Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Sullivan Street, the Wellmont episode. Chris, it seems like it's been a little while. happy I'm guessing you're happy to be back on the podcast. Yeah, this is one of those moments, you know, sometimes for the listeners, you know, we have gaps in when we record, we get good things ahead. Yes. And um so we haven't talked in a while. um That's right. This isn't hasn't been a long time for you listeners like hearing us, but it's been a while since we've talked.
Speaker: um It's so so long that, like, since the last time we've talked, Eric has been around the world and has seen... We're going to talk about a Counting Crow shows that I saw today, but we're also going to talk about one you saw, which is like 18 years more recent, as in like this summer. So how was how was Germany, buddy? Yeah, so I saw them. Yeah, so I saw the Crows in July we yeah in Hamburg, Germany. We are going to talk about that first.
Speaker: ah Then we will get into the ah famous... Well, I mean... without talking too much, I would argue, and I didn't really know because I wasn't following live, but if you think of crows over the last 20
Speaker: i I would think ah maybe i guess going back further, especially because it's multi-day. i guess I got to think when we did that, you know, we talked about the Shim Sham shows and to me, Wellmont is up there. Yeah. As far as kind of special multi-day, led quote, legendary type of performances or residencies. let us Yeah. Yeah. know it's it's a unique And it's a unique one. Even in the history, i think sometimes...
Speaker: because this was recorded we'll talk about this but I think sometimes because it was recorded people think of it as something they did a lot but it is this sort of one yeah time thing that happened and is sort of lovely sort of recorded and in amber for forever but uh but ah Yeah, but let's talk about let's yeah so it. interesting yeah yeah So an interesting year. So so the 2026 Crows Tour, I don't think we really talked about it. It was obviously an abbreviated year, um which I thought was perfect. that they they you know They're not They ah did 75 shows last year in 2025, and that was the most number of shows they did since 2015.
Speaker: So um that was a big tour, and I almost thought they should really take the whole year off. oh They also released an album in 2025, right? That's when the Butter Miracle... So I almost thought they should take the year off, then they go. Instead, they basically have done some select US shows, and they did kind of ah a mini tour of of Europe.
Speaker: And I happened to have been in ah Europe for some work stuff at the time anyway, and then realized I could kind of arrange my schedule a bit and see if I'm in Hamburg. So I go, okay, I'm going to do that.
Speaker: ah the Hamburg, the show was in ah was in a... um open air park. So it was ah just this kind of sectioned off area of actually quite a major park. They said it's actually the biggest park in Hamburg, but it is outside the city.
Speaker: So it's I forget how many miles, but by taxi, maybe it was like 20 minutes or something like that or 25 minutes. So a bit outside the city, but it's their version of Central Park. Very, very beautiful. And what's interesting about that is I realized that when as we were walking there, because I wanted to get there pretty early,
Speaker: When the Crows or anybody, when when you play an outdoor stadium like that, that's kind of open... mean, it's gated off, of course, but you can hear the set list for free. I mean, the set list, the um the warmups for free. Yeah. Soundcheck. You can hear the soundcheck for free. Because i remember um I was walking. I was like, and that my daughter was a mess. I said, hey, listen, you could actually hear. I forget what they're playing. I think it was Spaceman in Tulsa.
Speaker: And then they played maybe Washington Square. I can't remember. Or are they played, I think, four songs in the set list. I missed the first one. um I was in soundcheck. ah So that was kind of cool. But I'm like, okay, they're definitely playing. We got in line. ah You know, that was great. In the the US, s people would pay significantly for that privilege to hear that. That's what I was thinking. Exactly. That was like, hey, when it's outdoors, you can hear it. to You know, you can hear it outside for free. But you're right. Even if it was something like and an amphitheater, how could you, I guess if you're in the parking lot, maybe you could hear it if they let you in the parking lot. Sort of. But I think even there, I mean, it's the distance and the way those things tend to be set up. It's not super conducive to actually hearing. Exactly. Stuff like that. Unless you're like right there. When Denko used to play baseball stadiums, sometimes you could hear it because you'd really you'd be like right behind. Okay. like Walking like behind me, like right behind the stadium, you know, you could hear it. um
Speaker: But yeah, it's. ah There's nothing like like yeah we got dropped off kind of the other side of the park because traffic, but there's nothing like taking a 15 minute walk towards the Counting Crows concert and you're hearing Counting Crows playing their sound check. It's pretty cool. It's pretty cool. So, um, yeah, the, the show was great. Uh, yeah, I, so for the, I think Chris, this is the first official time that I could say that I was front row center. Ooh. Now officially they did not have a center because, um, there is ah a grass gap between the stage and the fans, but also a, um, you know, jetties out a little bit in the center. so, so um
Speaker: So the ah the the singer can go out you know when he wants to go out for Omaha or whatever. So if dead center does not exist, I guess technically in that way. But um I think if you were to the right of that, I was the second person or something. And front row. So that was kind of cool. I've i've i've been close. was, you know, front row a couple times ah all the way on the left or right. I was in the center, but maybe third row a couple of times. So that was kind of cool. ah You weren't so close to the band, but sorry, there was an Icelandic icelandic singer. i I could look up the name later. She was actually pretty good, um but in some ways, remind me of Bjork, right? Because that that was the last famous. um and It was kind of neat about ah the only thing I'm going to say about her is that, again, a couple of songs were cool.
Speaker: It is interesting, right? Her her her native language is Icelandic. She spoke some German, but was like apologizing and mainly speaking in English. So it's so it's so interesting, right? Because i speak English, the crowd's basically all German. ah The crowd was great. they all ah They were, as the Germans maybe would expect to be. And again, we're kind of Crows fans. So we're talking about 40s, 50s, and 60-somethings.
Speaker: ah The crowd's super polite. Yeah, had a couple drinks. ah ah clapped at the appropriate time, weren't too rowdy, weren't pushy. um I guess in some ways compared to Spain, and of course, remember Spain was inside, the Spain fan of Scrat is a little more boisterous, of course, and a little more singing along and stuff like that. You know you wouldn't expect the Germans to be singing to every song.
Speaker: and but ah So that that was great. um yeah Any standouts from the set list? Any songs that really hit you at the heart of the sample? Yes and no ah the The set list has been very typical. So so maybe more than any particular year, and that the the set list was pretty common ah over this tour, even when they did the Hollywood Bowl. There there wasn't ah you know maybe too much changes. i you know I do have a couple notes here. um i i
Speaker: I mean, first of all, I think I wrote you at the time I was texting you on WhatsApp from there. I i love the new songs. They didn't play box cars, but they played the other four new songs. I love hearing them live and I'm not convinced they're going to play them again on the next tour.
Speaker: Like they might drop a couple of those. I'm not sure, but I love hearing them live and really enjoy it. I think Spaceman in Tulsa is is a fantastic opening song.
Speaker: um So, yeah, I get pumped up when I hear that. Yeah, and of course, Virginia through the rain. Virginia through rain, maybe a little better if it's indoors, right? The way it, the yeah, the way the way it conducts.
Speaker: um You know you know actually out of all of them, under, I do have a couple songs that stood out. One of them was like, I really was appreciating under the Aurora a little more than than normal.
Speaker: That I, I'm like, this is a great song. It might not be like my favorite song on Butter Miracle, but it is a great song. It still might be my favorite song on Butter Meir. I know a lot of people have said that. A lot of people have said that that they think that is such a unique, fantastic song. um Yeah, so love Blame Fancy. As far as stand-up, they play Mrs. Potter. I've been always pretty lucky with Mrs. Potters because they don't play it that often, but they play it fairly regularly, and it seems to be... I always think it's a showstopper. I love yelling talk to me, etc., etc., etc. Yeah, that's and that's one of the, I think...
Speaker: I don't know. It's always a classic. And I think it's one. That's when I feel like if they did play every night, i don't think anyone would ever get tired of it. You know? Yeah. No, I, I agree. Oh, by the way, the set list. ah So the one song that really stood out to me, I don't know why, because I was almost kind of quote, quote, complaining that I've heard it so much.
Speaker: was Miami, which is not listed on setlist FM. And I'm like, did I imagine hearing Miami? No, because I didn't imagine it because I recorded 10 seconds of Emmy and I posted it on YouTube. So it definitely happened. It's not on setlist for some reason.
