Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
E36: Chris's Sweet! Summer
64 Plays2 hours ago
Chris starts out the episode by talking about his experience at the World Premier of the "Have You Seen Me Lately?" Counting Crows documentary.
Then, Chris recaps his experience at the 6/29 Jones Beach show and we talk, generally, about the first leg of the 2025 Complete Sweets! Tour.
Recommended
Transcript
Welcome and Introduction
00:00:16
Speaker
Welcome to Sullivan Street, where we're going to have the Butter Miracle Tour Chris Early Summer Update. ah So let's say hi to Chris. Chris, this hey it's all about you and your and your early adventure for the summer.
00:00:29
Speaker
This is all, you're just living vicariously through me, Eric, for the next hour. And then you'll get to do all of these things eventually that I'm talking about. But it's just, I'm a little bit ahead of you and maybe ahead of some of the listeners.
Counting Crows Recent Activities
00:00:40
Speaker
yeah And so we're just putting that out there and and getting the info out and talking about these things as we...
00:00:45
Speaker
as As things roll by. and There's been a lot. kind like by By counting Crow standards, there's been a lot happening over the last few months. We talked about when the album was released and there were all these interviews. It's been a lot and it's been fun. There's been a lot of stuff to indulge in.
00:00:58
Speaker
yeah That's true. And for those that listen regularly, as you know, we try to continue where... you know We have interviews either with band-associated people or band members or ex-band members.
00:01:12
Speaker
ah We love to do the album Deep Dives. We have other historical Dives. Well, we've done song Deep Dives, right? Live song Deep Dives. Historical Deep Dives, like in the future, where we... yeah Plan to do something about Shim Sham, ah for instance. But we'd like to, even though it's in some ways dated, I guess, ah you know five years from now, right? Does anybody care about the early summer tour? But we do like... I know that some listeners like to hear like news and notes and what's happening, and maybe they're going to see you a show on this tour. So they want to hear about what's going on.
00:01:45
Speaker
um So, yeah. But first, let's talk about, for
Counting Crows Documentary
00:01:49
Speaker
those... I guess all of you know, but there is a Counting Grows documentary um produced by ah Bill Simmons and HBO or in conjunction with HBO.
00:01:59
Speaker
ah From what we understand, i guess someone said the director mentioned a more specific release date on Twitter or X or Blue Sky or something, ah maybe like December E. I don't know if because of long December, but and first I believe the fall. Yeah, everyone said sort of fall. Yeah, I was here in fall, and then someone thought maybe early winter instead. We'll we'll we'll keep you updated with that.
00:02:22
Speaker
ah But Chris was able to go to the premiere in New York City. what what And it was playing at two different theaters. Which theater did you see it at? I saw it at the general, at the tribe at the main sort of Tribeca Film Festival, their kind of big open theater. They played it.
00:02:37
Speaker
At a couple of the independent theaters as well for a couple a couple of times um that weekend. But that was it was a short theatrical release in that regard. um It's called Counting Crows, Have You Seen Me Lately?
00:02:48
Speaker
Great title. Great title. And i a really appropriate title because it really it focuses on um the first couple of records. It it focuses on... And it starts... It doesn't go too much at that beat the beginning. it It really kind of starts with, okay, we get signed, what's next kind of thing.
00:03:03
Speaker
um And then goes really deep into the making of the first record, the process of sort of the band becoming what they are, Adam's relation to that, um and then the process of making the second record and and what that was like.
00:03:16
Speaker
um My biggest... The thing is I was enjoyed the most about it. I think, look, if if you... watched, listened to interviews, you've read Jeff Harkness's book, you've been diving.
00:03:27
Speaker
You may not learn a lot of new factual information here, you get but just chew generally in music documentaries. Maybe there's a few things here and there, but if you're the fan, this isn't made for you in that regard.
Band Dynamics and Leadership
00:03:41
Speaker
um But what I really, where I felt I really learned was a lot of interesting things was A lot of great interviews with the other band members. um Like Dave Bryson, Charlie Gillingham. written Really, the entire band of people who were involved at the time, including Matt Malley, um minus Steve Bowman. Steve is not interviewed in the film. Although, of course, if you're interested in that, you can listen to our interview with him. Just last episode. Here's that chunk of that.
