You may find it hard to believe but these two bands, combined, have sold in the neighborhood of 40 million albums worldwide.
Additionally the have a touring history as this is the third time they have hit the road together in their careers. The latest of which is the “25 YEARS AND COUNTING” Tour which I attended at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater last week.
LIVE – Soundcheck Jones Beach Theater 8-22-18
If you have yet to make it to Jones Beach the theater is an amazing outdoor venue that sits on the water within Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh, NY. This year I believe they had just over 40 shows with about six remaining; For more information and tickets click here.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing both these bands many times over the years and was excited to see them back on the road together.
After a short performance from Boom Forest it was time for Live to take the stage.
Live, from York, Pennsylvania is a four piece band that formed in the early 80’s but didn’t hit mainstream success til the 90’s. The band split in 2009 and Ed Kowalczyk continued as a solo artist while the remaining members Chad Taylor, bassist Patrick Dahlheimer and drummer Chad Gracey went on to form The Gracious Few.
For those that don’t know of The Gracious Few, they had one album that featured Kevin Martin on vocals along with Sean Hennesy (guitars) from Candlebox. They didn’t have much mainstream success but the album is great and my friend and I even mentioned it to Patrick at Jones Beach. If you haven’t heard it be sure to go download or stream a copy.
Following The Gracious Few Patrick and the Chads continued Live replacing Ed until December 2016 when they announced the original lineup would return and Tour. In their current form they’ve added Zak Loy on guitar and recently decided to keep drummer Robin Diaz who had filled in briefly for and injured Chad Gracey. The addition of these gentlemen has given Live and even fuller concert sound.
Although I had already had a chance to see them since reforming as I was sure they would be the highlight of the evening. Live has never disappointed in concert, they are high energy and a great, tight band with tonight proving to be no different. They kicked off their 70 minute hit fest (see photo) with “All Over You” and played everything you’d expect to hear including, my personal highlight, “Pain Lies on the Riverside,” and “Lakini’s Juice” as well as their latest (new) single “Love Lounge”. They sounded fantastic, the show looked great and the crowd was loving every minute of it. I’m hopeful they will come around early next year for some headlining shows where we might get some deeper cuts in a two hour set. If they do, make sure you catch them, I know I’ll be there.
As the sun went down at the beach it was time 
for the main event. With their intro tape still rolling the Counting Crows strolled on to the stage and began to play, one of my favorites “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby.” They followed it up with “Catapult” and another favorite “Omaha,” featuring Charlie Gillingham on the accordion, before leading into a cover of “Start Again” from Teenage Fanclub.
Duritz and the band, sounded excellent and really jumped right in to get this show moving. I always appreciated them live and am a big fan of their music. With that said I haven’t enjoyed them as much in recent years as I had in the past.
Again they sound fantastic and with musicians like Charlie (mentioned above) keyboards, Jim Bogios on drums, Millard Powers on bass, David Bryson and Dan Vickrey on guitairs and David Immergluck on guitar, pedal steel and mandolin what could be bad right?
Well to be honest, I just found the show to be a little boring which a few friends that went to other shows concurred with. I think my explanation is simply that as much as I love a song like “Round Here” I don’t really want a version that goes for about ten minutes at a really slow tempo. I used to look forward to these new/different arrangements the crows would do but for this 25 Years tour I was hoping to just hear everything the way it was recorded.
Admittedly so I (maybe my friends too) may be jaded by the fact that I’ve seen them so many times and experienced different versions whereas someone who hasn’t might tend to enjoyed it more. So, although the show looked amazing and they had an incredible set (below) I’d have liked it to be a little more upbeat. With all that said the Counting Crows are still great Adam Duritz can still command the audience, has a great voice, a great band and obviously, after selling 20+ million albums over 25 years will be back to play again.
Jones Beach Full Set List – August 22, 2018
Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby
Catapult
Omaha
Start Again (cover)
Scarecrow
Miami
Colorblind
God of Ocean Tides
Washington Square
Round Here
Los Angeles
Goodnight L.A.
A Long December
Hanginaround
Encore:
Palisades Park
Rain King
Holiday in Spain
So If you’re looking for a night of great music catch Live and Counting Crows when they make their way through your town.
For more images from the show check out the slide show/gallery below and click here for more information on the current tour as well as the following:
Counting Crows – Official website and Facebook page
Live – Official website and Facebook page
I just saw Counting Crows in Indianapolis, and it was incredibly boring. They seemed so uninspired, and it was laughable to see them compared to Live. The show was just not that good, and they didn’t play many of the hits, but I guess that was that.
Jay – I knew I wasn’t alone!
It’s laborious to seek out knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you recognize what you’re talking about! Thanks
With thanks! Valuable information!