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Black Crowes
9/17/09
Higher Ground
South Burlington, VT

Roll Old Jeremiah
So Many Times
Shine Along
Garden Gate
Driving Wheel
Wiser Time
And The Band Played On
My Morning Song
Walk Believer Walk
A Train Still Makes A Lonely Sound
Shady Grove
Wounded Bird
Been A Long Time (Waiting On Love)

- encores -

Title Song
Oh! Sweet Nuthin'




Well, well, well! ANOTHER great show from the Crowes!

We walked in about 5 minutes before showtime - rolled down the bar on the left side of the venue and stepped right out about 4 rows back from the stage right in front of Luther - well, Robin was with us and when you're with Robin - it's ALL about Luther. I'm fine with that - he really powers this band in this incarnation - so to watch him play up close is always a big treat.

Before we get to see and hear and really FEEL Luther's power, though - they opened with 4 straight acoustic songs from Until The Freeze. After the first, the opener Roll Old Jeremiah, Chris told the crowd - "We're gonna play some music and then, don't panic - we'll play SOME MUSIC, you know?" With these reassuring words, everyone settled back then and enjoyed the new acoustic tunes.

With their sound now taking The Faces through the filter of The Band circa The Basement Tapes - but still with a healthy does of Exile era Stones especially with Luther's slide playing - these songs were a great way to open the show. Perusing setlists - it appears they do not take this approach at every gig - but I'm glad they did for us.

To these songs they added Driving Wheel ("I just came up on the Midnight Special...") from 2007's Brothers of a Feather which fit in perfectly with the new acoustic tunes from Until The Freeze to end what was really a nice little opening acoustic set in which Luther played a ton a mandolin - only picking up his SG for a sweet solo at the end of Roll Old Jeremiah.

Okay - after a nice rumbling organ intro from Adam MacDougall - they took off on an AMAZING Wiser Time from the album Amorica that must have lasted over 15 minutes! Peak upon peak - then sublime jamming - then another peak - and Luther was ON FIRE!!! Completely the HIGHLIGHT of the show for me.

Finally the first tune of the evening from Before The Frost followed - And The Band Played On - on which Rich and Sven share lines back and forth with Chris. A couple of tunes from Warpaint and another song from Until the Freeze (They played more songs from Until The Freeze than they did from Before The Frost actually) then ended the show with a massive jammed out version of my favorite tune from Before The Frost - Been A Long Time (Waiting On Love). Whew!

The encores were great - Title Song form the 2002 Live album was followed by Rich's super sweet and moving version of the The Velvet's Underground's Oh Sweet Nuthin'.

The band gives and gives - especially Luther - who I watched take his slide off his finger after A Train Still Makes A Lonely Sound and handed to a young boy who was riding the rail in front of him. Such a smile on that boy's face! It was a wonderful night and they played great all night long - no slacking - every song was a winner.

There are bands you see and enjoy and you'd like to see them play again, then there are bands who you see and enjoy and you KNOW you NEED to see them again as soon as possible - the Black Crowes are of the latter group.

Nice review 6.... I especially like this line:

>>>>With their sound now taking The Faces through the filter of The Band circa The Basement Tapes - but still with a healthy does of Exile era Stones<<<<

>>>rolled down the bar on the left side of the venue and stepped right out about 4 rows back from the stage right in front of Luther - well, Robin was with us and when you're with Robin - it's ALL about Luther.>>>



GREAT show!!
#6 gave a perfect review; I can't top it.

Gove me your thoughts on a live Walk Believer Walk. That's one that has really stuck with me off of Warpaint.

Outstanding review!

Hope this recording surfaces.

>>>>Walk Believer Walk.

Very solid - heavy stomp.

I thought that My Morning Song was the highlight of the show; it showed off the band in full force with everybody contributing.

Oh! Sweet Nothing was the other major highlight. Rich just really brought things home with that one, a really good balance between soulfully sung lyrics and some very intense playing.

Overall I thought that the show was a little too heavy on new songs, and could have been replaced with one or two from older albums. They only played three songs from their older catalog, and I believe that they would have engaged better with the audience if they mixed it up a little better. So much so that Walk Believer Walk and Wounded Bird actually felt like they were older than they actually are. But they are moving forward and do have a lot of good new material, and wanted to show it off.

p.s. I only saw one mic in the air and it could have been for their soundboard

Great review and glad you had a good one. Completely forgot to toss in a review of the 9/12/09 show at Casino Rama.

They couldn't have possibly been in a bigger hurry to get the hell outta there. Great show - but not in my own top 3 of Crowes shows ever witnessed (out of 9). On stage at 9, off the stage for good before 10:30. Hall holds 5,200 and there's no way they were comin' close to selling that so the place was well over half-filled with folks who'd been comped tickets at the blackjack tables. Had a couple of 60 something ladies sitting beside me (3rd row center floors) who were ripped and thought the Smothers Brothers were performing (they were there the night before). Crowd wasn't "allowed" to stand during the show except in a 4-foot deep painted off area directly in front of the stage.

Just the absolute weirdest place I've ever been to to see a show. Kinda like going to watch porn with your parents - loved what was goin' on up on stage, but no chance of comfortably enjoying the show...

Hope they hit Massey Hall or some of the other places in Toronto the next time they're around. Too good to miss, but I've never been so uncomfortable at such a good show before. Coulda used a few more tunes as well - never seen a Crowes show under 90 minutes that wasn't them opening for someone else.

GOOD MORNING CAPTAIN
AND THE BAND PLAYED ON
HOTEL ILLNESS
SOUL SINGING
SO MANY TIMES
GARDEN GATE
AIN’T NO MORE CANE ON THE BRAZOS
OZONE MAMA
I AIN’T HIDING
APPALOOSA
SHINE ALONG
WISER TIME
- encore -
SHE TALKS TO ANGELS
REMEDY

Well, first of all - I had so many typos in that review - but the one I should really correct is:

but still with a healthy does of Exile era Stones

Should read: a healthy DOSE

But I guess Mark got what I was saying anyway.


Walk Believer Walk is a real punch-up live, Zeke. It's almost a battering ram that pushes and pushes - and Luther's slide was flying up and down the fretboard. He has a nice technique he apllies during Walk Believer Walk in which he picks the slide up off the fretboard and skips a few notes before pushing it on. All with a masterful flourish and a humble smile.


>>Hope this recording surfaces.

There is no doubt I will be ordering this show off nugs.net!

>>Oh! Sweet Nothing was the other major highlight. Rich just really brought things home with that one, a really good balance between soulfully sung lyrics and some very intense playing.

Completely agree with this. Great version!

>>Overall I thought that the show was a little too heavy on new songs, and could have been replaced with one or two from older albums.

I would agree with this too - but it was okay with me. I wanted to hear the new songs.

In the end - I'm looking for a well performed show no matter what they play.

>>>p.s. I only saw one mic in the air and it could have been for their soundboard

You were there?!?
Damn, I'm sorry we all didn't get to hang out.

I was the guy who was getting bumped into the whole night by drunken college students.....oh wait that could describe anybody

>>>I was the guy who was getting bumped into the whole night by drunken college students.....oh wait that could describe anybody

Next time, work your way down to the left side of the front, and look for the drooling redhead directly in front of Luther, please! ;)
Damn, it sure WAS packed in there, though.

Packed it was, but worth it.

^^^Hell yeah!
I wish we were doing it again tonight.