00:04:09
Speaker
But, um you know, one of the things to to not, again, not to be overly spoilery, but one of the things we've always talked about is, you know, this was sort of an Adam and Dave thing and this sort of a project that became kind of Adam's thing.
00:04:22
Speaker
And they asked Dave Bryson very directly about that in the movie. and he's like, yeah, it was kind of hard when I realized that this was going to be Adam. That was a process for me to like or deal with the fact that this thing that was sort of us was now more him and that we had to get in line a little bit. you know and Think about it, since Dave, and and Adam has talked about that a bit, right? he did He has said in a lot of interviews recently how it wasn't right away, I think it was when they were recording, when they just started recording August, I think. that's I could be wrong with the timeline, but that's when he said he had to become...
00:04:58
Speaker
you know i'm not This is not his words, but it is where that more of a you know more of a tough ass, I guess I want to say, or just a little bit stricter with things and saying, hey, I needed to take leadership, I guess.
00:05:11
Speaker
um right But but what to your point about Bryson, the interesting thing about that is Bryson recruited at least two men, right, Matt? And ah Steve said he kind of... you know, was, was recruited him a bit too.
00:05:24
Speaker
Yeah. so So it's a very interesting, that, that piece I found very interesting and really again, through the whole documentary, the stuff that relates to the, um, the band is really interesting.
00:05:37
Speaker
Um, there's also footage of them performing at the rock and roll hall of fame, which is not super easy to find. um it also involves Adam discussing something called a mambo sock.
00:05:48
Speaker
That is one of the funniest things, uh, I've ever heard. It was hilarious. Um, so highly recommend that it's a, but it's great. I mean, I think, look, if you like this band, I can't imagine you're going to come away from 90 minutes dissecting that time period, anything
Adam's Perspective on the Documentary
00:06:05
Speaker
other than having had a great time.
00:06:07
Speaker
um I don't want again i want to over i don't to give too many details and spoilers. Those are my big takeaways. and There's just a lot of interesting it' lot of interesting stuff. It was fun to hear. him i don't know. Yeah, and um and we'll talk about it more. i haven't gotten a chance to watch it yet. and Also, you know i'm I'm guessing there'll be some...
00:06:26
Speaker
whatever people talking about it on Facebook and Reddit with the hardcore fans. So we'll do it in depth. ah you know, where I'll take notes and stuff once it, once it's released and talk about a little more. I'd love to do, jeff you maybe it'd be fun to do a G5 with Jeff and see what, what needs to go into version two of the, uh, of the book.
00:06:42
Speaker
Uh, the one thing I thought was really interesting thing. So there was a talk back with the director and one of the producers, um, after the movie and they asked, well, how does Adam feel about this? And she said, like,
00:06:54
Speaker
he has kind of a complicated relationship with it. It's hard sometimes to see your life kind of condensed. And you could sort of, there's a couple of quotes in the GQ piece that sort of suggested maybe he was ah certain aspects he didn't like or would have done that differently.
00:07:07
Speaker
yeah But I get it. It's kind of, Adam's always been someone who is wants to do things his own way. and the nature of a movie is you kind of have to give control, right? I mean, it's a director's, it's the director's cut in the end. And so was just kind of an interesting thing to, um to hear them talk about a little bit.
00:07:25
Speaker
um But I, again, I don't think it's not the animus. It's not like, Oh, no, it's just more. Yeah. Did you say complicated? Supposedly. yeah i the the Yes, I heard that there's some things Adam doesn't love about the movie, but in the end, he actually did give it the seal of approval.
00:07:45
Speaker
um I don't know if that was required before, during, or after all three, but he has said, I'm fine with it being released, even though you know right this or that, I didn't... that happens with a lot of these.
00:07:56
Speaker
um i've been I haven't watched a lot of music documentaries. It's just not my thing. I did watch the, which I know it is different, but I watched The Tribe Called Quest one that Michael Rappaport, I guess, I think he, I don't remember now. I think he bankrolled and directed. I can't remember.
00:08:10
Speaker
yeah But I remember that they were upset about some of this stuff because right at the end, he was trying to get them to do a reunion. They ended up doing, they'd have a reunion later before, um, you know, Fife passed away. But, uh, but I just remember that they also, they love certain parts of it. And then they, are I think it's going to happen.
