Jam Central Station 6.23.12: Counting Crows 6.18.12 - Cain Park - Cleveland Heights, OH
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 06.23.2012
90's alternative rockers The Counting Crows bring the Outlaw Road Show to Cain Park!
Hey everyone! Hope you're all doing well. I'm in the midst of an amazing two weeks, which started with Counting Crows on Monday (see my review below), went into Aerosmith on Tuesday, and includes Comfest in Columbus this weekend, potentially Phish on Sunday, my band The MuckleBuck playing with The Ragbirds on Monday, and then Electric Forest starting on Thursday. Not a bad week, eh? But let's get to the meat and potatoes week,my review of the Counting Crows show!
The Counting Crows have done their best over the past few years to bring some great new music on tour with them, and 2011 is no different. They're out touring with their Outlaw Road Show, where the band is bringing three of their favorite relatively unknown bands on the road with them. They brought the show to the beautiful Cain Park in Cleveland earlier this week for one of the first shows of their tour, and I was lucky enough to be able to catch it.
First off, I want to comment on this venue. Cain Park is a small amphitheatre located in a large park in Cleveland Heights. It's in a beautiful area surrounded by trees, and the hill creates a natural incline for the amphitheatre. It's a perfect venue for mid-sized bands like the Counting Crows, giving them a unique outdoor venue that they're able to fill easily. The sound was also impressive, and it's obvious that the venue is capable of handling a variety of acts.
The Counting Crows did a great job of living up to the setting, putting on a nearly two-hour show which included enough hits to keep the casual fans satisfied while throwing a variety of songs from throughout their career. They went right into a version of their first hit "Round Here" that was significantly longer than the radio version, including a number of parts not on the single. They went straight from their biggest hit to a new song from their new album of covers. "Untitled (Love Song)" fit well in with the set, and easily sounded like it could be a Counting Crows tune. They went on to continue focusing on newer material, including four songs from their recent This Desert Live album and another new cover from Underwater Sunshine. I personally enjoyed the slow but funky "St. Robinson In His Cadillac Dream" and the piano driven "Colorblind."
A couple relatively bland songs followed with "Monkey" and "Four Days" before pianist Charlie Gillingham came out front with his accordion for "Omaha," an unreleased track from the August and Everything After days. After the lengthy version of "Round Here" the band shied away from jamming a bit until they brought out a piano for Adam for "A Long December." Adam's vocals sounded excellent on this song, where strong vocals are obviously necessary. The band then brought out pretty much everyone from the three opening bands to close out the set with energetic versions of "Up All Night," "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," and "Hanginaround."
While I thought the main set was definitely solid, I was extremely impressed with the three song encore from the band. They started things out with the acoustic "Washington Square," which quite frankly was powerful enough to close the show all on its own. Instead the band decided to follow it up with their early hit "Rain King," an obvious tribute to the storm that rolled through the area right before the show started. They closed with another mellow song in "Holiday in Spain." I would've prefered if that had switched positions with "Washington Square," but it was still a nice way to come down from a big rock hit like "Rain King." Overally, Adam and the band put on a solid show for the crowd.
I wasn't really sure what to expect with this Counting Crows show. I hadn't seen them before, and everything that I had heard was that they put on a very good (although sometimes erratic) live show. What I wasn't really expecting was such a straight-up rock show. There was a good mix of hits, obscure songs, rockers and ballads. The show brought out the diversity of the band, which most radio fans probably aren't all that aware of. And Adam Durtz is a top-notch frontman, playing to the crowd and leading the band. Overall it was a great night, and I'd definitely go see the band again.
Grateful Dead archival show to be released
A new archival Grateful Dead show was just announced for release. Dave's Picks Volume 3 will feature a fully remastered release of the Grateful Dead show from October 22, 1971 from teh Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. The show will be presented on two discs, and a third disc will accompany the set, featuring songs from the previous night's performance.
Phish to release Chicago '94 set
On July 31, Phish will be releasing Chicago '94, a 6-disc set featuring two shows from Chicago. The set will feature the complete shows from June 18 and November 25, 1994, including portions of the soundcheck. The shows have been remastered for disc and pre-orders include a limited edition trading card.
Hoxeyville adds headliner, other acts
The 10th Annual Hoxeyville Music Festival expanded their lineup this week. In addition to headliners Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, the festival added Van Ghost, Little Frank & The Premiers, Breathe Owl Breathe, Dragonwagon, and many others. The festival already features 7 Walkers, Greensky Bluegrass, Strange Arrangement, The Ragbirds, The Crane Wives, and plenty of other great acts. The event will take place August 17-19 in Wellston, MI.
