Monday, September 11, 2006

Okay...

So, I'm about to blow musicgluttons.com's indie-cred right out of the water.

I love the Counting Crows.

But, let's be fair, I have full Pavement and Elliott Smith discographies, but they sit on my shelf right next to the Crows. All the supressed "I shouldn't but I do" love came pouring back when I was tapped to review the band at Smirnoff Music Centre this Saturday.

My love isn't completely unwarranted, however, as the band has a reputation for putting on a kick-ass show. You can have your Muse, Adam Duritz and his schlubby band of San Fransico bottom-feeders just have this unexplainable charisma that just shines in concert that i can't help but enjoy.

In Goodnight Elisabeth, Duritz said, "We couldn't all be cowboys, some of us are clowns," and that is probably the only way that I can really describe their magnetism. Duritz has the appeal of a sad, drunk clown, and for some reason, when he plays live, you believe him. You also get the feeling that he crashed on someone else's couch until about ten minutes before the show. And he borrowed twenty bucks.

Of course, in my detached synopsis, I'm probably selling the band a little short. Duritz actually writes some emotionally compelling lyrics, some of my favorite being in Rain King

Oh, it seems night endlessly begins and ends
After all the dreaming I just wanna come back home again...


So do I!

But it's in concert where the band truly shines. They weave in and out of other songs, covers, new lines, spoken-word recitations of dialogued lyrics. Duritz walks across the monitors like he's walking, you guessed it, on a wire, in a circus.

And this guy looks like a record-store clerk. Full, gray beard, dreadlocks, read-end-hangin'-out-of-his-drawers, and he's still charismatic.

Since the guys won't be touring for awhile, I recommend Live Across A Wire, a two-disc collection of live tracks that really captures the band at their live peak.

As I right this, I can't explain why I love these guys. Sometimes, they're self-important, mopey, whatever, I love 'em.

1 Comments:

Blogger Steve said...

Darren, I'm pretty certain you and John had indie-cred, but I blew mine pretty early on... It's okay, you're still cool... I guess that leaves John with indie-cred, and Curtis, should he ever decide to post again. :-)

I've never really listened much to Counting Crows. What I've heard on the radio has been alright, but I've just never given them much consideration. But really, I'm jealous of anyone who can grow dreads...

8:34 AM  

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