Speaker: I don't, I can't even explain it. It was just, I... that was the best solo I heard in me play of Miami, the band. you know, sometimes I think it just happens kind of look of the drawl a song that they play regularly, but that particular day they were loving it. They were just on fire. They added some extra parts. I mean, the one thing I love about the crows and I wish I wrote down all the things and I love when they, cause they don't <unk> do it overly. I love when,
Speaker: the other band members, I guess it's particularly like Charlie, Dan and Emmy, um because Dave is more of, you know, the rhythm that they add like little sound effects or little things that might not be in the recorded. And they're not trying to overshadow, you know, if Emmy's doing maybe not the solo, but if Emmy's doing a main part, you might hear Dan add these little, little sounds and stuff. And I just think it it adds such a richer experience. And some of those things, maybe you're not even on the recorded version.
Speaker: ah So anyway, Miami was a standout. I love Virginia. and So the one, of course, that I haven't seen forever, but we knew was probably going to happen, was Accidentally in Love. And I loved hearing that live after all these years. And I have to admit, you have to give me credit, Chris. I kind of called that...
Speaker: Last year that that might be the other one that the girlfriend was asking about. or Now wife, sorry, Zoe. So i for some reason I had a feeling. I was like, I bet you she likes this kind of lovey-dovey. I don't know. So um yeah, so that was great. And it's a real it's a real treat. I think they're going to be playing that pretty regularly now over the next couple of years now that he quote unquote relearned it.
Speaker: Yeah, and again, it's one of those that, like, ah I think that one particularly, think lot of people, if they played that every night, there's a bunch it, there's a bunch of people who haven't seen that song in forever, and it was a very, very popular song, so um that makes sense as one to sort of leave, like, again, I kind of wish they'd sort of, like, rotate some of that stuff and just say, well, maybe we'll, you know, we'll skip Omaha tonight for a bit, but we'll throw in Accidentally in Love, or we'll skip, you know, whatever, but ah That's right. So, yeah. So that I think that was – I'm trying to think if I had other major – yeah, I won't – well, of course, he said that – yeah, I think the last time I saw it, Accidentally Love, was like 05. So it was like 20 years for me or something like that or 06 or – I think I saw it in – I'd have to check. I think I saw it in 08 at least. But –
Speaker: We'll be talking about round here alts, um I'm sure, when we talk about the Wellmont shows. He did do... This is the second time now I've seen... It's my favorite alt when he does reigning in Baltimore um for round here. I think if you're going to do an alt, that's what I like to hear.
Speaker: um it was funny, though, when he mentioned the one, because, of course, he likes playing the one in Long December. Now he's been almost doing it nonstop for three years. But it was funny that he said something, you know, like...
Speaker: He knows that American crowds know Taylor Swift and maybe a decent amount might know that song or at least, you know, would be able to look it up. Like, he's kind of like, I don't know if you know this artist or the song is in Germany. know yeah Maybe he doesn't know how popular Taylor Swift is in Germany or especially that wasn't her biggest hit or anything like that. So, right. Yeah. So anyway, that's it. I think Germans know Taylor Swift, though. I mean, they may not love they may not love her as much as David Hasselhoff, but they love her, you know. Exactly.
Speaker: So that was it. So that that would have been, yeah, I would say Amora and Mecca. I will say there was some funny banter. i wish I wrote it down. Between Jim and Adam after like three, like almost like he was trolling Adam a little bit without like, but just like tongue in cheek. And it is funny because Adam was,
Speaker: is the rain king of that band, right? And he's in charge and he makes the major decisions. And and you would think that one... yeah so it was kind of funny for them. i think it was their second last show on that tour, either last or second last, maybe second last.
Speaker: And um I did think it was funny that Jim... I forget, one of them was about like trying to get him the... Yeah, I don't know. It was just funny. So that made me laugh. And he's like, oh, Jim, maybe I should have you talk more during the show. we can have a big back and forth going on here. So, yeah. So that was great. I wouldn't mind. Let the other guys talk. Let the other guys have some comments. you know they could toss in.
Speaker: And there are a lot of them are pretty. I have to admit, I find that a lot of the Cannon Crow's band members, they have different personalities, of course. Like some are more, you know, quieter and and Jim's the most Jim and Emmy or the gregarious ones, but I find them to, to be pretty funny guys. I think they all have a pretty good sense of humor in their own way. And if you watch some of like the Matt Malley, you know, videos from, you know, they're a little smart alecky and, and, and kind of funny. And and Dave will have some big one, one liners sometimes. So anyway, let Jim talk, let Jim talk. Yeah. Hashtag let Jim talk. The only have thing I, so speaking of which, and I'll end that, that, um, Oh, Hey,
Speaker: I i've said before, i love going to the European shows. I know financially I can't usually do it. um I know that most people can't do it, but the cost seems to be a little more reasonable. And then I said the crowds are pretty good. They're not talking...
Speaker: you know, too much, all that kind of stuff. And um I love, I love general admission shows, which we're going to talk Well, not was clearly a general admission. I don't, because I'm a super fan. I guess if I was a casual fan, I wouldn't mind sitting down and relaxing, but yeah, I, I want to be standing. I want to be close. I love them. Last thing I will say about the show is I was able to speak at Jim and some of the others. I was able to chit chat with some of the band members, you know, not as much as I wanted to, but, That that that was, ah that's always a highlight and was great. I mean, he was working kind of the crowd at the end too. And as part of the, I will make the ah fans of our podcast possibly jealous that after the show, ah well, but but while they were doing their bows and and applause from the audience, Jim gives out his drumsticks as usual and gave one to my daughter.
Speaker: Very nice. Got the drumstick. And of course, somebody asked me, i don't know if it was the fan next to me that knows about that. I'm doing a podcast or somebody else. They go, are you going to are you going to take that later from her? I said, I would never do that. Are you out to your mind? Like, I don't need. um it's it's It's really cool that she got it. I will say also Dan gave his, it was a set list and something.
Speaker: else maybe was just a set list but dan went out of his way also for kind of a younger fan maybe 12 and i saw him pointing at the 12 year old a couple times because the fan was really i think dan was getting pumped up that this 12 year old fan was really into the crows yeah so i don't think you see that very often in a sea of 55 year olds so i thought uh yeah so that was kind of cool that dan vickery got pumped up by a by a 12 year old not not that was not my daughter so Anyway, so that is the, um, I guess the only other wrap up that I will do is talk about the song. As I said, the set list was pretty standard this year.
Speaker: um You know, there was I guess there was a couple of random ones. What would we say? Like Murder a One was played in Australia, we think, at some point. It was. I think ah maybe once or twice. Yeah. And I thought. was That was one I was hoping was they'd bust out more. Once they started doing it, I'm like, oh, let's let's see that one again. And it's been.
Speaker: um they i think it was just the once or twice. I guess that was the only quote-unquote surprise on there. i mean, cover up the Sun ones, they they bring that out every so often. and again So most of the others were ah pretty regular. So that's the 2026 show. And again, I know they're trying to do a balance to the to the you know the casual fans, the regular fans, but and they want to play the new songs. So maybe they think, geez, we can't do too much deep dives if we're playing four or five new songs.
Speaker: I get it So we'll see. We'll see what 2027 brings because they're basic basically done touring for this year and early next year. I think Jim said on Facebook that they're going to do a traditional summer tour this year.
Speaker: Okay. For 2027, they'll probably hit the the sheds, as you like to say, Chris. I call them now the sheds because of you. And, uh, yeah, so that would be it for that. So, um okay.
Speaker: So let's then go to the meat of this year. Speaking of special shows and indoor shows and general admission shows. um and I, Jim, and so, uh, Chris is going to do most of the talking here because Chris was at, was it all three? i was at all three nights. I remember who I was with and what I was doing with each of them. And it's, uh,
Speaker: Ah, special nights. Well, I'll just preface this before Chris goes into his memories that the Wellmont shows, I i was moving that year in 08. For some reason, i and my memory of it was that it was early 08, but I guess it was late 08. So i I thought it was before my move, but it ended up after. um The other interesting thing, they did a lot of shows that year. 78, I just said. So they did 78. And this is pretty much the ending, right, of that? This is the very end. This is the end of the year. Yep. So it was October 28, 29, 30 in Montclair, New Jersey, the Wellmont Theater. That is about 20 miles outside of New York City. So this was a New York City, North Jersey crowd.