Flecktones announce hiatus
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones officially announced that the band will be going on an indefinite hiatus. Citing individual career choices (Victor has a new band, Bela plays in a variety of projects, Jeff has become more or less a permanent member of DMB) Bela stated in an email to fans that "it will likely be several years til we can marshall the flecktones forces again." The band wrapped up a tour with original member Howard Levy a couple of months ago.
Keller Williams announces fall tour dates
Keller Williams will be staying on tour for much of this year. He announced his latest run of dates, which will take him through mid-November. There's a gap from mid-October to November 1, so it doesn't look like Keller will be doing a Halloween set.
09/20 Wilmington, DE—World Cafe Live at the Queen
09/28 Stroudsburg, PA—Sherman Theater
10/05 Nelson County, VA—The Festy Experience
10/11 Minneapolis, MN—The Cabooze
10/12 Madison, WI —Majestic Live
10/13 Chicago, IL—Park West
11/01 Houston, TX —Fitzgerald's
11/02 Dallas, TX —Granada Theater
11/03 Austin, TX —Antone's
11/15 Orlando, FL —The Social
11/16 St. Petersburg, FL —State Theatre
11/17 Ft. Lauderdale, FL —Revolution
Grace Potter & The Nocturnals announce dates
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals are currently touring stadiums with country music giants Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw, but they'll be doing their own tour later this year. After their annual Grand Point North Festival they'll be doing a short run to a couple great venues in the South.
September 14 Burlington, VT—Grand Point North Festival
September 15 Burlington, VT—Grand Point North Festival
October 4 Asheville, NC—Orange Peel
October 6 Atlanta, GA—Tabernacle
October 25 Kansas City, MO—Uptown Theater
November 8 Austin, TX—Stubb's BBQ
November 10 Dallas, TX—House of Blues
Bonnaroo
June 7-10, 2012
Manchester, TN
Performers include: Phish, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Avett Brothers, The Beach Boys, Umphrey's McGee, Skrillix, and many many many others!
Electric Daisy Festival
June 8-10, 2012
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Las Vegas, NV
Performers include: Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, MSTRKRFT, Tiesto, will.i.am., Moby, and many others
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
June 21-24, 2012
Telluride, CO
Performers for the 39th annual festival include: Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon, Alison Krauss & Union Station, The Punch Brothers, Bela Fleck & The Marcus Roberts Trio, Greensky Bluegrass, and many others.
Governor's Ball
June 23-24, 2012
Randall's Island
New York, NY
River Romp
June 28-30 2012
Arrowhead Campgrounds
Grassy, MO
Performers include: Yonder Mountain String Band, Cornmeal, Hot Buttered Rum, Split Lip Rayfield, and others
Electric Forest Festival
June 28-July 1, 2012
Double JJ Ranch and Resort
Rothbury, MI
Performers include The String Cheese Incident (3 shows), STS9 (2 shows), Bassnectar, Theivery Corp., Girl Talk, Ghostland Observatory, Steve Aoki, Richie Hawtin, The Travelin' McCoury's featuring Keller Williams, Big Gigantic, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, EOTO, Das Racist, and many more
High Sierra Music Festival
July 5-8, 2012
Quincy, CA
Performers include: Ben Harper, Avett Brothers, Railroad Earth, Galactic, Lotus, Toots & The Maytals, and many others.
Camp Bisco XI
July 12-14, 2012
Indian Lookout Country Club
Mariaville, NY
Forecastle Festival
July 13-15, 2012
Waterfront Park
Louisville, KY
My Morning Jacket will headline and curate the event.
All Good
July 19-22, 2012
Legend Valley
Thornville, OH
Gathering of the Vibes
July 19-22, 2012
Seaside Park
Bridgeport, CT
Performers include: Primus, Phil Lesh & Friends, Bob Weir & Bruce Hornsby with Branford Marsalis, STS9, 7 Walkers, Micky Hart Band, Yonder Mountain String Band, and many others.
Floyd Fest
July 26-29, 2012
Lover's Rock
Floyd, VA
Performers include: Michael Franti & Spearhead, Leftover Salmon, Matisyahu, Galactic, Punch Brothers, Toubab Krewe, Drew Emmitt Band, and many others.
Newport Folk Festival
July 28-29, 2012
Ft. Adams State Park
Newport, RI
YarmonyGrass Festival
August 2-5, 2012
Rancho Del Rio & State Bridge, CO
Performers include: Railroad Earth, Elephant Revival, The Contribution, Honkytonk Homeslice, Poor Man's Whiskey featuring Michael Kang performing "Dark Side of the Moonshine," Danny Barnes, and a special Nershi's Joint Set.
