The Black Crowes Greet Radio City Music Hall With Past & Present Struttin’ Blues Rock (SHOW REVIEW)

This isn’t your father’s Black Crowes. If you also saw them during their initial ascent during the 90s, these aren’t the Crowes of your memory. Chris and Rich Robinson finally reunited after seven years and were ready to hit the road in 2020 when the world shut down due to COVID-19. The band was celebrating the expanded re-release of their debut, Shake Your Money Maker. When they finally toured a year later, they played the album nightly, with a few other hits sprinkled in. Isiah Mitchell played guitar opposite Rich and put out some nice slide work. Like Audley Freed and Jackie Greene, he was tasked with playing parts made famous by Marc Ford. This is a virtually impossible task, but Mitchell, the lead vocalist and guitar player in Earthless, was allowed to show his strong arsenal of licks on stage.

This year, the Brothers Robinson released Happiness Bastards, an enjoyable ten-pack of songs. Is it a Black Crowes album, though? The lead single, “Wanting and Waiting,” reminisces “Jealous Again.” That’s okay since the Crowes have always drawn from the best of classic rock. However, with this album and the hired hands accompanying them to support it, Chris and Rich seem not to be part of a larger band but more of a tribute to the music industry buzz that the Crowes once were aligned to in the 90s.

They still put on a great show. Chris’ voice sounds great and Rich played some fantastic guitar. He even appeared to be having fun on stage, no small feat. However, this is now truly their band. They have the “Black Crowes” name and seem content with living off that brand. Even the cover for the new album is Chris’ wife’s graffiti over the Southern Harmony and Musical Companion photo.

The Radio City show felt, more than ever, staged. It seems like that was intentional. Backup singers Mackenzie Adams and Lesley Grant, Cully Symington on drums, and Eric Deutsch on keyboards were all on an elevated structure like a college student’s homemade contraption to house a couch in a studio-sized dorm room. The “Happiness Bastards” banner looked like it was taken from a James Garfield campaign rally. Actually, it did slightly echo the Stones’ Rock n’ Roll Circus set, but those are the Stones. Plus, Chris performed in front of a giant mirror that could have come from a ballet studio.

After opening with “Bedside Manners” and “Rats and Clowns” from the new album, they kicked into “Twice As Hard,” much to the crowd’s delight. “Gone,” the opening track from the aforementioned Amorica, came next. In the “nugget” category, the band played “Then She Said My Name,” a deeper cut from By Your Side. “Seeing Things,” a highlight of the 2021 tour, was excellent. However, Jerry Lee Lewis’ “High School Confidential” followed. Bruce Springsteen played the song throughout the 1978 Darkness on the Edge of Town tour, but that’s allowed. This seemed like a self-indulgent exercise at the expense of a fired-up Saturday night crowd.

“Thorn in My Pride” was top-notch and even included a vocal improvisation reminiscent of the Stones’ “Midnight Rambler.” “Hard to Handle” and “She Talks to Angeles” were also played very well. Nonetheless, this music didn’t seem to come from the Black Crowes; rather, it was a production meant to evoke the memory of that band.

Nico Bereciarua played opposite Rich and seemed on a short leash. He wasn’t allowed to stretch out on his solos. Sven Pipien, an actual Crowes alumnus, played bass. Pipien also played in the Magpie Salute with Rich and Marc Ford, before Chris and he reconciled. The rest of the touring outfit came from the lineup that formed in the middle of the 2021 tour after Mitchell, bassist Tim Lefebvre, drummer Raj Ohja, and keyboardist Joel Robinow were all replaced.

It still sounded and felt good, but the distinction must be noted. “Flesh Wound” is the only song on the new album with sounds like it came from another ‘90s band or incarnation of one…maybe Get a Grip-era Aerosmith. It’s a fun song, but the drum machine-style intro does also make the listener think if they are hearing “Walking on Sunshine” from Katrina and the Waves.

The disco-infused “I Ain’t Hiding” from Before The Frost was followed by “Jealous Again” and “Remedy.” Chris introduced both songs even though he’s sung them almost every time he’s fronted a non-solo band. Did the audience not know these tunes were coming? It was another sign that this was the Robinsons playing the part of a band they were once in. Once again, that isn’t to say it wasn’t enjoyable to see and hear. But it should be called what it is. The Velvet Underground’s “White Light/White Heat” capped off a 90-minute set and fun night, as long as you accept the show for what it is…and what it isn’t.