Speaker: And Adam talks quite a bit about that. He's like, I'm so close to home. Okay, good, good. talks a bunch about that. he's He was close. The theater fits like 2,600 people of general admission.
Speaker: So just to give people some context. By the way, the sheds, what did we say like the sheds usually run now? It's like 15 to 20, usually something like that. Okay. Depending on the shed.
Speaker: Yeah. So... And they played the sheds. i mean, so this is part of, you know, 2008 was a year that they had, um you know, they'd released Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. um They had done some warm up shows, but then they had done a very extensive tour ah with Maroon 5, co-headlining with Maroon 5, where they played, you know, shows.
Speaker: plus months of shows all over the country. I saw them three times. I saw that. I saw what that was the first one I had seen in like five years, I guess. I saw one of the Maroon 5 ones. We were all we were the literally the last row of one of the sheds. so And I was pretty drunk, unfortunately. but ah but that But I remember that because I remember walking in when Maroon 5 was playing, etc. So I guess I do want to get a little more context that I just wanted to say was that I...
Speaker: i Maybe even back then I got the – I didn't know what was – the future was going to happen. I would kind of argue that for people that would listen to this podcast, this is like peak crows in a way.
Speaker: Yeah, that that that where they still had that those hardcore fans that want to go. And this was three days. And I guess they basically promised ahead of time it was going to be mostly no repeat. They did not promise anything. oh I actually went back and looked at the emails. There's no promises. OK, there's just it's three nights. And at that point, you knew that if they played multiple nights, the shows would be fairly different. Right. So, for example, um earlier in the year, they played two nights at um the the Blender Theater.
Speaker: the Grammarcy Theater in Manhattan, um two nights in a row. And over those two nights, they played like 35 songs. They repeated like five of them.
Speaker: okay So it was like, and but very different set lists, very different structures. So you knew, same thing, they played two nights at, I saw them play two nights at Jones Beach. And even though they were those were truncated sets because of the co-headline thing, I think they repeated like four songs over the two nights. So the expectation was,
Speaker: you know, you're going to get a very different set each night. That was the expectation was, hey, if they're playing three nights in a row, it's going to be very different. um But no one, I think, expected them to do full no repeats sans one song. and mean I guess it looked like officially officially there were three songs repeated, but even those were only repeated once, like only two of the three nights. Right, and one of them one of them is actually incorrect on setlist.fm because it lists Mr. Jones. But Mr. Jones is an alt in Round Here. they played Mr. Jones as an alt, not in Round Here, in Rain King. They played in in an alt in Rain King, and then they actually did Mr. Jones Night 2.
Speaker: um I guess they all... so So they played Rain King twice, but the acoustic and the electric. And they accidentally... I don't think we knew that they... were intending to do this as explicitly until on night three, Adam points out like, yeah, I was trying to do no repeats. And then someone pointed out, accidentally played long December first night. And then the second. Oh, okay. And this is kind of, again, not just to make a point, because it's new. They're basically most recent shows they played was Hollywood bowl and maybe one of the most famous places. And they kind of did the opposite. It was ah all the same set list, except for they swapped like four out kind of the, but then they played more of the same. You know what I mean? they yeah they've been yeah they've They've really stuck to a a structure the last year or two. yeah And the order, the structure shape stayed the same, but you know, in both of those Hollywood bullshits. And I guess, and then really the the audience, at least in my opinion, again, i did with the audience is different where of like, I'm sure, and I'm curious herere about the fans with you, where I think you probably saw a lot of the same people for two nights, maybe three. Oh, for sure. And LA, I know a couple people on Reddit said they went both nights. For the most part, the Hollywood bull had entirely different audiences.
Speaker: for each night. So it's a different kind of show. Yeah. Yeah. Because this was announced. i mean, this is so interestingly, so this was the reopening of the Walmont Theater, which is in Montclair, New Jersey. that It had been closed for...
Speaker: oh Well over a decade, maybe more than that. um And so this was sort of like the grand reopening. The crazy thing is that um they announced three nights.
Speaker: So these were announced about a month out. I look back. I was interested nowadays. I like go back to these emails from like 2008. And I'm like, oh, they announced these a month out. And I know I bought tickets to all of them. Very interestingly, the first night was postponed.
Speaker: It was supposed to be October 27th, 29th, and 30th. If you look at the dates now, you'll see it's the 28th, 29th, and 30th. The first night was postponed because Adam had a terrible flu. And they announced this, like, the mean I forgot this, the middle of the day. on It was a Monday, so be monday Wednesday, Thursday.
Speaker: On that Monday, they announced it because I was going back and forth. I was looking at my old emails and we were trying to figure out how we were all going to get home. That was the big thing, right? Because because the Wellmont Montclair is in Jersey. It's near a Jersey transit train, but that train stopped running pretty early. okay And um so we were trying to figure out how do we get there and how do we all get back? um And I was talking to my friend, now friend Melissa, I think that's the first time I met her.
Speaker: But she was, we were they we were trying to figure out where we were going to meet. And then she sends a message that's like, you saw, right? And i'm like, yeah, I know. we'll see I'll see you tomorrow. ah So the first night gets canceled, postponed to night two.
Speaker: um But yeah, this was, again, I think this was an interesting part of what I was really interested. Go ahead. The last thing I want to say on that is that you actually shared with me, you bought a three-day ticket for $225. Could could you also buy single-day tickets? Yes, you could buy a single day. Yeah.
Speaker: Okay. Yeah, I did. I did buy a three-day ticket. I just want to see what it's worth today, by the way. What did say? $225. Was it $225? Okay. Yeah. it said That would be about $350 today.
Speaker: Seems kind of high, but I think that's what it said on the on the ticket. No, that's right. That's right. youite to get to exact it's tune Yeah, convenience okay very and there were six dollars in handling Okay. so Very convenient. Lots of handling going on. I mean, that and this is also sometimes where I think people overstate.
Speaker: Concerts have gotten more expensive. I agree. But this is 18 years ago. And these ticket prices did not shock me at the time. That I'm going to see the Crows in a theater and it's $75 night. It'd be now. before.
Speaker: didn't blink then wouldn't blink now at seeing paying $100 to see them play a show in a theater. You know what i mean? Yeah, especially if you thought they were not going to repeat a lot of the songs. Yeah, you'd be jumping, right. Yeah. Well, and they were, again, this was, I think, a really...
Speaker: strong period for them as a band. You know, we talked in our couple of the last episodes about the um the town hall shows and how those came out of the triple the ballpark tour where they were playing a lot of different stuff and they were sort of reopening the catalog. And that really kind of continued. I mean, obviously in 2008, they were integrating all of the Saturday nights and Sunday morning songs. That was just released about like...
Speaker: and mar Nine months prior. Yeah, exactly. So that's what saying, like Pete Crowes. Because i as I said on that show, I think all... I'm maybe one of the few people. I think all of the first five albums, I guess, are equally good in different ways. So to me, and to play the variety that they did from each of those five albums, like you you're really getting a sense and then to have it three days in a row. It it was like everything that...
Speaker: the hardcore fans loved about the crows. Yeah. And one of the things I was looking at other than one very famous bust out, in this on this show. yeah um Everything else was, they'd played at least a few times earlier in the year. Like, nothing was like, oh, they haven't, like, all of this stuff was in, when when we talk about this, all of this stuff was in the rotation.
Speaker: And the songs were evolving. Like, I remember I was very excited to see them play at this point because I had last seen them very early in the tour with Maroon 5. It was like the first ah five, six shows, basically, they were in the Northeast. And so I'd seen the two Jones Beach and then there's one at PNC ah in home in Jersey. And after that,
Speaker: they'd kept going obviously for like two more months. And a lot of the songs were evolving. I mean, we talked, we did that episode about Miami and we talked about those acoustic versions. That was not happening when I started seeing them um on that tour. And then ah the rain King was totally different than was like be at the beginning of the tour. So I was very excited about that.
