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| Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
The long Covid winter has begun to thaw and with it, a return to shows at
Shoreline Amphitheater this past weekend -- the first in nearly 2 years! Dierks Bentley takes the crown for the official season kick-off, but
The Black Crowes with
Dirty Honey followed-up on Sunday night with the continuation of a 'Shake your Money Maker' 30th anniversary tour that was interrupted last year due to the pandemic.
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| Dirty Honey at Shoreline Amphitheater (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
Show openers, Dirty Honey, put on a performance that was worthy of a proper double-billing and not just an 'opening act'. The foursome from LA pulled out the hits across their two albums for a set that was nearly an hour long and their bluesy-classic rock was a perfect match with the Crowes set later in the evening. Besides the hits, each member got their time in the spotlight with dedicated solos for John Notto (guitar), Justin Smolian (bass), and Corey Coverstone (drums) that were sprinkled throughout the set. In a lighthearted break between songs, lead singer Marc LaBelle thanked the audience for showing up by saying "it's nice to see a Friday night crowd on a Sunday night!" I'd be shocked not to see these guys headlining (non-club) shows after this tour -- they're an extremely tight band with great stage presence, chemistry, and most importantly, their songs are solid. Marc's vocals had a range that reminded me of the late Andrew Wood from Mother Love Bone so any recovering grunge fans out there should definitely appreciate Dirty Honey.
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| Marc LaBelle of Dirty Honey at Shoreline Amphitheater (Photo: Kevin Keating)) |
After roughly a 30-minute break, at 9pm the lights lowered and a crowd of folks appeared at a makeshift bar onstage. A woman walked from the bar to a jukebox where she added some money to play Elmore James' "Shake Your Money Maker" and within seconds, Rich Robinson emerged from stage left and Chris Robinson revealed himself from behind an umbrella, already standing at center stage in front of the drum riser. The bar patrons turned out to be the rest of the backing band who finished their drinks and made their way to their spots on stage. The Black Crowes were back, and quickly launched into the full 'Shake Your Money Maker' album.
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| Chris & Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes at Shoreline Amphitheater (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
Avid Crowes fans will know about the bands history and challenges between brothers Chris and Rich, but the two are back together again, along with bassist, Sven Pipien, and a fantastic backing band that made their performance of their debut album sound as alive and vibrant as it was back in 1990.
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| Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes at Shoreline Amphitheater (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
In terms of attendance, 3,000 fans were spread throughout the amphitheater when Dirty Honey took the stage, but once the Crowes set began, the lower levels got a bit more crowded as fans were invited down from the lawn. Although Covid/CDC guidance seems to be changing on a daily basis, for this show, proof of vaccination was *not* required although masks were recommended for those unvaccinated. Looking around the crowd, there were maybe a third of the crowd with masks -- and that's on the high side. So here's hoping that Delta is under control here in the Bay Area and that these concerts can continue -- especially at outdoor venues like Shoreline.
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| Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes at Shoreline Amphitheater (Photo: Kevin Keating) |
And I'll close with a note about what I thought was the strangest part about the entire evening... Considering this was most likely the first show back for the vast majority of the audience, it felt like a missed opportunity for the bands to acknowledge the heavy toll Covid's taken on their crew and us, their fans, over the past 18+ months. Maybe talk of Covid and vaccines has become too polarizing to wade into that debate, but the reality is that this was a global pandemic and luckily not an extinction event. The music industry, and specifically the live-concert industry has been hugely impacted and we should all be thankful and supportive of the artists who feel confident enough to get back on the road to perform. Acknowledging the impact of the pandemic, and hopefully, the return to normal seemed like something the bands would embrace, and that's why I thought that was the most surprising element of the otherwise incredible night of music from two fantastic bands.
If you're reading this from outside the Bay Area, be sure to check out their tour dates here, and catch this show if and when they come to your hometown! You won't be disappointed!
