the Counting Crows, the Wallflowers & the Gigolo Aunts

The Gigolo Aunts kicked off a great night of music at Cal Expo Amphitheater in Sacramento. Promoting the new album Learn To Play Guitar, the Gigolo Aunts played a great 30-minute set. The band was tight and well-received by the incoming crowd. It's a good sign when an opening band that most of the people in the audience haven't heard of gets all the yells and applause the Gigolo Aunts did.

Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz jumped on stage to a screaming audience after the Gigolo Ants finished its set. Duritz came out to help promote the fact that there were booths at entrances promoting awareness on issues such as domestic abuse. "You don't have to give them any money, just please pick up a pamphlet and read about what these groups do, maybe it will inspire you to help them and do something," he said. It's always cool when bands that actually have a social conscious sponsor educational booths at their shows; it's that much better when artists speak to the audience and actually verbally encourage them to act. Other bands should take lessons from Duritz when trying to promote causes.

The Wallflowers came up next. Women love Wallflowers frontman Jakob Dylan; he has some kind of power over women of all ages. In my coveted spot at the base of the stage in the photo pit I witnessed many a female swoon and scream at the sight of the young Dylan. The guy just bats his eyes and women scream things I wouldn't repeat in front of small children.

Dylan looked tired and rightly so, considering it was the second to the last night of a three-month tour. The set was tight, all the musicians in the band excellent. The Wallflowers played all the songs the little MTV kids wanted to hear, like "The Difference" and "One Headlight." The highlight of the set lay somewhere between the Hammond organ/keyboard duel and the cover of the Beatles classic "Ticket To Ride."

So I'm up in the photo pit directly and safely poised between thousands of screaming fans and the stage. Scores of people seem to be on the verge of passing out as huge members of the security staff start pulling sweaty fans out from the crowd to give them some kind of medical attention. Out come the Counting Crows. Bodies are flying at me due to the amount of people being crushed at the barricade. Three times during the show Duritz asked the crowd to move back and be a little more considerate of each other.

The Counting Crows was incredible live. I wasn't expecting the large amount of passion and emotion Duritz emitted. The Counting Crows beat my best expectation. Duritz was so expressive and honest with the crowd; I've never seen a performance like this, it was moving. The lyrics were intelligent and powerful and the music was tight and had feeling to it.

You can tell these guys love what they're doing and were happy to be on their home turf. Duritz talked of college at Sacramento State and how he loved it; he wished one of his crewman a happy birthday, then mentioned that the crewman was from Chico.

When the band kicked into an accordion-filled, slowed-down rendition of "Mr. Jones" from the first CD August and Everything, the crowd fell completely silent, mesmerized by this wonderfully distorted version of the song that launched Counting Crows. Jumping into an amazing 10-minute version of "Round Here," another cut off the first disc, Duritz hypnotized the audience with raw emotion and feeling.

"Have You Seen Me Lately", from the 1996 release Recovering The Satellites, was a highpoint in the set. Duritz just sat at the edge of the stage as the band played a slowed down and incredibly powerful version of the song. Shortly after that came the encore, "A Long December" and "Walkaways." It was my first time seeing the Counting Crows and the next time the band comes through Northern California I will definitely be there.

--Bill Fishkin

home

Bookmark:

Comments down for maintenance.