Speaker: um And so at all of this stuff, like it was a very, exciting time to be a crows fan i think as ah as a live act and this so it was building up to like this is like the the capper to as i'm saying it is like the pinnacle in a way and things kind of change and again one of the i guess one of the caveats is i know things change and they're getting lots of money now on their shit i mean yeah he said that right he said they're having a resurgence with these sheds at least for now um I look just to put things in perspective, he was 44 years old then.
Speaker: So I'm saying to to to to the way he was singing then, because he could hit all the high notes still, he he playing. What is it? You know, 50 different songs in three nights and do all this energy. And they already played 78 or 75 shows prior. So, ah lot you know, some of that with the flu. Yeah. Again, he's got the flu and he's talking about it during these shows like he still has the flu doing these shows. He's not.
Speaker: well, ah he's he's still sick and and he's still going at it. um Yeah, so and and and ti buy to bury the because I think we've said this, but like but for anyone who's not familiar with these, so okay, so it's it's October of 2008.
Speaker: New Jersey, the Crows play three nights in a row and they do not, other than one, they do not repeat a song. They play 50 songs over the course of three nights, which is, they haven't done that before. They haven't done that since. As I say in the beginning, I think sometimes people think of this as something they did like all the time. And it's really not, they look, they used to be more, they used to change things more on a two night run.
Speaker: But yeah, this is an exceptional three nights of like, oh my God, they're just emptying the tank completely. And to your point, they've got basically all of the albums in their catalog. I did the math on it ah while I was the other day. um They played um be everything from August and everything after.
Speaker: If you count Raining in Baltimore, which is an alt to Rain King, one of the nights. um They played nine songs from Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. They played seven songs from Hard Candy, if you include Bill Gale of Taxi. They played 10 songs from Recovering the Satellites, plus Miller's Angels is an alt to perfect the buildings.
Speaker: um Only six from This Desert Life, so that that did need to get sort of resurrected a little bit a few years later. um And they end up playing a couple of songs from what ends up going on Underwater Sunshine and a couple of other covers as well.
Speaker: um But that's the variety that's really yeah they're not covering the whole catalog kind of very completely, um although interestingly different each night. Like there's um the first night is very balanced and then the second night is very heavy into recovering the satellites. And then the third night ends up being a lot of August and Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. Actually, the both of those two, those the first and the third night, a lot of August and Saturday, Sunday mornings, interestingly.
Speaker: did you Would you say that this was um your favorite counting crows concert experience? if we're counting the three shows as one thing. Yeah. Okay. You know, that's the thing. It's like the town hall is very much up there.
Speaker: all right. You there for that was incredible. That was incredible as, it as one show. Yeah. It's hard to top that. It's also like one of the longest shows they've ever played. So in that regard, it's a little unfair with town hall. Cause you're like, yes, indeed. I did like when they played for two and a half hours. I loved that.
Speaker: yeah, I think, and there's some other really great shows that I've seen, um but I think this is like, it's hard to top the three nights in a row and the sort of them kind of keeping going higher and higher. That's part of it too, um is that, and maybe we could start taking a look at like the set list a little bit, right? But, you know, night one is kind of a lot of what they'd like been playing that year. It's a little bit more of like,
Speaker: ah caught not quite a standard set list. And this is actually my favorite thing. One of my favorite things about this is that they open with long December. I was just about to say that. Yeah. I wrote, I wrote the notes. I go opening their three day quote unquote residency as an opening song, long December. Boy, is that a ballsy move? That's what I wrote. Yeah. Cause it's, there's something about like, there's ah a freshness to a song, just hearing it like that and going like, Oh, long December, we're going to get going with this. And like,
Speaker: let the rest of the night go from there. Because we're so used to long December being the end or close to the end or, and a couple of, and the second of a two piano songs, right. Cause he would do maybe good night LA and then long December. And I think there was some other times that he would use another piano. And I know the one of course, but yeah, yeah, I agree.
Speaker: Yeah. Um, I think Cowboys, which is, you know, but pretty common that year. Great, great song. Oh, but horrible but that also is like a hard hitting song too. Right after long December, it's like, pal, here's a punch of the face after that, uh, nostalgia.
Speaker: Yeah, and then they go right down energy-wise into Colorblind. Actually, it's interesting. I watched the... um ah They posted a bunch of these videos online. They were on YouTube for a long time. Many of them are not there anymore for some reason, and I went in my archives and I found some of them. And at the beginning of Colorblind, Adam is laying on his back two songs in from finishing Cowboys. um But i was excited to hear color I was excited to hear Colorblind at this point. I'd heard it earlier in the year, but it wasn't one they'd been playing...
Speaker: They hadn't, it hadn't been like a super rarity. It hadn't been long. um But it had been, they'd only played it a little bit, you know, and so this was sort of an an an uncommon thing. And then interestingly, they go into a stretch kind of, of these, the very like beautiful, pretty songs. Again, probably because Adam is trying to hold his voice a little bit because he's got you know, he's got the flu, but they do, uh, Anna begins really like the phrasing on this one.
Speaker: Um, Le Ballet door for white stallions. Um, you must've been pumped up to hear Le Ballet door, Le Ballet door. I like, like, but again, I'd heard that one at that point, the Saturday nights and Sunday morning stuff. I'd, we'd been, they'd been playing that a lot. that Right. So like, I'd heard that I'd like that song. though that's It's great. Again, I think it's a great run of songs. Right. Um,
Speaker: There's a break. Great line from Adam here. I have i have a Jesus complex because we're both Jewish. but That's funny. um Omaha, Richard Manuel, you know, stuff that again this was common then, kind of commoner now. And then Rain King. this is i I really love this version of Rain King that they were doing. um It kind of got better the next year when they um they had all of the Augustana guys helping them out with this. yeah But it's Rain King into Mr. Jones.
Speaker: into with a little help from my friend by friends by the Beatles. um And in particular, there's a really great bit in the back half of the court. So, you know, they go they go back to Rain King all the time. Right. As is pretty common. Yeah. You know, you have it the alt. But then when in these versions at the end of the first chorus after the but the this, they go into, they instead of finishing that chorus, they go into, i get by with a little help from my friends, and he goes, and that builds up, and then it's the last chorus of Reign King.
Speaker: it's I love that, because it's like, first of all, it extends Reign King, and I can exist in Reign King for 15, 20, 25 minutes, as long as you need me to. But like I just think it's just such a beautiful bit that they... du I just really like that you know thing they do there.
Speaker: Yep. Okay. I remember... This is what I was talking about. I was very excited for them to do this because they had not been doing this when I was seeing them in the summer.
Speaker: And I was very... So I was listening to like all the shows that summer because they were releasing them. This is one of the years. They're all on Nugs because they were releasing all of them that summer. And I remember being in Italy.
Speaker: My sister was studying abroad in Italy. So I went over with her and I was in Rome in um the board the Villa Borghese, the beautiful... Speaking of... You're speaking of beautiful um gardens and parks in in Europe. I was also a long time ago in a beautiful park in Italy. um But listening with headphones to them doing...
Speaker: the rain king with Mr. Jones in it and being like, that's amazing. I'd like, I have this distinct visceral feeling of like sitting under a tree with like my music player at the time, which was not an iPod because it could play flax. I forget. It was like I cow on I audio.
Speaker: um It was a weird the weirdest little thing, but it played Flax and not a lot of things did that at the time. So I was very excited about that. And um listening to that and being like, oh man, that's so good. And then so when they did it here, I was like, I was already pretty pumped. I'm like, yeah, thank, yeah, of course. i got to see this. Little did I know what else I was in for the rest of the weekend, rest of the week, but...
Speaker: um i was pretty I was pretty pumped for this. I think we'll eventually, we should eventually talk about one of like the traveling circus shows. This version is good. The traveling circus versions, I said, with Augustana are spectacular because they've got like 10 people doing harmonies and stuff. It's yeah really big and awesome. Awesome.
Speaker: ah mara Yeah. And he dedicates this to them. you know um He dedicates this one to Augustana because they had already started doing this with them at the very end of the tour when they were the opener for part of it. um Washington Square, Miami, which again, I was also stoked for because again, this is where they were doing the... um the version with all of the extra stuff and the longer story. Yeah. And I hadn't seen them do that. And I was very excited about that. I think I told the story on our Miami episode, but this was sort of a precursor to a change in relationship for me. And I was probably like a month from it at this point when this song was happening. Um,
Speaker: I like, though, he's like, this is a song about damage. All mine. It's... Adam's really feeling... Again, he's sick. He's, you know, he's... Have you seen me lately? And then a killer murder...
