The Black Crowes are a gateway band for me–from first time they burst into public consciousness and into my ears, they helped introduce me to a lot of classic rock I had largely dismissed as a young punk. It started with the cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” on their first album, and continued through the years via covers delivered in almost every live show I’ve seen of the Brothers Robinson and Co.
Twenty-plus years since I first saw them at the old Speedway Cafe, opening for a band called Junkyard a few months before The Black Crowes released their first album Shake Your Moneymaker, the band remains one of my favorite live acts, consistently delivering energetic sets of their Southern rock-meets-Brit blues, all led by Chris Robinson out front, arguably one of the best frontmen around. His Jagger/Stewart moves and raspy wail are joyful to behold–it’s pretty hard not to have a great time when you’re watching him on stage.
Sunday at Red Butte Garden, the Black Crowes found themselves in an ideal concert environment for a show that skittered across their catalog, as well as well-chosen covers of songs that served to connect the band to the musicians who influenced them.
Show opener “Under a Mountain” was clearly inspired by the venue, the sunset glowing off the hills to the east of the stage as the band began right around 7 p.m. Chris Robinson, a lanky shaman dancing barefoot around the stage, engaged immediately with the audience who hustled up front to dance to the soulful hooks erupting from Robinson, his brother/guitarist Rich Robinson, and the others on stage.
“She Gave Good Sunflower” three songs in infused the crowd with a collective energy that only grew as the sun went down and the show moved forward. And the follow-up, “My Morning Song” from 1992’s Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, was a strong display of the band’s skills, particularly new guitarist Jackie Greene. His solo excursions played nicely against Rich Robinson’s rhythm parts, and made the departure from the band of guitar ace Luther Dickenson not nearly as traumatic a shift in the band’s dynamic as it might have been.
Stellar performances of “Shine Along,” “Thorn in My Pride” and he band’s breakthrough ballad “She Talks to Angels” led into the strongest portion of the night, a run through “Wiser Time,” a righteous cover of “Feeling Alright,” an inspired take on the band’s own “Remedy,” and then Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.”
That burst led right into a pleasant surprise, a cover of Billy Joe Royal’s “Hush,” made famous to me by Deep Purple. In decades of listening to the Black Crowes, and hearing them cover songs by the Dead, The Band and myriad others, I never would have expected such a strong version of that old nugget. It made me want to hit iTunes before the show even ended.
An encore of “Magic Rooster Blues” and Ry Cooder’s “Boomer’s Story” was the capper on a raucous show that had the audience filling Red Butte Garden on its feet for nearly every minute. Seeing a band this far into its career–having survived lineup changes and the antagonistic relationship of the Robinson brothers–still killing it on stage is a wonder.
Here’s hoping we have plenty of more chances to see them. A regular summer stop at Red Butte Garden would seem to be in order.
NEKO CASE, RED BUTTE GARDEN, Monday, Sept. 16, 7 p.m., $40
If you ask me, you need to have at least the amount of talent Neko Case boasts to get away with a wordy album title like her new one. The Worse It Gets, The Harder I Fight. The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You is a mouthful for sure, and the collection itself is joyfully overstuffed with entrancing musical ideas from Case and her incredible set of collaborators. Besides the usual suspects that will surely join her Monday night at her show, like Jon Rauhouse and Kelly Hogan, Case is joined by members of Calexico, My Morning Jacket, Los Lobos, Mudhoney and more, infusing her twang-rock base with some experimental bursts of noise and atmospheric excursions. None of it takes away from that incredible voice, though; Case possesses a mesmerizing instrument that hasn’t weakened a bit in the dozen or so years I’ve been listening to her. And in concert, it rings through the air with a clarity few of her peers can boast. Consider the last Red Butte Garden show of the summer a must-see. Pickwick opens the show.
EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE LIVE, BREWVIES, Saturday, 10:30 p.m., $10
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what to make of the touring edition of Everything Is Terrible! From what I’ve seen via video, it’s a group that takes some ridiculous found footage and turns it into something a lot funnier than originally intended. Consider it some sort of blend of Mystery Science Theater and Beavis & Butthead–at least the video version. I watched a bit of the troupe’s Comic Relief Zero!, and it was a pretty hilarious hodge-podge of old stand-up comedy clips mashed together into a brand new, highly questionable, viewing experience. The live tour for that collection, as well as EIT! Does The Hip-Hop, should make for a long night of serious laughs as they skewer some of the worst white-boy hip-hop ever created–we’re talking rapping claymation characters made for Pillsbury TV commercials, and little kids rapping about stamps. The possibilities are endless–and most likely they will all be terrible.
