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REVIEW: You can count on the Crows

04-16-2008 | Music

By Katie Mills Giorgio

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It seems ironic that the Counting Crows titled one of their latest hits “You Can’t Count on Me.” They played the song toward the end of their 90-minute set last night and I would venture to say you can count on them… to put on an energetic show, to play an eclectic mix of their hits and to vote. (Yes, vote. But more on that later.)

Lead singer Adam Duritz and the other members of the band—David Bryson (guitar), Charles Gillingham (keyboards), Dan Vickrey (guitar), Jim Bogios (drums), David Immergluck (guitar) and touring bassist Millard Powers—indeed gave a dynamic performance to a sold out crowd in the Main Ballroom at the University of Iowa Memorial Union.

The crowd was of course dominated by college students, but sprinkled with folks you could tell had been around through most of the band’s 14 years of fame. But for whatever reason—the fact that it was a Tuesday night or perhaps that the venue was hot and stuffy—the crowd seemed a bit sedated and only willing to get into the show for the band’s most popular songs. Lucky for fans, the Counting Crows didn’t need the crowd’s enthusiasm to pull off a passionate performance.

The San Francisco Bay area-based group opened the show with “When I Dream of Michelangelo,” a hit single off their recently released album Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings. While they did play five songs off that one, the show was not dominated by songs from any one record and offered a true mix of highlights from the band’s musical career.

A set of what Duritz himself referred to as “esoteric” songs—“Have You Seen Me Lately,” “Hanging Tree,” “Good Night LA” and “Speedway”—followed the opener. Duritz spoke often to the crowd—the only band member to speak all night—telling the stories behind the songs to a young crowd that listened intently.

The first song to really inject life into the audience came halfway into the set when they played “Mr. Jones”—the 1993 hit that helped the band achieve mainstream popularity. Next up, “Sundays” off their new album, a song Duritz said the band had performed live only once before.

The band’s unique instrumental sound really came through on the next set of songs, including “Good Time” and “Anna Begins.” A synthesizer, electric banjo and accordion gave an interesting vibe to the performance. Duritz was a powerful vocalist, but at times his singing seemed muffled by the room's powerful acoustics.

The set wrapped up with “A Long December”—with Duritz at the piano—clearly the crowd favorite of the night. The band encouraged singing along and the crowd was happy to oblige with their “nah, nah, nah, nahs” through an extended version of the song.

After an encore that included a cover of the “Meet on the Ledge” by the English folk band Fairport Convenion and closing with “Holiday in Spain”—another crowd sing-along favorite—Duritz took a moment to promote the Greybird Foundation.

Founded by the Counting Crows on the idea that every American matters, the Greybird Foundation works on the local and national level to support voter registration, food drives and educational initiatives. Duritz noted that nearly everyone in the audience was over the age of 18 and that meant they were old enough to vote. “Every single one of us matters and the way you matter is you vote,” he said. “It’s the most patriotic thing you can do.”

At the end of the show, it seemed Duritz wasn’t ready to leave the stage and head for Lawrence, Kansas, the next stop on the tour. “I kinda gotta go,” he said. “I’ve got a curfew.” After a few quick photos and autographs, he and the rest of the Counting Crows hopped on their tour bus parked in front of the IMU for the late night ride south.

Wild Sweet Orange—a four member alternative rock band from Birmingham, Alabama—played a mildly entertaining 40-minute opening act. Their nine-song set was full of interestingly angsty lyrics but the crowd had clearly come to hear the Counting Crows and was ready to get on with the show.