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Review: James Raffoul (lifelong fan)
Caught: Tuesday, Feb 24, 2004
FROM the moment he came out to a packed Hammersmith crowd, you
could tell he was up for it.
And in case you were wondering, we're talking about Adam Duritz,
lead singer of Counting Crows who, the other night (24/2/04),
blew away his audience with a spine-tingling set of classics from
the Counting Crows' back catalogue.
Currently touring the UK, promoting their greatest hits anthology
- Films About Ghosts - this was their second night in London
,and they showed no signs of faltering.
Having been touring now for almost two years, they still have
to go to Europe, South Africa and Australia (all for the second
time round) and then are temporarily hanging up their boots until
well into 2005, to work on developing their new album.
Their collection of hits, largely unknown to the commercial pop
princesses of this world, are mostly derived from memories of
when Duritz suffered insomnia, heartache, depression - all the
ingredients for successful and heart-felt songwriting material.
They are expertly converted into well-crafted, moving, melancholy
(and upbeat) songs (all mirrored by the continual angst in his
superb voice).
Rest assured, this is not a depressing live act, and only a handful
of his songs make you want to sit in a darkened room.
Counting Crows are excellent live and their shows are always
upbeat, which means the crowds always get involved. Duritz has
a unique voice and it rings round any venue he plays.
Opening with Mrs Potters Lullaby - a song destined for
chart success, but Duritz didn't want to cut its near 10-minute
running time - set the tone for the evening.
From the first note, the crowd found their voice and Duritz
and the band recognised this, and from then on included them at
every opportunity. It made for a great night.
Mr Jones, Speedway, Omaha, Good Time, Round Here and Rain
King were among the highlights from a band who improve and
learn - still now - from every live performance they give.
Improv was once again the order of the day, and there is no better
master. Rain King, in particular, included Oh Susanna,
a B track, never released, in the middle, and Round Here
was meddled, with Raining in Baltimore and Private Archipeligo
expertly blended in.
Two encores followed the sets end and two was not enough.
Perhaps they do have off nights for sure, but whenever Duritz
is in town he seems to pack up his troubles and just smile.
One hopes, when they come back in a year or so to tour again,
that the appetite is still there - after ten years on the road.
SETLIST:
Mrs. Potter
New Frontier
Rain King (Oh Susanna insert)
Good Time
St Robinson (Acoustic)
Hard Candy
Mr. Jones
Round Here (incl. Raining in Baltimore, and private Archipeligo)
Miami
Black and Blue
Daylight Fading
Omaha
Speedway
Murder of One
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Goodnight LA (Adam Solo)
Long December
Hanging around
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Sullivan street
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Review: Jack Foley (occasional listener)
Caught: Friday, Feb 27, 2004
IT'S always refreshing to find a band, at the peak of their form,
who demonstrate a humility in front of their fans.
At the final night of three sold-out gigs at the Hammersmith
Apollo on Friday night (Feb 27, 2004), Adam Duritz was a picture
of humility, as he thanked his followers for helping to ensure
that 20,000 tickets had been sold to the shows.
Then, after asking for a show of hands as to how many people
had attended earlier in the week, the jovial lead singer announced
that tonight's set would be a laid-back and beautiful affair,
packed with slower numbers.
It meant that even the more popular tracks, such as Mr Jones,
were slowed down a little, even though the crowd went wild for
them.
I have to confess, I am not the Crows' greatest living fan. I
own none of their albums, and of the singles, only really Hanging
Around and A Long December have found their way into
my CD collection.
But my girlfriend is a bigger fan, which was the main reason
we were there.
And, I have to admit, this was a terrific gig, expertly put together
by a cracking, and highly talented group of musicians, who seemed
to be having a great time.
Duritz is a good lead vocalist, not simply because of his stand-out
voice, but because of the charisma he exudes on stage.
So when he was taunting them over whether he would play the song
the band is writing for the soundtrack to Shrek 2, or announcing
that his new ploy was to annoy the audience, there was always
a laugh from the crowd.
And his energy is infectious, particularly during the odd, faster
number, towards the end of the evening, when things built up to
the finale.
Highlights, of which there were many, included an extended version
of Rain King, complete with guitar solos, Big Yellow
Taxi, Mr Jones, and Holiday in Spain.
But the absolute favourite was A Long December, which
remained as poignant and heartfelt live, as it always does on
my CD player. Duritz even took to the piano on this occasion,
while the instrumentals were as spine-tingling as ever.
It provided a fitting way to bring the main act to a close, and
will live long in the memory, as one of the great concert memories....
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