The Black Crowes - Brixton Academy 20th July 2001
Set List: Midnight From The Inside Out/ Sting Me/ Greasy Grass River/ A Conspiracy/ Cursed Diamond/ Remedy/ Lickin'/ Evil Eye/ Miracle To Me/ Sister Luck/ Wiser Time/ Soul Singing/ My Morning Song/ Thorn In My Pride/ By Your Side/ Twice As Hard/ Young Man, Old Man/ Cosmic Friend - encore - Virtue & Vice/ Lucifer Sam/ Down In The Street (Featuring guests Noel & Gem of Oasis)
And they didn't even do "Hard to Handle"...
Firstly, thanks to Planet Rock for the tickets. A quick email later and I was the excited recipient of two tickets to see the Crowes at Brixton. Cool!
So, Planet Rock, any time you want to send me free tickets for a gig, just go right ahead. If you want to send me some cash for the petrol, even better! Hotel room, backstage party with the band, hey, I'm here, you got my address! But what was that about "they didn't even do 'Hard to Handle'"...OK, so maybe that is being a bit picky, seeing as this was one of the all-time great gigs in the history of music as we know it, but you've got to get all the objections out in the open first so that people with think that you're unbiased. So there it is: they didn't do "Hard to Handle". Bad Crowes! Naughty Crowes!
And they didn't even do "Hard to Handle"...
Firstly, thanks to Planet Rock for the tickets. A quick email later and I was the excited recipient of two tickets to see the Crowes at Brixton. Cool!
So, Planet Rock, any time you want to send me free tickets for a gig, just go right ahead. If you want to send me some cash for the petrol, even better! Hotel room, backstage party with the band, hey, I'm here, you got my address! But what was that about "they didn't even do 'Hard to Handle'"...OK, so maybe that is being a bit picky, seeing as this was one of the all-time great gigs in the history of music as we know it, but you've got to get all the objections out in the open first so that people with think that you're unbiased. So there it is: they didn't do "Hard to Handle". Bad Crowes! Naughty Crowes!
The Crowes show at Brixton Academy was the best I've ever seen them, for sure. Maybe the sound could have been a tad better, but that could have been due to where I was standing, or the fact that it was so goddamned loud, my ears were still ringing when I woke up the next morning. Now, I realise that statement just makes me sound like an old fart, but it was loud. It was hot, it was sweaty, and we were packed in there like small, oily, fishy fellows in a can. The last time I remember being that packed in like that was Iron Maiden, Leeds University, 1981. That was a bloody good gig too: Eddie with the fire extinguisher and...
I was impressed with this show. At exactly 9PM (to the second, by my watch) they walked on stage and launched into "Midnight from the Inside Out". Then, for the next two hours, they simply rocked the house, barely even stopping for breaks between songs. I was expecting a standard sort of 75 minutes, two encores, out of the building by 10:30, sort of scenario, but what we were treated to was a Crowes tour-de-force of professionalism, musicality, toetap-ability and boogie-osity. Pure and simple, a total class act.
The blend of the new material with something from every Year of the Crowes was most impressive and eminently cohesive. I was quite surprised that they worked so many new songs into the set.I have been particularly impressed with the new CD "Lions", and the new material fit in seamlessly and it felt as if "Cosmic Friend", "Lickin", "Miracle to Me" et al, were old friends popping in to say "Boy, you gotta boogie, else you gonna blow your top!" - as old friends so often do.
I was impressed with this show. At exactly 9PM (to the second, by my watch) they walked on stage and launched into "Midnight from the Inside Out". Then, for the next two hours, they simply rocked the house, barely even stopping for breaks between songs. I was expecting a standard sort of 75 minutes, two encores, out of the building by 10:30, sort of scenario, but what we were treated to was a Crowes tour-de-force of professionalism, musicality, toetap-ability and boogie-osity. Pure and simple, a total class act.
The blend of the new material with something from every Year of the Crowes was most impressive and eminently cohesive. I was quite surprised that they worked so many new songs into the set.I have been particularly impressed with the new CD "Lions", and the new material fit in seamlessly and it felt as if "Cosmic Friend", "Lickin", "Miracle to Me" et al, were old friends popping in to say "Boy, you gotta boogie, else you gonna blow your top!" - as old friends so often do.
As for "Soul Singing" and "Midnight From The Inside Out", they sounded as familiar as "Twice As Hard" and "Remedy", the latter, incidentally, cropping up surprisingly early in the set. Then again, that is probably why the performance was so good, it sounded fresh and alive. Things were not where you expected them to be but when they came along they were just perfect.
Musically, the Robinson brothers were on fine form, Chris' voice as musical as ever and Rich's guitar at times sweet and soulful, at others, tearing the walls down. Steve Gorman was, as ever, powerful and rock-steady, providing a reliable rhythm section with new bass-player Andy Hess. Guitar player, Audley Freed is very good but could be more dynamic. I half expected someone to come along and check his pulse every so often. Eddie Harsch just does his thing there at the back, and makes beautiful sounds. What more can you ask?
The encores would have been awesome had it not been for two little dicks called Noel and Gem. They were so out of their depth on stage with the Crowes, they should have been wearing water wings. As it turned out, they just came across as being incompetent and utterly hopeless - about what I have always expected of Oasis. However, this is not an anti-Oasis rant, it is a celebration of Crowosity and, for two and a half-hours on Friday, they soared like eagles. But, one final thought, who came up with the idea of putting the Robinson brothers and the Gallagher brothers on the same tour? Isn't that like drinking turpentine and pissing on a brush fire? I don't know about riots outside the venue, I'd be wearing my riot gear inside the building!
Mark L . Potts
The God of Thunder
22nd July 2002
Musically, the Robinson brothers were on fine form, Chris' voice as musical as ever and Rich's guitar at times sweet and soulful, at others, tearing the walls down. Steve Gorman was, as ever, powerful and rock-steady, providing a reliable rhythm section with new bass-player Andy Hess. Guitar player, Audley Freed is very good but could be more dynamic. I half expected someone to come along and check his pulse every so often. Eddie Harsch just does his thing there at the back, and makes beautiful sounds. What more can you ask?
The encores would have been awesome had it not been for two little dicks called Noel and Gem. They were so out of their depth on stage with the Crowes, they should have been wearing water wings. As it turned out, they just came across as being incompetent and utterly hopeless - about what I have always expected of Oasis. However, this is not an anti-Oasis rant, it is a celebration of Crowosity and, for two and a half-hours on Friday, they soared like eagles. But, one final thought, who came up with the idea of putting the Robinson brothers and the Gallagher brothers on the same tour? Isn't that like drinking turpentine and pissing on a brush fire? I don't know about riots outside the venue, I'd be wearing my riot gear inside the building!
Mark L . Potts
The God of Thunder
22nd July 2002