Awesome Simplicity
By Raymond Ecke
East Coast Rocker
September 2, 1992
The Black Crowes Beacon Theatre, August 24th. NEW YORK, N.Y.- For those of us too young to remember the Stones or The Faces when they were in their prime The Crowes are the cloest se're going to come to that much criticized era. From the opening chords of "No Speak No Slave" to the final refrain of "Jealous Again" The Black Crowes serve as a living anachronism, reminding us that the '70s was more than bad clothes and the Bee Gees. It was emotional, blues-edged rock and roll and bad clothes. Dressed in red velvet bell-bottom pants, satin shirt and bare feet, malnourished vocalist Chris Robinson pranced around the stage inviting Jagger comparisons and not caring. "I wouldn't want you to think this was the 70s," he said after announcing that they were going to jam a bit on "thorn In My Pride," which they did- turning the already long tune into a 15-minute opus. Seeing these raunchmeisters amid the palatial atmosphere of the Beacon Theater with its huge bronze statues, fine oil paintings and plush carpet as reminiscent of some high school blowout at the rich kids house. The only thing missing was the half-keg in the garbage can out on the back porch. The Crowes only added to the homey atmosphere by having area rugs on the floor of the stage and using such low key stage effects as a bubble machine and what appeared to be Christman lights strung across the front of the stage (as it did in the very beginning of the show) it had the appearance of one of those beaded room dividers popular in the '60s and '70s and Greg Brady's pad in dad's den. Musically, The Crowes are competent. Guitarists Rich Robinson and Marc Ford know their blues but did little that could even remotely be considered innovative. However, keyboardist Ed Harsh[sic] managed to broaden The Crowes' vision by providing some gospel textures via a piano, Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes. All of this coalesced perfectly during "My Morning Song," which combined all of their strong points: raspy vocals and a soulful no-nonsense blues. And just in case you forget where you were, as the song cresendoed a back drop with giant pot leaf and the words "Free Us- No Narcs" quickly fell, causing the crowd to cheer wildly. Last year the Crowes were kicked off the ZZ Top tour for dissing corporate sponsorships but I have a hunch if approached by High Times Magazone they might change their minds. The Crowes capped off the two-hour set with an encore that featured "She Talks To Angels," "Remedy" and the aforementioned "Jealous Again" but it only served to reinforce what they had already stated so clearly. Rock and roll is not a "product" born out of the marketing department of some record company, it is, first and foremost, an uncompromising emotion. Cynics and other critics may disagree but The Crowes have something that goes beyone just their music- there's an integrity there that even the masters themselves seem to have forgotten, and like a classic novel or film that sometimes get revised or reworked, The Black Crowes remind us in their somewhat limited way of the awesome power within a guitar, an amp and a kid with a bad attitude. |