Speaker: with Doris Day and it's, it's a really, really good version of murder of one. As we say, really really we we all miss murder one. I know it's probably not an easy song to sing.
Speaker: Um, it needs a lot of energy, but, uh, you know, back then, yeah you could just hear the crowd. It was great. Oh, by the way, Have You See Me Lately was electric. um i mean, when was the last time they played Have You See Me Lately electric? I don't know. Again, I know it's not an easy, it it takes a lot of calories. Well, although the flip side would be if you got to go acoustic for the vocals, that's a beautiful, just like Angels in the Silences, that's a beautiful acoustic song too. I'm just saying I love Have You See Me Lately electric. It's one of my favorite songs from them and I'd love to hear it live.
Speaker: But yeah I understand. I understand ah the maybe the average fan next to me would rather hear Big Yellow Taxi. But yeah. it depend Yeah. Have You See Me Lately is it's a great song. So good. Very, very good. And then the the encore is Caravan.
Speaker: um I do want to sit yeah i want to say that that one is official. I know other stuff on YouTube, but I did want to say I saw Caravan on Ehud's channel. He has that one. And on his other channel that's by his production company, they have the Omaha version from this night.
Speaker: Yeah. So ah you can get the vibe of the room and what Adam, know what the band was looking like in 2008. Everyone doesn't look wildly different, but it does very look specifically mid 2000s, the way everyone is dressed.
Speaker: And Miller's hairstyle. Miller's hairstyle is very 2008. I think Dan has, has well not i'm not saying more, I'm sorry, not Dan, Dave. I think not just more hair, but it looks like almost like curly when it wasn't really before. Longer. Yeah, longer, exactly. And then I think he has some natural curls that don't always come out when he had short. But um yeah, no, that's always, yeah, no, it's always interesting to see the, yeah, you know, us aging. i so This might be the first time we talked about Caravan. Also, again, better the next year when they've got Augustana.
Speaker: I will say, if you're looking, if any if any of you guys or gals out there listening to us pregnant right now or or have someone pregnant or you you're expecting a child, I think Emma Rose, great name.
Speaker: Great name. I think that's a good... i think you could consider that's to consider that one. Didn't go with it for either kid, but Emma Rose, I think. Emma Rose, she's up playing with her radio. That's the other thing, is that it's a non... It's a name from a song that doesn't have any connotations about like love or like weird relationship stuff. It's just...
Speaker: about a girl who's up playing with a radio. So i'm just saying, I'm just just a bit of piece of free advice. Eric and I are both parents. We don't get this is not a parenting podcast, but that's just my free piece. Yeah, I'm a rose. That's a good one. Yeah. It also sounds like um I don't know. To me, it sounds like it would be the ah the the lead survival girl of a horror movie or something. Emma Rose beats the bad guy and wins in the end. So and also a pretty name as well. So um Okay.
Speaker: Caravan Mercy. that The encore is Caravan Mercy. Come around and holiday in Spain. Oh, it's interesting that they played both tend to mercy songs on the same night. Right. So a little tribute to Dan and his band. And and I think that goes to them like in the softer stuff of like trying to protect the voice a little bit. um i Interesting. caught I don't think they must have done this at some point, but like um Adam was doing in the end of holiday in Spain, pray she won't fly away to someone new.
Speaker: Oh, which I thought was interesting. yeah so He also did the thing that I always like when they're in New York, which is that like, you know, catch a plane to Barcelona because the city is a drag. Right. Not this city. And i'm like, yeah.
Speaker: All right. Well, New York. I mean, I know they ended with Holiday in Spain in this one. They didn't the next two because the non-repeats, of course, um you know, they turned that into their almost always ending song. I love it as an ending song, which others I love come around as a closer.
Speaker: I'd love to hear that more. And there's other songs I'd like to hear as their close or closer closer. um But yeah, anyway, I just love Come Around. It's ah it's such an awesome song. Yeah, well, and that's one of the things that I really like sort of liked about these shows, listening to them.
Speaker: One of the things that really caught me was just the idea of like different openers and the different energies they can bring. Because Night 2, they start with When I Dream of Michelangelo. And I love that move of coming out with the most quiet possible song. Jim is playing a book.
Speaker: Yeah. You know, into hard candy. You know what i mean? Like to go as quiet as you can and then go up. Like i I think I've said this before, but I feel like the tall grass would be perfect for this. Like, don't play the rest of the suite, but just use the tall grass as an opener, very quiet and dramatic into something, whatever else, you know, and just let that go somewhere. i'd love that move that they used to do a bit more. Yeah, like the ones that they have here, Hard Candy or Mrs. Potters. And I do understand that they do like playing Mrs. Potters in the number two slot a lot. So I agree with what you're saying. Like, right, to go from the tall grass to Mrs. Potters ah might be a nice idea. Right? Not that, again... Not that I'm a professional set list writer or anything. Just take it for what you take as a thought. But yeah, um b so night two, right? um This was a night. So the first night I went by myself, met up met a bunch of people there and knew that I was going to meet people at the show because we were all going to get back together.
Speaker: um The second night um I went with my friend Kate. Um, who's, and this was a time period you mentioned taking people to like shows sometimes, Eric, this was a time period where I feel like all of my friends were like, I'd be like, oh i'm going to go to a counting crow show. And then a different person every time was like, I'll go with you. Okay. Um, and so I, I took a lot of different people to counting crow shows in 2007, 2008. Hmm.
Speaker: I think this is the only show my friend Kate went to with me. um And so this is this becomes important to the story in a minute. So um they play Michelangelo, Hard Candy, Mrs. Potter's Ghost Train.
Speaker: And then they go into a run of Recovering the Satellites, which, first of all, is an incredible run. um But the first thing that happens here is the fifth song. I think we've talked about this before, but this was a They played Mercury, which was one of my White Whale songs. right So I was very, very excited that they were playing this. um really I really love the love and addiction thing. I think it's ah it's one of my favorite alts.
Speaker: This time, and I'd never seen them play this before. So i'm I'm turning to my friend and I'm like, this is going to be amazing. This is going to be great. And Adam goes on what's like a two and a half minute run of repeating the line, stick a needle in your arm and it feels like love.
Speaker: Okay. And my friend just turned to me and she's like, what is this? A, is this a song? And this is your one of your favorite songs? now'm like, it's not this usually. i um i i This is not my favorite Mercury alt. um It's kind of an interesting thing, but it's... it's a You know, it was a moment. But I got to see them play Mercury, so I was pretty stoked about that regardless. So that was a big white whale thing for me. But then they go into this run.
Speaker: Mercury, Children in Bloom, Recovering the Satellites, Catapult, Goodnight Elizabeth, Daylight Fading. In a row. Yeah, if you like ah Recovering the Satellites, this is your set list. This is the night. If you like if you like hearing the guitarists, go the fuck off.
Speaker: This is because they get Children in Bloom, right? yeah yeah And they got Ghost Train 2 right before that, which is one of the big guitar songs. that's I love Ghost Train so much. yeah When I was listening to that, that was my favorite of this day just because it is really turning into one of my favorite songs from them. Especially the live version. It's one of the few Cat and Grow songs that I absolutely love the live version so much more than the and the album. I like the album version, but yeah.
Speaker: Yeah. um I think this is a really good version of recovering the satellites too. I think Adam's vocal take on this is really good. um There's just different. way Again, this is one those like, there's like, there's just differences in the way he's singing this, like the way, the way he repeats you and me, you and me, you and you, like, there's something about the way he hits that in this version that's, I think, really great. Yeah.
Speaker: Mr. Jones after that. And one thing there, um, I have to note is that there was a guy next to me at this show and I can still see this man's face and they go into all these recovering the satellite songs.
Speaker: And I later at the end of the show, he wasn't talking during the show to be clear, up but to this, no disrespect to this man whose name I don't know and who I can only remember as a guy who was a little bit shorter and with glasses. Um, but, So he was talking after the show and he was like, yeah, when he's when Adam says at at the end of the show, yeah, I kind of got stuck on a record tonight and someone goes, oh, we're covering the satellites. This is the most 2008 thing. He's like, oh, I've been getting into them and that's the one record I don't have.
