The Black Crowes
Piere's - Fort Wayne, Indiana
July 25, 1998
Piere's, a sprawling complex tucked away in an anonymous section of Fort Wayne, Indiana (which is all pretty anonymous, come to think of it), is unusually punctual when it comes to rock n'roll. While we here in Bloomington are accustomed to the piddliest of indie bands strolling onstage at 1:30 in the morning, those Ft. Wayne folk had the Black Crowes onstage before the clock even struck eight. Daylight could still be detected as the Atlanta sextet burst into their opener, "Remedy."
And what of the Black Crowes? Once a volatile, headline-making gob of spit and authors of some of the most enduring rock radio hits of the last decade, the quarelling group tinkered with their sound, retreated into festival tours and hemp-legalization affairs, and by the time of their elegant, often psychedelic '96 release, Three Snakes and One Charm, were fast approaching oblivion.
There was no mention of that album during this somewhat brief outing. Its predecessor, the wooly, jam-oriented Amorica, was also ignored save for the mellow blaze of "Wiser Time." Instead, the Crowes turned back the clock to 1990-'92, when the group were busy blowing ZZ Top off the stage and singer Chris Robinson's friendly drawl was inescapable, belting out another slice of terribly catchy blooze n'roll. This summer's "Sho' Nuff" tour precedes both a Crowes retrospective box set and a new album, By Your Side (to be released in November on Columbia). Does the world still care?
The beery Ft. Wayne throng answered in the affirmative, shouting along as the Crowes showcased their landmark The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion album. "Remedy," "Sting Me," "Thorn In My Pride," "Hotel Illness," "Sometimes Salvation" and a steamrolling "No Speak No Slave" benefited from a tighter, thicker live sound than the Crowes have mustered in years. More about soul than chops, they're still loose-limbed without losing their barroom swagger and guitar-heavy punch. Pokerfaced guitarist Rich Robinson still holds the group together musically, having expanded his duties to include leads following six-stringer Marc Ford's departure. He even managed not to slug his irrepressible brother Chris, who looked shockingly healthy. The famously scrawny singer appears to have put fork to plate since the band's halcyon days, but it didn't slow down his gleeful array of stage moves. An old-fashioned frontman, he won't be caught putting his hands in his pockets. Vets Steve Gorman (drums) and Ed Harsh (keys) and newcomer Sven Pipien (bass) chimed in with rootsy flair when called upon.
After previewing the title track from By Your Side (a groover with twin guitar leads) and sprinting through a cover of Elmore James' "Shake Your Moneymaker," the Crowes played to the crowd with favorites from their debut of the same name. An encore of "She Talks To Angels," "Hard To Handle," and "Twice As Hard" was manna for many, though some of us would have preferred a little more surprise.
Spontaneity wasn't the name of the game on this night, however. The Crowes delivered the hits and were on and off in 90 minutes, Vegas-style. They aren't going to stay relevant this way, obviously, but if the point was to lure those FM devotees back into favor, the "Sho 'Nuff" tour more than did its job.
--Lane Hewitt