00:08:27
Speaker
and It didn't, yeah, it didn't, um, ah James Campion even say yeah um that, you know, he's been working on a book with Adam and they go through through similar things, right? Because James has to do the lion's share of the writing, but he was doing it in conjunction with Adam. But, you know, Adam, a you know, wants to give his take and, oh, I wouldn't do it this way. But in the end, he's not the writer. So, yeah.
00:08:49
Speaker
Yeah, and it's also, I think it's a tricky thing. I mean, Adam's very exposed, and it's it's about what you reveal. And again, I think yeah some of the most interesting stuff and revealing stuff really does come from the rest of the band and generally don't get their say, I feel like, in some of these yeah um narratives, because Adam
Tribeca Film Festival Experience
00:09:08
Speaker
is the one that gets asked the questions.
00:09:09
Speaker
And so it was really interesting, and I'm sure... I can't imagine all of that was super easy to hear because they were like, yeah, that was hard sometimes. It was not always easy. i I've been, um yeah, we've talked about this a bit. i you know Even when you, I've seen some old footage that you have on your YouTube page or some certain things and,
00:09:28
Speaker
Of course, Adam's interviewed 95% of the time. In the last 10 years, he often comes on with Emmy. Like when they they were in Australia recently, or you know a couple of years ago, and I think all of the interviews, Adam and Emmy went on the TV show together.
00:09:41
Speaker
um So you get Emmy's take, although Emmy wasn't an official band member the first couple albums. So that's interesting. And ah remember, we saw some the Dan was interviewed. Some of that like hard candy era or even recovering. It was kind of Adam and Dan went on a couple of those shows.
00:09:58
Speaker
But yeah, Matt and, you know, Charlie, every so often you see them, you know, speak, but not much. And and Bryson, you know, hardly ever, you know, kind of quiet, muted guy. So i'm very curious to hear um yeah his take. So like how was the last thing about your experience?
00:10:15
Speaker
Did you... I'm guessing, I think you told me you didn't really get a chance. you know It's not like you were going around, going up to people in the lobby. Hey, are you a fan? um Or whatever. I don't even know if you wore a shirt or anything like that. or did Did other people like wear Crow shirts? since That was the first screening.
00:10:31
Speaker
couple. It wasn't a lot. It wasn't it but did seem like a mix of like fans and versus like kind of people who just like movies kind of thing. Yes. yeah um So there was that kind of mix. And...
00:10:44
Speaker
i i I wasn't really sure exactly what was to look like. Actually, I wore like a blazer and I forget what T-shirt I wore under it. Okay. I wasn't quite sure. don't know. I was just kind of like, how fancy is this going to be? I didn't meetat really need the blazer. How many canbo how many people were at the um the the the the little thing after, you know, the Q&A afterwards? I'm guessing the director. It was in the same room.
00:11:06
Speaker
So everyone just kind of stayed. They basically just did it right after. her Sorry, how many people run were were on the stage? like oh um to a Three. So so that the the Tribeca person was hosting, and then it was the director and I think the one of the main producers.
00:11:21
Speaker
Okay, because right, the director is Amy Scott, and the producer is someone Brian Morrow and Jonathan Lynch. So probably one of those I think it was Brian. ah Okay. if i recall I was just curious. And, um, yeah, okay. Yeah. So this, um, yeah, that's interesting. I mean, it almost reminds me when I went to the, the, the, the show at the Troubadour, um although that was a little different. There were obviously some hardcore fans, but it's also, well, there were band members there. Right. There was no band members at this. Yeah, that's true.
00:11:45
Speaker
ah But I was going to say a mix. There was like a lot of people that just like liked ah shows or they just had connections to the entertainment industry. and then there was um So maybe that was the same thing, right? Maybe HBO people went to see it or whatever. I know that goes. Yeah. And there was probably, don't know, like 100-something people in there. It was sta good a decent crowd. It was a big room.
00:12:02
Speaker
And it was relatively, there was decent number of people in there. So I i don't know what a good crowd for these. I don't really go to Tribeca film. Really, I think the last time I went was many years ago for a different music documentary.
00:12:15
Speaker
Okay. Somehow I got tickets, or i don't know someone gave me tickets or whatever, but to one about Kings
Music Documentaries and Bill Simmons' Influence
00:12:20
Speaker
of Leon, which was really interesting. Oh, cool. I like, say I'm definitely, I like a good music documentary.