Speaker: That's funny. But you know, because to think about it, like at the time, like Spotify was not a thing. So you went and you bought the records, right? And you bought them in whatever order. Yeah, maybe he just bought the most recent and then he bought the original. hadn't bought that one and yeah hadn't done the dive. And here they are playing nine songs. But I do remember how excited this man was when they played Mr. Jones. Because he was like, he like threw his fist in the air.
Speaker: Like, yeah. knew that I know this song. I know this one. Yeah. Yes. Yes. um But he was, and it was great. And it was as a good version of Mr. Jones. um and And then Adam says, good evening.
Speaker: i got kind of obsessed on one record tonight. and And that's yeah fine by me. Fine by fine by me. And then he goes back to it. Right. They go to do long December ah hanging around. And then the encore is electric angels. I was going to ask, is it like that's one I didn't listen to. Oh, it's electric. It's full. And he actually says right before it, he's like, we were going to play something quiet, but fuck that.
Speaker: And then they launch into angels. um And then they close with walkaways, which is another great closer that they haven't done in forever. um And I think it's just ah it's a great close. And again, it perfectly closes out a night where they played nine songs from recovering the satellites. That's awesome. that's a and that's an And the interesting thing is at the end of that show, Adam's like, I think tomorrow's going to be acoustic because I got nothing left in my voice. It's not true.
Speaker: No, they play some of their hardest. they play so they They play like five super hard songs in the next night, in the last night. Yeah, yeah. um But yeah, that's a great... that, to me, is... That's one... in terms of, like, specific nights. I very much remember that whole evening. Because, like...
Speaker: you realizing midway through, like, oh my God, we are deep into this record and we're just all of this. She's just hitting it really hard. Like, it's a really impressive vocal performance. Because at that time, I would think, like, Children in Bloom would be ah kind of a rarity, I would think. Because they have five albums and if they're going to play Recovering, you know, they play the new stuff and they play Recovering, they'll play some of the Goodnight Elizabeth and Catapult.
Speaker: um Yeah. All of these songs, if you look at them, they were... None of them were like the first time this year, but they'd all been played like three or four times that year, so like that. So in other words, they were playing them, but they were not, unless you were following them around, you probably had not seen them do all these songs.
Speaker: Okay. And so it was a pretty, I think that's ah a pretty great night to go back and listen to if you're, um, if you haven't If you're picking one night of these, I think that's one of the ones. Although this next like december night, the third night pretty. The third night for me, is it's it's a total no-brainer. Because it happens to have a lot of songs that I love that are deep. But not ultra deep, but deep cuts that they don't really play much anymore. And I haven't really seen live. um Or I saw once... um
Speaker: Like, you know, I'll just pick on hang hanging trees. One my favorite songs. I saw it once. I was drunk all the way. Yeah. That one that I was just talking about all all the way in the back. I couldn't enjoy it. But um yeah, well, they also started with a slow song. So all all three nights, they started with a slow. Yeah.
Speaker: So um um you could talk about the um the actual experience. But to me, like having the same night of up all night, I think you know one of their best. All My Friends, which is probably my white whale. Although I just saw, I thought I'd seen a ghost train I've never seen. But I would call my friends more of my white whale. So they had that. The other thing I love about All My Friends there is that um I love, and he didn't do this much because they think they took the song away. They haven't done the song. I love updating years in songs.
Speaker: Ah, yes. Because to your point, Adam's 44 at this point, and he says, now I'm 43 and it isn't me. Yeah. um And I just, I love that, like the feeling of just sort of like yeah these songs are evolving with people's lives, and he's still 43, it's still not him.
Speaker: i guess maybe that was true at 53. Yeah. Maybe he'll bring it back next year. maybe i think next Well, this year he's 63. yeah right So maybe next year, yeah maybe he'll bring it back. He'll sing at 63 and it isn't him. I don't know. Even Up All Night as a number two spot is like pretty pretty gutsy, right? like yeah that They had just brought that song back.
Speaker: That's another one they had not been playing until very recently but before Yeah, I saw that on that scene on the on the Maroon 5 tour again. it was all the way in that and hanging tree, which I wish I remembered more about it. um But that yeah, you can talk about about some of the other one. But the other hard one, they play 1492. That's hard. They play Insignificant.
Speaker: um but they But they balance it with like Time and Time Again and Sullivan Street and Friend of the Devil. And so there was definitely some some you know high and low. And in St. Robinson's, of course, is a classic. And that one, he could still hit the ultra high notes at the end. High Life. So High Life, which I really want to see. I haven't seen that live in... i have it here. i I only saw it once live. Or no, I saw it twice. But the last one was 12 years ago. so Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: We've got Sometimes It Snows in April and Perfect Blue Buildings, which I always love. Oh, Perfect Blue Buildings. yeah Yeah, look at that. 1492 in the Perfect Blue Buildings. Like possibly their hardest song and the possibly their softest song, right? Yeah. like why would that To your point, i was saying recommending Night 2, but Night 3 for me, I'm with you because this also has, for me, it has a lot of the big...
Speaker: my favorite things from, from, um, August, right. Where they do different and go different places, right. You've got perfectly buildings. Um, you've got a big round here where they do, um, uh, they open with Mary queen of Arkansas, the Springsteen song. They started doing coolest kittens. That was pretty new at that point. Um,
Speaker: life is lived on the tip of your tongue. There's, there's a whole rip in the middle. It's the sort of like, did you think that you were dreaming and stuff? but then there's a rip in the middle. Life is lived on the tip of your tongue.
Speaker: That's a good one. And then into, have you seen me lately? Which I guess that you have, you that's another one that gets repeated. They do have you see me lately in the middle of round here. Okay. It's a really good, that's a great round here. It's a great round here.
Speaker: Um, And this is, yeah, this is where he says, good evening. i fucked up last night. I didn't want to repeat any songs all weekend. Oh, I know this is a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, but this is what passes as a weekend for us. Yeah. Um,
Speaker: um So friend of the devil. I did. By the way, I wanted to say, and I did not listen. i did not get a chance to listen. you know, I didn't have four hours blocked or five to listen to these of back to back.
Speaker: But, um you know, I love hanging tree. That was, you know, I listened to a lot of them but when they started the rip, I guess riff or whatever, the start of hanging tree, I heard loud cheers in the audience. Like, yeah, I mean, i can't, that would be my dream. i I don't even think some of the hardcore fans would appreciate Hanging Tree. And I mean, it's such a great song. And for, and I know they had played it a couple times live. I think even the the one that they did at the park,
Speaker: in New York City, in Central Park or something. Yeah. yeah They had played it a couple times. It was a single. That was because, yeah, they played when they played Good Morning America and the park. That's what i was thinking of. Good Morning America, they actually played Hanging Tree. So I know some people knew it, but it was not a well-known song. And to hear, like, the crowd, I just love that. Also, for Adam's sake, I love it. Like, you're playing a kind of new song. It's not, you know, the main single, Hanging Tree, and everybody's like, yeah, let's go. and they And they rocked it, and it's a rocking song.
Speaker: Yeah. No, it's a... Yeah, that's they they really were. And I was i will say that if this was the night I was closest to the stage. I was definitely like, if I wasn't front row, I was like very close to the front.
Speaker: um Friend of the Devil, time and time again, insignificant. Sullivan Street. So Sullivan Street has an alt that I was frantically trying to Google when I heard it again. It's like Sunday sunshine...
Speaker: monday she Sunday Sunshine Daydream. Monday She Goes Screaming Out the Door. It's this whole thing, riff. It sounds like Friday I'm in Love, but it's not Friday I'm in Love.
Speaker: And it's so... specific that it feels like a song, but if it's a song, I cannot find it The internet has no record of this. Okay. um The only thing I could think of is that around this time is when Adam was doing um in good night, Elizabeth, he was doing a song, a thing called black sun, which was apparently from the musical he was working on.
Speaker: And so it did strike me like maybe this is a song from a music from the musical that never got released that they didn't do a lot in Sullivan Street because it sounds so composed. Like you, are I think i had you hear it, like it's right, Eric. It sounds like he is not making this up. If he is making this up, this is the most incredible shit in the world.
