This was the last of the slate of cheap shows at the PNC Bank Arts Center that I got tickets for, although it was one of the concerts that I had been eyeing for a few months, in fact. But months ago, I had not gotten tickets, because I swear the prices were significantly higher.
Then, suddenly, I checked more recently, and saw them going for much, much less, and that decided it for me.
Now, I had already seen both of these bands before, although in both cases, it was a long, long time ago. We are talking 20th century, here! How long ago was that? Well, Ed Kowalczyk put it pretty good when introducing one of the songs that his band was famous for back in the mid-90's, as he said that the song would take us back to a time when cell phones were much, much bigger.
Indeed, back then, I hardly knew anyone who had a cell phone. It was kind of an elite thing to have, although that changed in a hurry, did it not? Before long, the elite thing was to have one with a camera. Then, it was the internet.
Of course these days, that is standard. Times change.
But good music remains good music, even when times and tastes have changed so much. Rock music seems to have taken a back seat in recent years, and bands like Live and the Counting Crows are the old guard, on some level. Everyone keeps hoping for another movement, another injection of youth, although some are already proclaiming that rock is dead.
We'll see. To me, it did not sound like that last night, when my son and I went to see Live and the Counting Crows.
It seems strange to me, because the nineties did not feel all that long ago. And back in the nineties, particularly the first half up to around 1995, there seemed to be no shortage of awesome young bands with seemingly bright futures coming out with some great music. From the Seattle bands, to the Smashing Pumpkins, Rage, the Stone Temple Pilots, Blind Melon, Nine Inch Nails, and the two bands that took the stage last night, the Counting Crows and Live. Even some older bands that had been around longer came out with some incredible and imaginative material. Two of the best albums (probably the two best overall individual albums of the nineties, in my opinion) came from bands that had been around for quite a while in the eighties, with U2's Achtung Baby and the Red Hot Chili Pepper's Blood Sugar Sex Magic. The future of rock 'n roll (that sounds quite cliche, I know) appeared to be bright indeed. To be sure, there were some good bands that came out in the second half of the nineties and into the new century, yet the momentum seemed to clearly be dying.
Live came on playing something that initially seemed cool, but unrecognizable, before suddenly breaking into the familiar opening notes for All Over You, one of their biggest hits from their incredible, and incredibly successful, album, Throwing Copper. Their setlist was a mixture of some older material, particularly from that great album, as well as some newer stuff. I was particularly happy that they performed Heaven, one of my favorite songs from well after their peak success. They ended, not surprisingly, with what is likely their biggest song, Lightning Crashes.
It was great to see Live after all of these years! The last time (which also happened to be the first time) that I saw them was at this same venue, although they were one of the red hot bands of the moment, and headlining by themselves to what seemed like a packed and highly enthusiastic audience. PJ Harvey and Veruca Salt opened for them, and I remember being thoroughly impressed with their live performance, when they seemed to be on top of the world, with a bright future stretching out before them.
The last time that I had seen the Counting Crows was back when they were a young band on top of the world and clearly on the rise, as well. It was in the summer of 1994, a year before I saw Live. They were at Giants Stadium, and opening for the Rolling Stones. My friend had seen the same concert a few nights previous, with the Crows opening for the Stones, and he complained about the Crows and their lead singer, Adam Duritz, because he had cut the setlist short because he was annoyed by the rain. Maybe, but they played a full set and sounded good, to my ears.
At the time, they too had a huge album out that was just studded with radio friendly hits. The first one, and the most relentless hit that just kept playing and playing on seemingly every radio station until you got sick of it, was Mr. Jones. Ironically, that was one of the songs that they did not perform at this concert, although I cannot honestly remember if they played that at the concert that my brother and I attended back in '94.
