Counting Crows at the Paramount
Story and Photos by: Sal Christ
An easily forgettable fact: we were all a lot younger when August and Everything After came out in 1993. Needless to say, it was a little surprising to see the middle-aged crowd at the Counting Crows show at the Paramount Theatre on April 19. Too many cushy velvet seats went unfilled while opening band Mean Creek played their hearts out to what seemed a tired audience. Could it be that the Paramount was perfect for those of us whose knees don’t tolerate four hours on concrete as well anymore? In fact, the buzz seemed to be in the lobby where hipster kids manned charity tables and libation specialists dispensed cocktails and the ubiquitous beer that always makes the rounds at rock shows.
No, those spiffy red seats weren’t so perfect for splitting knees—all it took was front man Adam Duritz and the rest of the band sauntering out beneath the heavy gaze of stage lights to lift every attendee onto feet that have walked as many miles as every Counting Crows song. In a Vinny’s Pizza t-shirt, Duritz careened into his ever-haunting “Round Here” and suddenly we were there, back then, back wherever it was when that first track off August and Everything After collided with our headspace for the very first time. There’s loneliness in that song that everyone relates to, a cosmic sadness burned into our memory, and Duritz singing about it singes off a little bit of its weight.
The seven-man group dug around in the garden that is the catalogue of Counting Crows ditties, while the lighting rig behind them sparkled gold and blue and red like stars in a vast sky long after dark. Every rendition of the old soundtrack was warm and familiar—recreating the fuzzy glow one gets after having one too many glasses of wine—and it was all just the band. Launching into “Long December” meant that the fans launched into widespread sway fringed with stray fist pumps, and more upbeat tracks like “Daylight Fading” and “Omaha” spurred the usual sing-a-long. Not to be forgotten was the new album Underwater Sunshine with the performance of “Untitled (Love Song)” and the catchy Kasey Anderson cover, “Like Teenage Gravity.”
A stomping affair, the encore brought Duritz and his mop of hair back for three more shout outs to the past, including “Colorblind,” which frankly, could do anyone in with its heaviness. It was only then and there that Duritz admitted that he was under the weather, hinted at a summer show at Red Rocks, and bid everyone adieu to return to our respective homes before the midnight hour came too close. As for the charity tables in the lobby, it’s just the band’s way of giving back to organizations in the cities where they play.
As attendees streamed onto the summery streets beyond the venue, it was obvious that Duritz and his friends still have that timeless magic to time travel mentally and emotionally and take their fans with them on the ride.
Category: Planet Buzz
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