I’ve seen the Black Crowes a few times over the years — once at Langerado in the Spring of '06, and again later that summer at the Ford Amp, when there were so few people showed because of it raining all day that everyone was packed into the pavilion. The security was so tight that lead singer Chris Robinson felt the need to call them out and complain about them not allowing people to come up to the front of the stage to dance, since there were all of a few thousand in the whole damn place.
At the time, I appreciated his candor and wasn't surprised when they finally made their way back to the Bay area in 2008 and stopped at a different venue: Ruth Eckerd Hall. I wasn't at that show, but I was there for their return to Clearwater this past Wednesday, October 7, and Robinson has some choice commentary that night, too, only this time his seeming ire was directed at the audience. [all photos by Phil Bardi]
The hall was about half-full, a scattered crowd of casual fans and die-hards mixed with the overdressed groups of season ticket holders. The smell of Nag Champa wafted through the air, a bundle of incense sticks burning in a clump at the corner of a stage bathed in saturated light.