MIDEAU, VELOUR LIVE MUSIC GALLERY, Friday, Sept. 13, 8 p.m., $7
If you don’t know Mideau, it’s time you do. Or you might know its two parts for their past efforts–Libbie Linton has been an active solo performer, singer and songwriter for years, and Spencer Harrison was a member of Fictionist for a spell. Together, they’ve been working for about 18 months on the self-titled debut of their collaboration, and to my ears it’s a stellar blend of both artists. Linton’s natural knack for pop songcraft and Harrison’s experimental leanings combine into some beautiful sounds, aided by producer Nate Pyfer. There is a lot of buzz around this band and this debut release, and it’s proven well worth it in my spins of the album. Live for the release show, Linton and Harrison will be joined by a couple of other musicians to flesh out the sound. Oceanear and Little Barefoot open the show.
MURDER BY DEATH, BAR DELUXE, Thursday, Sept. 12, 8 p.m., $18
Murder by Death was already a damn fine rock band with a more sprawling sound than one might expect before they added multi-instrumentalist Scott Brackett, formerly of Okkervil River and Shearwater, while creating the songs that fill their excellent latest album, Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon. Lead singer/guitarist Adam Turla gives the band a memorable sound through his baritone and distinct tales of small-town life. Throw in Sarah Balliet’s dramatic cello flourishes, and now Brackett’s various skills–piano, trumpet and accordion, among others–and you now have a band hitting its creative stride in powerful ways. I’ve seen the band before Brackett joined the fray, and they were great. I can only imagine the new blood will only make them a more potent live band. Larry & His Flask open the show.
The best thing about being a fan of Jason Isbell at this point in time is that you get to witness an artist fully coming into his own as a singer, songwriter and performer.
Much has been made of the great personal strides Isbell made on the way to the creation of his latest album, Southeastern–the turn toward sobriety, the new marriage–and while all that is great, it wouldn’t mean as much to his fans if the music suffered on the way to his personal salvation.
Quite the contrary, Isbell came up with some of the best songs of his career on Southeastern, and judging by his performance at sold-out State Room Thursday night, Isbell is reaching new heights as a live performer as well.
The set leaned heavily on Southeastern, a treat after only a few of the new songs made their way into his set closing the Utah Arts Festival earlier this summer. And he didn’t skimp on songs from his earlier solo work, or his years in the Drive-By Truckers, while still repeatedly noting how great it was to have an audience who were game for the new songs, not just the old favorites.
Isbell and his band The 400 Unit came out rocking with one of the best of the new tunes, “Flying Over Water,” leading into a couple of excellent tracks from his 2011 Here We Rest album, “Tour of Duty” and “Go It Alone.” “Decoration Day” from his Truckers days gave Isbell his first chance to break out his slide-guitar skills–something that thankfully would reappear a couple times during the show. In fact, throughout the show, watching Isbell and 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden trade guitar fireworks was a blast, each pushing the other to incredible places on their respective solos.
After another from Here We Rest, Isbell’s cover of Candi Staton’s “Heart on a String,” he and his band launched into a long run through songs from Southeastern. and that proved the best part of an overwhelmingly excellent show. The delicate “Live Oak” led into the largely acoustic “Different Days.” “Cover Me Up” followed, a scorching romantic stunner that led into “Relatively Easy.” “Traveling Alone” segued into his emotional narrative of a friend suffering from cancer, “Elephant,” wrapping up a six-song stint of amazing songs that all hit the public’s ears for the first time just a few months ago.
That’s some ballsy set-selection, and it totally worked to the band’s advantage. Isbell and Co. were clearly engaged in the proceedings, whether delivering a tender ballad or full-blown rocker, and the audience was right there with them.
The final push bounced through Isbell’s catalog, from the Truckers’ “Never Gonna Change” to his award-winning “Alabama Pines,” “Goddamn Lonely Love” to the accordion-filled “Codeine.” “Outfit” and “Super 8” ended his set before an encore that included a jammed-out “Danko/Manuel” and one of the best Rolling Stones covers I’ve heard, a ripping take on “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking?” that again showcased Isbell’s guitar chops.
A brilliant night all around, led by a man who seemed happier than ever on stage. it comes through in his music, and it’s only fitting considering how happy he’s been making his audiences for years.
Daniel Nailen 