Speaker: Right. Like if he if he pulled all of that off the top of his head. sweet lord yeah but um no i agree with your hypothesis but highly recommend that sullivan street if you haven't heard it that's a really for anyone who's listening like it's a really interesting and unique sullivan street it's beautiful it's um i know it's the namesake of this podcast but like seriously it's this is one of one of the best versions of that song um ah You Can't Count on Me. Which, i got again, I'm happy to see that. I don't think I've ever seen that. No, it's not even a question. I've hardly seen, because I hardly saw any of the Saturday Night, Sunday mornings. I only saw, ah and the only ones they play regularly from that album, unfortunately, are Washington Square and Michelangelo, the two the two slow songs. Yeah. um But what you can't count on me.
Speaker: I'd love to hear that live. I'm not saying it's my favorite song, but I like it. He does a very nice job ah with it. You in that and it's part of the encore there. Right. And that was the official real single. Right. Had a video and everything. Right. um I'm just looking. Well, no, that's not the encore. I think it's written weirdly in the on setless side of them. That's not the encore. So the you can't count on me. Big yellow taxi. that The first set closes with Rain King.
Speaker: um acoustic with raining in Baltimore um and I love this arrangement this is the acoustic rain king but they also do the help from my friends thing on the outro here I think this is really good rain king too okay um I actually had a guest when he says earlier in the show he's like we're gonna do one thing that we did before acoustic and I'm like might be rain king um it was rain king and I was happy yeah that was pretty like I could again They could repeat no songs except if they played Rain King every night and I'd go, you'd be fine that's fine. I'm good. um
Speaker: So then the encores. This is the most, this is the bust out, right? so the But the crazy thing, the crazy thing. so and And my friend Sandy, who I met, I went back in my emails. This is the first time we met because we were both trying to figure out how the hell we were going get home to New York from these shows. And so we were standing next to each other this night.
Speaker: And so I have a witness. I have a witness that this is a real thing that happened. She was like, we were talking about how Mercury, ah Mercury was my white whale and I got to see it. And she was like, what do else? do was like, well, you know, i would really love to see them play Ghost in You. They haven't played this in 15 years. There's no way. But, you know, hey, if a guy can dream,
Speaker: You know, they' they're not repeating, clearly not repeating things on this run. I mean, clearly he doesn't like, play you know, he's not playing stuff from the demo tape. He's not playing like he's not. He's like, I'm not playing this early stuff.
Speaker: He's not playing Einstein. yeah Even I put it in the same you know genre as that in a way. Right. That it was not. It was on. ah It was kind of popular because because it was on a quote unquote real album. But it's not something you're going to see. So forget about it.
Speaker: There's an error on setlist.fm. There's like a 2003 listing for that song. That's not true. Yeah. um There's a 1995 private show. like that We don't have a a tape up, so I don't know if that's true or not. But 94, they definitely had... It had been at least 13 or 14 years since they played that song. But it just... Something about that song popped in my head.
Speaker: And Adam... So Encore, it's the day before Halloween. Adam and... Dave Bryson walk out in in costume. Adam is the bunny and Dave is dressed as Scooby-Doo.
Speaker: And Adam says, and I quote, Dave and I started this band together a long time ago, so we thought we would end it. As if this was going to end the band. yeah um we you say that again Say that again about the... Dave and I started this band together a long time ago, so we thought we would end it.
Speaker: Oh, like joking, like this is the last song they're ever going to play? get it. Yeah, yeah. Destroy the band. Right. um We used to play this all the time in the clubs. We haven't played it in a long time.
Speaker: And then they launched into the Ghost in You. And Sandy's like, the the look on your face when this happened, like my fate just dropped out. Because they were just like, I yeah can't believe... Like we do have video recording of this right now. I literally...
Speaker: full just lost like and i it's and it's a great version of it Adam sings the shit out of it um it's fantastic if you've never heard the song it's so good it's a psychedelic furs cover but the the psychedelic furs of course do it in this like 80s new wavy kind of thing that's what the song is it's great the original version is great too go listen to that as well yeah but um Adam and Dave, just the two of them doing the song is so good. And then, um, the topper on this is that, um, so my friends, I forget what we did. Maybe we figured out a cab or something. I don't know. It was a crazy night, but so I was waiting for my friend Sandy and she'd gone to the bathroom.
Speaker: Um, and so people were clearing out, you know, there was a long line for the women's room, you know, end of a concert. And, um, I happen to just sort of step into back into the venue. The venue is like a theater. you know If you've ever seen if you' ever been to like a nice old theater, it's going to imagine that as the Wellmont with no seats on the floor.
Speaker: Your brain will be fine. You'll you'll you'll be pretty close. and um But there's a bar in the back, as there usually are in these theaters, right? And I walk in, and I turn, and there's Dave Bryson.
Speaker: And I was like, well, that's interesting that the day you see him is also the day that he did the special song. yeah And I was like, that was amazing. And he's like, oh, the costumes. And I'm like, no, the song.
Speaker: they Thank you. He's like, i was like, thank you. And I just walked away because I was so stunned. And I just I just want was like, I just was basically just like, thank you. And I couldn't really get other. I was just like, that was amazing.
Speaker: And then I think I was kind of getting, ah you know, i I probably shouldn't have been there at that point. It's okay. But like, Well, that's funny. You had the exact same because I told you at the Germany show, I got a chance to briefly say hi to Bryson for the first time in 23 years. And it was also I almost kind of just said, like, thank you, too. And it was a very 15 second. And then he was kind of getting whisked away by it was weird because other people didn't have security, but he kind of did for some reason.
Speaker: um Or it might have been a roadie. Or you know what I mean? Not really security, but it was someone who was kind of like just moving him through and he was moving through. So, yeah, no, it's It's worth protecting Dave Bryson. Yeah, exactly. So that they kind of reminded me of that. It's amazing. It's one of those moments. You can find that the original video, like the ProShot video used to be on YouTube. It's not there anymore, but you sent me one, Eric. there You can still ah go see this.
Speaker: it's for And also, they're singing this beautifully emotional song while Adam is in the bunny suit and Dave is Scooby-Doo. It's hilarious. It's yeah also hilarious.
Speaker: It's amazing and heartfelt and hilarious. It's probably, that's maybe my favorite. That's maybe one of my, that's one of my favorite moments as a fan of the band is that moment of just like, I can't believe this is happening. And it's great. And there, for some reason, they're in costume.
Speaker: And nothing like that happened since. And they only played costume for that one song, right? Yeah, just that. They, yeah like the must By the way, how did they have time to change the – because that wasn't the only thing in the – No, that's the only thing in the encore. That's the – Reign King actually – it's written weird. It's just like Tuesday. It's not right. i say That's the only thing in the encore. So they went they went back. They changed. Yeah, even when you said weird, I thought maybe Reign King and Ghost and You were the encore. I was like, when did they have time to change outfits? But the answer is when you guys were clapping.
Speaker: Yes. You had to clap for a while just to keep it going, just for them to hop that on. Well, I just want to reiterate the same thing. i i yeah As I said, I found – if you just a Google Ghost in You Live Counting Crows, I think it's the only one that comes up, or at least you'll see it um you know if you look Wilmot. No, – no i I just invite everyone to spend five minutes and watch it because they haven't played it since. Right. I'm sure they played it like once or twice the year after. And that's it.
Speaker: Okay. and So i yeah, I think it's a great cover by them. I get nostalgia just from listening because it's very of that nineties era. Also, um it's from the clueless soundtrack. Exactly. So something about that. And then there's something just to the, his, you know, Adam's performance is great.
Speaker: And then what I swear, so not and i always love that song. I remember it came out, I'm pretty sure when I was in college, the um or around that time. But if you watch the video, and just to see him and Bryson, and it's back to like where it all began, and it almost made me cry. Not that you know I know it's more of the Adam and Emmy now. It's fine. It's great. But because...
Speaker: And if you look at Bryson and at Bryson at the end, I swear, Chris, he he kind of gives like Adam a fist pump. But if you really look at it, he almost like is sad and um happy. like You almost think that Bryson is going to cry a tear of joy because he's going back to that time. And you don't there's never any time anymore where it's just Adam and Bryson on stage. And that is where The Counting Crows, one of the most famous bands of the 90s, all began.
