was George Bush’s smiling face, complete with a missing tooth, busted lip, and huge black eye. The drummer happily pounded the President’s head for the entire song. It was absolutely hysterical.
Time to really kick it, “Jealous Again” was scorching. This is my favorite song, and it did not disappoint. “Baby, here I am, I’m a man on the scene!” “Hard to Handle” was next, full throttle and no holds barred. Everybody that wasn’t already standing were now on their feet screaming the magical course. “Wounded Bird,” the new single, closed out the regular set strong and the band exited the stage.
Of course, the encore followed. The Crowes returned to the stage and thanked us all for welcoming them back home and said that all their family was here and that their closest friends, that’s us, were really making it hard for them to leave. Chris decided to abandon his Crowes’ database and decided to perform a song they rarely do, The Band’s classic “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” It was a fitting close to a night that was packed full of musical passion.
The Crowes exited the stage and Danny and I exited Atlanta and drove back to Cleveland, where I dropped him off and I continued back to Knoxville. I parked at 2:45 and immediately got into bed, for I had work at 8 in the morning. Some would call that crazy, I call it dedicated. “It’s called Rock-n-Roll,” simple as that.
The Black Crowes live From Alpharetta, GA
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Setlist
1. Move It On Down The Line
2. Wiser Time
3. Goodbye Daughters of a Revolution
4. We Who See The Deep
5. Thorn in my Pride
6. Whoa Mule
7. Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) (Bob Dylan Cover)
8. Polly (Nirvana Cover)
9. Locust Street
10. Lay It All On Me
11. Forty Four Blues (Howlin Wolf then Little Feat Cover)
12. God’s Got It
13. Jealous Again
14. Hard To Handle
15. Wounded Bird
ENCORE
16. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band Cover)
RATING 8/10
NOTES- Phil Lesh look surprisingly good for his age, not sure how though--- Lesh’s light-up bass is really cool looking--- stage set up for both groups were really simple, nothing fancy--- Chris Robinson’s stage antics, dance moves, and vocal style mirror those of his idol, Mick Jagger--- The Crowes couldn’t pull off the long jams as good as Lesh--- Crowes set lacked hits “Remedy,” “Sting Me,” “Twice as Hard,” “Kickstart My Heart,” and ultra mega hit “She Talks To Angels.”--- Dylan and Nivana covers just didn’t set well with me—first show in this venue, very cool place, I will definitely return.
Just some thoughts
Now who to take? Audrey and Mike had tests. Mom, Dad, and Danny had work. Jamie, Megan, Rosey, Dave, Matthew, Bob, Colby, and Carlos all also threw out regretful no’s. So it looked like I was stuck attending the show by myself. Then at the last minute, Danny miraculously got out of work early and frantically called me and accepted the open ticket.
And so it was, Danny and I were off to see The Black Crowes in their hometown with Phil Lesh (of the Grateful Dead) and friends opening. It would be my first show at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre; needless to say I had great cell phone service.
I arrived and took my VIP parking space and walked toward the venue. Instantly, my new VIP status saw my general admission tickets get upgraded to front row of the 100 section seats. I was riding high as Phil Lesh walked on stage precisely at 6:30.
Phil and 5 of his closest friends strutted confidently on stage and broke into “Passenger.” The Grateful Dead tune was like a call for all hippies to gather together and dance in the most unusual ways. As Phil continued to jam unlike any band I’ve ever seen, I was amazed at the amount of tie die, teddy bears, and patriotic skulls around me. The peaceful Dead Heads were out in force tonight, and the longer the show went on, the more formidable a certain scent became in the air.
Reefer.
It was quite obvious that marijuana was present at the show, but for some reason I expected that.
Phil’s setlist included covers of classic Muddy Waters, Big Momma Thorton, and The Band tunes. Of Course those tunes were also played and made big by The Allman Brothers and Janis Joplin, but I digress. Phill made them his own.
Chris Robinson joined Lesh on stage for the best song of his set, the Dead classic, “Sugaree.” It was awesome sounding. Phil played two more Dead tunes and then left his light up bass on stage and exited. He of course returned for an Encore performance of “Box of Rain” which was tastefully played.
Overall, this was a lot like a Dead show without the Dead. They jammed on every song. I don’t think one song was under 10 minutes. They sounded great, the music was really good, I found myself enjoying the show much more than I expected. I would like to see The Grateful Dead all together performing. I know, I can't believe I'm saying it either.