The Counting Crows were a band that I liked well enough in 1994, but would later get to know much better, with my interest in them almost coming in waves. The first time was when a friend of mine, who played an acoustic guitar version of their shows very well, and said that he found something in their music that really spoke to him. The next time that I really got into them was when, for whatever the reason, I began to listen to August and Everything (their huge, breakthrough album from 1994) about a decade and maybe change after it was released, perhaps really listening to it for the first time. The second biggest hit from that album was Round Here, which I only semi liked back in 1994, but when I listened to the words and, really, the poetry within that song that time around, it really, really hit me how beautiful and powerful that song was. There were other great songs on that album (which is still the Counting Crows album that I am far and away most familiar with), but that one still remains my favorite to this day.
Really, it was great to see them once again after all of these years - 24 years later! This time, I appreciated them for who they were, rather than viewing them with some impatience, wanting to get the main act, the legendary Rolling Stones, out and performing. I had wanted to see the Counting Crows for a second time for years now, but finally, this time, decided it was time.
All in all, it was an awesome night of some great music!
It was great to see Live after all of these years! The last time (which also happened to be the first time) that I saw them was at this same venue, although they were one of the red hot bands of the moment, and headlining by themselves to what seemed like a packed and highly enthusiastic audience. PJ Harvey and Veruca Salt opened for them, and I remember being thoroughly impressed with their live performance, when they seemed to be on top of the world, with a bright future stretching out before them.
The last time that I had seen the Counting Crows was back when they were a young band on top of the world and clearly on the rise, as well. It was in the summer of 1994, a year before I saw Live. They were at Giants Stadium, and opening for the Rolling Stones. My friend had seen the same concert a few nights previous, with the Crows opening for the Stones, and he complained about the Crows and their lead singer, Adam Duritz, because he had cut the setlist short because he was annoyed by the rain. Maybe, but they played a full set and sounded good, to my ears.
At the time, they too had a huge album out that was just studded with radio friendly hits. The first one, and the most relentless hit that just kept playing and playing on seemingly every radio station until you got sick of it, was Mr. Jones. Ironically, that was one of the songs that they did not perform at this concert, although I cannot honestly remember if they played that at the concert that my brother and I attended back in '94.
The Counting Crows were a band that I liked well enough in 1994, but would later get to know much better, with my interest in them almost coming in waves. The first time was when a friend of mine, who played an acoustic guitar version of their shows very well, and said that he found something in their music that really spoke to him. The next time that I really got into them was when, for whatever the reason, I began to listen to August and Everything (their huge, breakthrough album from 1994) about a decade and maybe change after it was released, perhaps really listening to it for the first time. The second biggest hit from that album was Round Here, which I only semi liked back in 1994, but when I listened to the words and, really, the poetry within that song that time around, it really, really hit me how beautiful and powerful that song was. There were other great songs on that album (which is still the Counting Crows album that I am far and away most familiar with), but that one still remains my favorite to this day.
Really, it was great to see them once again after all of these years - 24 years later! This time, I appreciated them for who they were, rather than viewing them with some impatience, wanting to get the main act, the legendary Rolling Stones, out and performing. I had wanted to see the Counting Crows for a second time for years now, but finally, this time, decided it was time.
All in all, it was an awesome night of some great music!
Live's Setlist (according to setlist.fm (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/live/2018/pnc-bank-arts-center-holmdel-nj-13e89911.html):
All Over You
Love Lounge
Pain Lies on the Riverside
The Dolphin's Cry
Selling the Drama
Baby What You Want Me to Do (Jimmy Reed cover)
The Distance
I Alone
Lakini's Juice
White, Discussion
Encore: Heaven
Turn My Head
Lightning Crashes
Counting Crows Setlist (according to setlist.fm (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/counting-crows/2018/pnc-bank-arts-center-holmdel-nj-1be8991c.html):
Counting Crows Setlist (according to setlist.fm (https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/counting-crows/2018/pnc-bank-arts-center-holmdel-nj-1be8991c.html):
Mrs. Potter's Lullaby
Hanging Tree
Omaha
If I Could Give All My Love -or- Richard Manuel Is Dead
Anna Begins
Miami
Colorblind
God of Ocean Tides
Le Ballet d'Or
Round Here
Recovering the Satellites
Los Angeles Play Video A Long December
Hanginaround
Encore: Palisades Park
Rain King
Holiday in Spain
Counting Crows:
The
No comments:
Post a Comment