The Black Crowes- Riverside Theater, November 8, 2013

The Black Crowes are a rock 'n roll band in its purest form with all of the right ingredients to thoroughly entertain their crowd: charismatic lead singer with extraordinary range, lead guitarist with mystique, rhythm guitarist with poise and chops, and a rhythm section who was spot on every note.  Add a repertoire of over twenty-five years worth of music and a vast array of covers, and you have all of the fixin's for a great night of music.

The Crowes began their show with a trio of high energy numbers, "Soul Singing," (off of 2001's Lions), "Sting Me" (off of 1992's masterpiece, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion) and "Twice As  Hard," (the title track off of The Black Crowes debut record, 1990's Shake Your Money Maker).  The set continued featuring songs from across the band's career, with as much energy and passion as if they were brand new tracks.  "Evergreen," (from 2008's Warpaint) delivered a sultry swagger, and "Mellow Down Easy," a Little Walter blues cover (which appeared as a bonus track off of 1996's Three Snakes and One Charm), was well-jammed out with a great boogey rhythm.  

However, the true highlight of the show occurred half-way through the set, when the band broke out a nearly 20 minute rendition of their famous tune, "Wiser Time," (from 1994's Amorica).  When a band chooses to perform any song for a long duration of time, it is easy to lose the audience's attention or become excessively self-indulgent.  This wasn't the case with this version of "Wiser Time," however, which saw each band member take turns soloing.  The guitar work of Jackie Greene and Rich Robinson was precise, soulful and spot on in the jam.  After "Wiser Time" the band went on a roll of well-known favorites to close out their night, including a stripped-down acoustic version of "She Talks to Angels," (from 1990's Shake Your Money Maker), a straight forward, rocking rendition of "Remedy" (from 1992's Southern Harmony and Musical Companion) and a set-closer of The Black Crowes' most well-known tune, their shake-rattle-and-roll cover of Otis' Redding's "Hard to Handle."  For an encore, the band covered "Don't Do It" by The Band, a fitting rock classic that kept the crowd smiling.   

The band's recent trend of touring for about a year, then taking a few years off and then touring again seems to have done wonders for keeping their sound tight and shows full of power and energy. While it had been over 8 years since I last saw the Black Crowes I certainly won't let that much time pass before I see them again.  In summary, during the show, a fellow fan inquired if The Black Crowes were the inspiration behind the band "Stillwater" in Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous, which starred Chris Robinson's then wife Kate Hudson.  I don't know the answer to the fan's inquiry, but do know that The Black Crowes are about as "rock 'n roll" as they come.

Grade: A+ 

Check out the setlist from the concert

photos compliments of Gigshots by Stephen Bloch.