Speaker: Yeah. And so I just think it's one of the most special performances for fans like us. And um i yeah I got a little emotional watching it. So for you to be able to see that live is just ah fantastic.
Speaker: It was such a... ah What a cap. It was just... i i don't i don't I know it took us a long time to get home. I don't think I went to bed for a long time after that. I had to work the next day and it did not matter. um I was just so...
Speaker: ah ah cloud Oh, to be 25 and to be working all week and just be like, whatever. Yeah, have that adrenaline. I know. I know. That's fantastic. So, yeah, i mean, it's almost. um But yeah, that's that's great that you um that we had someone who was at when we had the guest for the Shim Sham. He went to I forget if it was every year or it was it four or the five, I think. Four to five or something. And then you went to all three nights of Walmart. So I'm so glad because I said, I wish I had either time or I mean, I wasn't in New York at that time anyway. But in general, there was a couple of those years I either didn't have time, money or location to see them.
Speaker: um Always was something was a problem. So I'm glad you got to see them. at the But I do remember reading about it online. I don't know if there was a Crow's message board. at There were there were.
Speaker: I forget what the message board was at the time, but there was definitely, yeah. And that's where I saw people talking about it and they were talking and they were, cause I wasn't really a real set list like follower back then, but I remember someone on the message board was like, this was awesome. They didn't repeat, like you'll check out these set lists. And I was like, oh man, they're lucky. I said, I bet you some people went to all three shows. And the answer is one of those was Chris Miggs who I am hosting a podcast with two decades later. So it's hard to believe it's one of those things. Like it's hard to believe that's 18 years ago. Yeah.
Speaker: like Like those shows could be going to college now. Right. I could be those shows' dad. yeah Exactly. You know? um It's weird. It's it's like, um because it doesn't feel that long ago in certain ways. And I don't have a deep sort of thought on that other than just it doesn't feel like that is um while ago. And I feel like that's, again, I really love that 2008 era.
Speaker: um And it's interesting because they sort of, the other thing that's interesting about this is that this is ends up being sort of the end of an era because the next two years their tours are those the traveling circus shows which are really good and I love those shows but obviously right um a couple of things about them right there I'm There's less crows in a sense, right? Because they're not just playing a straight show. They're also, um the set lists are pretty structured because they were trying to do different things to like move different bands on and off stage. They use certain songs like as like set pieces in those. So, and they they play a lot of different songs. Otherwise those are great shows. And again, definitely go listen to 2009, 2010 shows,
Speaker: This era where they're just like all over the place and just like freewheeling, just coming up with stuff feels like off the top of their head with these set lists. Like that doesn't really come back the same way. They don't really, they played 2009, 2010 or the traveling circus shows. 2011 is a year they take off. 2012, they come back and that's, and those are great. That's a great, also a spectacular year, but it doesn't, I mean,
Speaker: there's a lot of variety in that year and I i love that year and we'll talk about some of those at some point, but like, this is to me like sort of peak with the, all of the stuff that's happening and don't know. It's, it's a moment in time and it's awesome that that we have the, this is sort of like a capstone to it that if you just want to go, like if someone was like, what should i listen to from 2008? I would just be like, dude, go open up Nugs, listen to the three Wellman shows and you'll hear pretty much every song they played that year. i mean, there's some other ones they didn't play, but like,
Speaker: no it capture It captures a ah specific pinnacle of Counting Crows. And i mean, how many, if you don't count Underwater Sunshine again, how many albums have they had since then? two one one Two. So we're saying most of their albums were there. They were at an age that they could play three nights in a row and play hard rocking. and With the flu. With the flu. They were still had a lot of,
Speaker: Hardcore fan, even if they didn't buy Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, some of the people that attended, they have all the other albums. They would they would think that Crows are one of their top 10 or five bands, you know, passionate. fans So um right I guess the average fans at that point would have been i mean you were in your 20s, but we maybe would have been 30 or something like 20s and 30s. Yeah, I think that's sort of the average at that point. Yeah. So you got high energy going on. um No, you know, pre cell phone time to say you have that. Yeah, I might have had a BlackBerry at that point for work. Yeah, I guess the Nokias and stuff were still. Yeah, I guess people would have maybe their dumb phones or or just about to get and stuff like that. But it's not I did not have like a real smartphone at that. Like, again, if the closest I would have had would have been a BlackBerry. Yeah, I guess around 10 when... 2010 is when people were starting to pick them up. Yeah, on this I kind of miss... I actually keep seeing now there's like Android phones that look like BlackBerrys and part of me wants to try one.
Speaker: like just to I do kind of miss that for some reason. I don't... I like my iPhone, but I don't know. This is... Yeah, that was a special point in time. So there's certain yeah parts of the Crows history. And I think that this was special. and I'm so glad that you got to be a part of it. So, yeah, cool.
Speaker: Well, that's it, I guess, for yeah yeah this is the the yeah as you said, it's the it's the 2026 wrap up the European perspective. And also ah going back to one of possibly their most arguably their most classic set of films.
Speaker: ah of of shows back to back at a same location ever. Yeah. Cause that's the other thing they did not like, and they, this was, this is a one-off, you know what and i mean? You can't find another run of these like this. And so that's what part of our part of it makes it special is that it's just, it's a unique thing and a unique time. And you know,
Speaker: let's if we build a time If we finally get time travel at some point while we're alive, Eric, let's agree well i'll just we'll just go back there. okay let's first yeah and i do hope you know and I guess I'll end with this. I i do hope that um even if it doesn't make a lot of money compared to the other, I do hope that maybe randomly Adam will do something like this at some point again.
Speaker: like no Like, just say, you know what? I have these other kind of songs. I haven't played them in a while. Let's play them, um you know, maybe do a mini tour of eight shows or five shows or even just do a little residency in New York. He lives there for three shows or four shows. I'll go. I'll fly out and go to all four shows or whatever. It's just kind of a fun tribute to the to the um kind of hardcore fans that live around there.
Speaker: ah So that that'd be great. as It wasn't exactly the same, but I think I told you that the, and I don't follow them as much as I kind of maybe hint on the podcast, but I said, it's a little different. But I said, the Pumpkins did something like that because all of a sudden, like seven years ago, I don't really watch them anymore, but they, now they do the big arenas again. i don't know this whole nostalgia, maybe 90s stuff is back, right? That's why kind of those are doing better. Now they're playing big arenas and they're touring with other big bands. But a couple of years ago, he just said, you know what? I'm just going to do like a mini tour of whatever it was, eight shows, 10 shows. I'm only going to play from these two albums. I wouldn't necessarily want Crows to do that, but it was from Machina and I forget the other one. And and and maybe a door. i or maybe it was mil I can't remember, but it was, it was more for those kinds of fans that have been there a long time. And he was only doing in the small, um the small theaters kind of like this. So yeah. Anyway, just got me thinking. I'm you could do something like that. Do a Saturday night Sunday mornings tour, right? and Just a mini one of five shows. That'd be interesting. Even if again if they were just like, hey, we're going to play, you know, for a couple of shows, we're going to do recovering the satellites all the way through. Absolutely. we love that record and we just want to figure out, we'll rearrange it and
Speaker: I'm in. That could be fun. So, so you know, hopeful hopefully. Hopefully. All right. Well, thank you, Chris. Anything else? Oh, that's it. I think that's it. we'll We'll be back and we'll have more for you. Have you been back to Wilmot since, by the way?
Speaker: I have. Okay. um they It's been a while. They booked really good bands for a while. Okay. um And I definitely saw the Crows there again. They did two of the nights of the Traveling Circus in 2010. Okay. We're at the Wilmot.
Speaker: um And I definitely saw the Gaslight Anthem there. oh I like we went back, but at at some point they're booking kind of tailed off in terms of like booking major acts. I think it's still open, but it's mostly like kind of cover bands now.
Speaker: Cool. If I look. Yeah. Well, thank you. And thank you everyone to listening here on Sullivan street. If you have show idea, et cetera. Sullivan Street PC, Sullivan Street, write the whole street, just like they do in the ah and the song title, right? It's not the it's not the postal abbreviation, Chris. SullivanStreetPC at ProtonMail.com. Yeah, all right, thank you. And we'll see you next time here on Sullivan Street.
Speaker: Goodbye.