Phil Lesh and Friends Live from Alpharetta, GA
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
1. Passenger (Dead song)
2. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl (Muddy Water/Allman Bros. song)
3. Ball and Chain (Big Momma Thorton/ Janis Joplin song)
4. Deal (Dead song)
5. Brown-Eyed Woman (Dead song)
6. Chest Fever (The Band song)
7. West L.A. Fadeaway (Dead song)
8. Sugaree –with Chris Robinson- (Dead song)
9. Help On The Way/Slipknot! (Dead song)
10. Franklin’s Tower (Dead song)
ENCORE
11. Box of Rain (Dead song)
Show Time- 6:30 to 8:15
Rating- 7/10
-The Black Crowes were up next.
“Ladies and Gentlemen… The Black Crowes.” This calmly announced statement was made as Chris Robinson, his brother, and the rest of the band walked on stage to the joy of their hometown crowd. The band started the slow building opener, new song “Move It On Down The Line.” The song was awesome, it built up the suspension and finally the lights covered the stage as the chorus of the song filled the beautiful night. It was the perfect way to open the show. They quickly moved into an old song, “Wiser Time” that they jammed during for 10 minutes or more. Robinson then welcomed everyone to their big hometown festival.
The Crowes seemed very happy to be on stage after a string of approximately 7 shows that got cancelled due to sickness in the band. I could tell they were happy to return to the live circuit, especially in their hometown.
“It’s called Rock-n-Roll,” Robinson said as they flew into the first single off the Warpaint album, “Goodbye Daughters of a Revolution.” The song rocked… hard.
“Thorn in my Pride” was a nice throwback to the band’s hey day in the 90’s. Covers of Bob Dylan and Nirvana tunes followed, not popular songs, slowed the pace of the show overall.
“Locust Street” and “Lay It All On Me” got us back on track just in time for another cover, This time a Howlin’ Wolf tune that Little Feat covered called “Forty Four Blues.” This was another long jam that just couldn’t keep my attention as good as Phil Lesh’s jams did. Just goes to show you that the Grateful Dead is the greatest jam band still to this day.
One of the highlights of the night was “God’s Got It,” in which the drummer came to the front of the stage to play a marching bass drum that sported some pretty hilarious drum heads. One side was the typical Black Crowe Head Logo, the other was George Bush’s smiling face, complete with a missing tooth, busted lip, and huge black eye. The drummer happily pounded the President’s head for the entire song. It was absolutely hysterical.
Time to really kick it, “Jealous Again” was scorching. This is my favorite song, and it did not disappoint. “Baby, here I am, I’m a man on the scene!” “Hard to Handle” was next, full throttle and no holds barred. Everybody that wasn’t already standing were now on their feet screaming the magical course. “Wounded Bird,” the new single, closed out the regular set strong and the band exited the stage.
Of course, the encore followed. The Crowes returned to the stage and thanked us all for welcoming them back home and said that all their family was here and that their closest friends, that’s us, were really making it hard for them to leave. Chris decided to abandon his Crowes’ database and decided to perform a song they rarely do, The Band’s classic “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” It was a fitting close to a night that was packed full of musical passion.
The Crowes exited the stage and Danny and I exited Atlanta and drove back to Cleveland, where I dropped him off and I continued back to Knoxville. I parked at 2:45 and immediately got into bed, for I had work at 8 in the morning. Some would call that crazy, I call it dedicated. “It’s called Rock-n-Roll,” simple as that.
The Black Crowes live From Alpharetta, GA
The Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Setlist
1. Move It On Down The Line
2. Wiser Time
3. Goodbye Daughters of a Revolution
4. We Who See The Deep
5. Thorn in my Pride
6. Whoa Mule
7. Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) (Bob Dylan Cover)
8. Polly (Nirvana Cover)
9. Locust Street
10. Lay It All On Me
11. Forty Four Blues (Howlin Wolf then Little Feat Cover)
12. God’s Got It
13. Jealous Again
14. Hard To Handle
15. Wounded Bird
ENCORE
16. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (The Band Cover)
RATING 8/10
NOTES- Phil Lesh look surprisingly good for his age, not sure how though--- Lesh’s light-up bass is really cool looking--- stage set up for both groups were really simple, nothing fancy--- Chris Robinson’s stage antics, dance moves, and vocal style mirror those of his idol, Mick Jagger--- The Crowes couldn’t pull off the long jams as good as Lesh--- Crowes set lacked hits “Remedy,” “Sting Me,” “Twice as Hard,” “Kickstart My Heart,” and ultra mega hit “She Talks To Angels.”--- Dylan and Nivana covers just didn’t set well with me—first show in this venue, very cool place, I will definitely return.
Just some thoughts
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