Barefoot and Dancing In Front of the Garden Gnome

September 19, 2010 – Road Runner Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC
(UNPUBLISHED EARLY REVIEW)

Acoustic Hor D'oeuvres - Set 1
Remedy
Soul Singing
Hotel Illness
DTMW
Good Friday
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
How Much For Your Wings
Bring On, Bring On
Roll Ol' Jeremiah
Welcome to the Goodtimes
Thorn in My Pride
She Talks To Angels

Electric Reception – Set 2
And the Band Played On
High Head Blues
Greasy Grass River
Ballad in Urgency
Wiser Time
There's Gold in Them Hills
Darling of the Underground Press
Jealous Again
Go Faster
No Speak No Slave

Encore:
Thick n’ Thin
Shake Your Money Maker

Dancing in place that is. Surrounded by a thundering herd blistering thru a setlist that included a good 90 minutes of acoustic treats followed closely by a pummeling 90 minutes of delicious electric force. That is one way you could describe Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, as he led his band through what appears to be a no-holds-barred break-neck pace to an indefinite hiatus the group will embark upon following their usual 5-night stand at San Francisco’s historic Fillmore Auditorium. This latest stop – at the Road Runner Amphitheatre in Charlotte, NC – provided an intimate setting, under a gorgeously still, abeit except for one loner, starless night sky. The warm humidity put no damper as this backdrop proved once again that the last few weeks of this tour everything seems to have been taken up notches and remained.

The Crowes, known for their no-frills approach to their particular brand of Rock N’ Roll, have no opening act, no elaborate production values, a bare-bones stage, nary a wardrobe change, oh, and some carpets on the floor rendering shoes optional, even for the garden gnome perched mercilessly on the floor, relegated to watching the show from behind the barefoot frontman. The light-show, that while obviously well-cared for and literally and figuratively, a part of the musical landscape, is not a distraction and the sound was flawless. The crowd, with usual parts die-hards and casuals sprinkled throughout rose to the occasion as it quickly became obvious that this was not just another Saturday night. And that includes the new-this-tour and oft-debated VIP section, which was home to a more-than-qualifying number of die-hards that, soon into the second number of the electric portion of the evening, were released from their captive seats and rows and permitted to roam free right up to the stage itself or just have some extra space to find the groove. A bunch of corporate suits standing around lost in a sea of fanatics this was not.

The band ambled on stage and to anyone preparing for an acoustic, peaceful intro to the show, in all contradiction was served up a raucous version of one of their biggest hits in “Remedy”. The groove had begun and just as the always perspiring and firing bedrock of the Black Crowes sound, Steve Gorman, had just gotten his drumkit seat warmed up he comes front and center behind a marching band bass drum emblazoned with an old-school two-Crowes logo from the early nineties. In a stunner even to the faithful, he pounded his way thru the next 3 unlikely numbers in this arrangement, 2 of which can be found on the Crowes latest acoustic double-album Croweology. Steve, a founding member of this oft-revolving cast, drove home the beat , while positively showering Chris and, Crowelology stand-out, bassist Sven Pipien in streams of sweat from his head-banging double-fisted attack on that bass drum. This contributed to the unique vibe to the show right off the bat. Again, this was not your typical set, not your typical show.

From there, the still night shattered with the pitch-perfect soaring harmonica lines that pierce through the beginning of the catalog staple Good Friday. The underlying understanding of the true nature behind this song - whether it represents a simple interaction between forlorn lovers or a deeper depiction of a darker time between the two brothers that are the heart and soul of this band – is only punctuated when delivered with such precision and equal parts ease and soul. The brothers Robinson carried the night’s vibe thru to the next rare cover with Rich adding vocals “only related people bound to that sound” can pull off as the two harmonized beautifully on the rarely performed cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man.”

The harmonizing continued on the especially poignant tandem of “How Much For Your Wings” and “Bring On, Bring On”. The classic improvisation and jamming adding to this one-two delivery took the crowd soaring only to peacefully and playfully land them back down with a little down-home in “Roll Old Jeremiah”. Finding the appropriate place to discuss the added dimensions brought to this particular band line-up isn’t easy. However, recent addition Luther Dickinson on Lead Guitar, shining particularly on this track, the first song of the night of which he played lead on the original recording, was in stellar form. Commence sidestepping the heated debate of previous guitarist Marc Ford, and also any tonal differences between the two, string noodling or not. Luther doesn’t blister with his playing, as the man must have the skin of pure calluses on his fingers as I can count on my own fingers the number of times he picked up a pick to play the strings on his various instruments. He has to be a virtuoso in somebody’s book, as I have yet to see someone up close flick and flail as he has done and have the sound come out as wonderfully melodic as he accomplishes, whether playing the notes as recorded or improvising throughout the entire show. It is a sight to behold.

This is usually the point in the review where one can quickly say the rest of the opening set ended with them dutifully playing the hits and then straight to break time. Nope, not this time. From the opening pureness of “Welcome To The Goodtimes” to the all-inclusive band jam comprising the middle of “Thorn In My Pride”, accentuated by another ripping harmonica solo by Chris, and culminating in Rich, the sometimes overlooked, almost-absolutely-never-smiling, but true quarterback of the live shows, strapping on a 12-string and providing the foundation of the Croweology-version of the monster hit “She Talks To Angels”. This is where another band with another frontman would quite possibly deliver a different type of performance. Say what you want about the outspoken and somewhat stationary nature of the bands most visible character. The man, when he is on, sings from deep down somewhere. While others might be better at commanding the attention of stadium-size throngs or have the vocal mastery to sounds exactly as a studio recording, Chris sings from the soul. When he is in the song you can feel it and it can take a fan-favorite and make it something really different and special. And if you don’t believe me try and sing along. Go ahead, try it.