Counting Crows Can Count Me Out
I have loved everything about the Counting Crows for almost thirty years. They were my salvation when I had to commute three hours a day for years. Seeing them live was on my bucket list, and I finally got the chance at Musikfest in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on August 8, 2022. The Counting Crows can count me out. This was the biggest concert disappointment of my life.
Anticipation
As I stated, I waited almost thirty years to see the Counting Crows in concert. And, I talked and talked about it with my family since I bought the tickets in May. I guess it’s possible that I set my expectations too high, but I don’t think so. I think I expected to hear a lot of the great older songs that I cherished. But, they went the direction of newer songs that I didn’t really know.
The Encore
I have attended A LOT of concerts in my life. Usually bands save some classic songs to end with a bang during the encore. After I clapped until my hands hurt and “wooted” until my throat hurt, they came back out. The first song was an awesome classic. Then, they brought out the opening act (who had already played for at least 45 minutes before the Crows came on stage) and his young daughters to sing one of HIS songs.
This really perturbed me for several reasons.
- I didn’t pay to watch the opening act perform in the main act encore.
- The opportunity for another classic song was taken away.
- The opening act’s young daughters had already performed in the opening act. It was cute then, but not so cute a second time.
Art Maybe?
When they did play some of the older classics, sometimes they changed the tempo and/or arrangement. That made it difficult to sing along. In fact, sometimes my son would ask me what the song was, and I couldn’t tell him. I’m all for being artistic, but after thirty years of waiting, I want to hear the songs as I know them. I’m sorry if that’s boring for the group. But, I bought the ticket to hear what I love.
The Missing
Here is a list of classic songs they didn’t play.
- Catapult
- Amy Hit the Atmosphere
- Goodnight Elisabeth
- Anna Begins
- Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby
- A Murder of One
- Accidentally In Love
The Good
It wasn’t a complete disaster. The song “Colorblind” was the best song of the night. That is what I came to hear. “A Long December” was Adam Duritz (lead singer) at his best. And, “Round Here” got the encore off to a flying start before it totally derailed. Finally, Duritz didn’t do a lot of talking between songs. That was smart.
The instrumentalists were amazing. They worked hard and they nailed it all evening. They are true musicians and they are so diverse and polished.
Conclusion
This will NEVER happen. But, if I was the band, I would offer to return to Bethlehem and do another show for free for the people that bought tickets for this show. And, I would give them the kind of show they expected. It’s the best way to remedy a mistake and keep fans aboard.
I hope they actually see this post and they make some changes as they continue their tour. The encore needs to be you and your songs only. You need to strike a better balance between your classic songs and your new material. I suggest some way to allow your fans to request a song. Maybe a phone app where they can submit one request and the results get tabulated for you to play the most popular request.
There is definitely some room for improvement.