Newport Jazz Festival
August 3-5, 2012
Ft. Adams State Park
Newport, RI
Performers include: Tedeschi Trucks Band, 3 Clarinets, Gretchen Parlato &Lionel Loueke, Pedrito Martinez Group, and many others.
Osheaga Festival
August 3-5, 2012
Parc Jean-Drapeau
Monreal, Quebec
Performers include: The Black Keys, Snoop Dogg, Justice, Sugar Rios, Florence + The Machine, The Shins, MGMT, Garbage, and many others.
Lollapalooza
August 3-5, 2012
Grant Park
Chicago, IL
Performers include: Black Sabbath, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Black Keys, Jack White, Bassnectar, Florence & The Machine, At The Drive In, Justice, and many others.
Outside Lands Festival
August 10-12, 2012
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, CA
moe.down
August 10-12, 2012
Snow Ridge Ski Resort
Turin, NY
Performers include: Multiple sets of moe., Umphrey's McGee, SOJA, and many others to be announced.
Hoxeyville
August 17-19, 2012
Wellston, MI
Performers include: Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers, 7 Walkers, Greensky Bluegrass, Van Ghost, BoomBox, The MacPodz, The Ragbirds, and many others.
Fall Hookahville
August 23-25, 2012
Frontier Ranch
Pataskala, OH
Camp Barefoot
August 23-26, 2012
Camp Hidden Meadows
Bartow, WV
Performers include: Zach Deputy, Brothers Past, The Motet, Euforquesta, That 1 Guy, and others. Headliners yet to be announced.
Music on the Mountaintop
August 24-26, 2012
Grandfather Mountain Campground
Boone, NC
The event will be hosted by Railroad Earth. Other artists will be announced later.
Summer Set Festival
August 24-26, 2012
Somerset, WI
Performers include: Umphrey's McGee, Pretty Lights, Big Gigantic, Lotus, Nas, Black Star, Excision, Zed's Dead, Matt & Kim, Rebolution, and many others.
Dark Star Jubilee
August 31-September 2, 2012
Legend Valley
Thornville, OH
Performers include: 3 nights of Dark Star Orchestra, Mickey Hart Band, 7 Walkers, Donna Jean Godchaux Band with Jeff Mattson, Keller Williams, The Infamous Stringdusters, Cornmeal, Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk, Donna the Buffalo, Rumpke Mountain Boys, and many others.
The Werk Out Music and Arts Festival
September 20-23, 2012
Legend Valley
Thornville, OH
Performers include: 2 nights of The Werks, ekoostik hookah, EOTO, Everyone Orchestra, Rusted Root, and many others.
DeLuna Fest
September 21-23, 2012
Pensacola Beach, FL
Performers include: Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band, Florence + The Machine, Band of Horses, Jimmy Cliff, Ben Folds Five, and many others
Harvest Music Festival
October 11-13, 2012
Mulberry Mountain
Ozark, AR
Yonder Mountain String Band will host the event and perform multiple sets. More artists will be announced later.
Austin City Limits
October 12-14, 2012
Zilker Park
Austin, TX
Performers include: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, The Avett Brothers, Umphrey's McGee, Big Gigantic, Bassnectar, The Roots, Gotye, Weezer, Thievery Corp., and many others.
Bear Creek
November 8-11, 2012
Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park
Live Oaks, FL
Performers include: Umphrey's McGee, Soulive, Lotus, Perpetual Groove, Break Science, The Heavy Pets, and many others.
Strings & Sol
December 12-16, 2012
Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa
Tulum, Mexico
Yonder Mountain String Band will perform 3 shows, and Railroad Earth, Leftover Salmon, and The Infamous Stringdusters will each be performing 2 shows.
Mayan Holidaze
December 17-21, 2012
Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa
Tulum, Mexico
Umphrey's McGee, The Disco Biscuits, and STS9 will each perform two shows. STS9 will also perform a special midnight set commemorating the beginning of the new Great Cycle of the Mayan Calendar.
Island Exodus IV
January 16-20, 2013
Negril, Jamaica
Gov't Mule will host the event and perform multiple sets. No word on other performers.
Jam in the Sand
March 1-5, 2013
Breezes Grand Resort
Negril, Jamaica
Dark Star Orchestra's first Jamaican event. This event will feature multiple DSO shows as well as three Keller Williams sets and other activities
Coachella
April 12-14, 2013
April 19-21, 2013
Thanks again for hanging out. If you're gonna be at Electric Forest, let me know! Otherwise, be sure to check out Jam Central Station on Facebook and Twitter. Until next week, Jam On!
