Startin' To Feel The Shine!

Last night The Black Crowes opened their five night run at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco with the raucous high energy expected from one of the few American bands who is keeping the soul of psychedelic blues-based rock & roll music alive and kickin'. It was a Monday night, but you would never know it from the enthusiastic jamming that highlighted much of the set list.

The band played one long set, from about 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., and they did not have an opening band. They opened with Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution, into a bluesy jam before Black Moon Creeping.

Then we were taken down to the Greasy Grass River, on our way to Chevrolet, with another tasty jam. (I think Chris played harmonica on that one, but I didn't take notes, as I was too busy enjoying the show.) Rarely played Paint An 8 was next, followed by Walk Believer Walk; Chris introduced it by saying there was some controversy over remarks he made about the song, saying that when the spaceship comes to take us beyond the sun, the longhaired folks should go first. (Okay, I guess you had to be there.)

Chris played both electric and acoustic guitar much more than I've seen previously, and both Rich and Luther had opportunity to play slide guitar. On the classic blues tune Forty-Four Blues, Rich sang into a device on the side of his microphone which distorted his voice so it sounded like a vintage recording being played on a Victrola record player. This led into another spacey jam, and the energy in the Fillmore continued to amp up. We were brought back down to earth with Locust Street and How Much For Your Wings, before Waiting Guilty got us moving again.

The remainder of the set included She Gave Good Sunflower, Movin' On Down the Line, By Your Side, (Only) Halfway to Everywhere, and Wounded Bird. After just a few minutes offstage, the band returned with an encore of She Talks To Angels and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down. This particular show was truly stellar; the Crowes mixed up it real good into that delicious rock & roll stew that I crave....older stuff, new stuff, stuff they rarely play, and steaming hot covers.

We had been jonesing for live Black Crowes since the fall shows we had tickets for were cancelled (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Las Vegas). They did not disappoint. Luckily, we have tickets for all five nights at the Fillmore. I chatted with a couple near us who said it was their first Crowes show. By the end of the night, I was told, "Now I see what the deal is. I'm a convert!" I'm looking forward to tonight's show, wondering what treats are in store. After the band takes a break on Wednesday, they are playing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night....which is Chris Robinson's 42nd birthday.