00:12:25
Speaker
Yeah. um They all kind of go that same path in certain ways, but like I, I like them. I should literally this weekend. I just watched one about Liam Gallagher and one about Robbie Williams. And I don't know why I know they're super popular. i mean, people love, and I think Adam was talking little, right. Cause he was even supposed to one. He was the one. He was really, led zeppe with got his girlfriend yeah. um No, I know Jeff, I think has said ah on the podcast that he watches a bunch of them.
00:12:50
Speaker
So um yeah, not, and, and to be in, in um full disclosure before we moved to the tour. Yeah. um I know Bill Simmons is a huge Crows fan. That was part of the reason this got made. But i think the other reason it was made is, remember like when when the announcement came of this, that there was like,
00:13:11
Speaker
There's a, i don't want to say renaissance, but but a bunch of music, more music documentaries are being released this year than in prior years, right? They're kind of hot right now. And fact, on some of the news releases, the Crows one was listed, you know, number 20th of the, when they were, I forget the other ones. So, but it's good. um um I mean, how great that we get to see one of these. Yeah.
00:13:33
Speaker
yeah And great footage. Again, if you haven't seen... lot a lot of it is, is kind of out there, but it's cleaned up and it's nice. And there's a lot of good, interesting footage if you haven't dug through it.
00:13:43
Speaker
Cool. And yeah, maybe that, you know, that could be a thing we talk about when they actually release it. Maybe we do a, ah rundown of where you can find the long versions of some of this stuff. Oh,
Butter Miracle Tour Introduction
00:13:54
Speaker
yeah. That's that that's that's true.
00:13:56
Speaker
Okay, so let's go to the other um part of the the other show. As I said, it's not a super long show. This is kind of news and notes. But the Butter ah Miracle Complete Sweets Tour, that's the official name of the tour, ah with with a Gaslight Anthem ah for most of it. So I was just looking at the schedule today. Remember, we've already settled this podcast. I mean, this tour goes on...
00:14:20
Speaker
I mean, it goes to November 1st. So let's just say end of October. The road rolls on forever as that went to. And it started. Yeah, that's right. It started early June. um As he starts in under the oar, here we go again. so June, July, August, September. So basically four Full months, pretty much of a band that's, you know, average age 60.
00:14:43
Speaker
um And that's a lot of shows. And so for the American tour, we are about a quarter of the way through as of today. About three weeks so far. Yeah. Like so yeah June 10th. Yes. Or just about three weeks.
00:14:57
Speaker
And if you count ah the European tour they're going to do, we're about a six into the tour. So I say that because we're going to talk about what songs they played. And um you never know. Halfway through the tour, they might start playing Song X and play that every every night. but Yeah.
00:15:11
Speaker
And I will say, ah you know, I'm going to note some things. if If you're really sensitive to the idea spoilers or things that are a little bit different, um I guess feel free to flip off or come back after you see the show or something.
00:15:21
Speaker
Because I will talk – because there were a couple of interesting things. I'll kind of dive into it, right? Yeah, and Chris, let's just preface it. You saw it we saw that last night. Last night. At Jones Beach Theater on Long Island. i i always they Thankfully, they did play Hard Candy. I always get kind of disappointed when they don't play Hard Candy.
00:15:37
Speaker
because especially if it's on Long Island, literally it shouts out in the evenings on Long Island. But part of the song takes place at Jones Beach, as he mentioned. it's like at a Neil Young show at Jones Beach in 2000 is the silly yellow hat. like So I'm just always sort of like, I don't know, you should play it. and We're here. We're literally in the spot.
00:15:53
Speaker
He talked because they played Washington Square as well. He's like, Adam was like... do but i Maybe we always play this song in New York. and I always just feel like playing it, so I'm sorry if I always play it here. I'm like, you do kind of play it a lot here. But again, I also don't mind that. I saw that song for the first time when they debuted it 22 years ago now at Jones Beach.
00:16:15
Speaker
um but At my first Counting Crows concert, that song always has a place in my heart. and So again, especially at Jones Beach. If you're Jones and playing Washington Square, you're taking me back to the... the good old days and I'm not going to complain about that.
00:16:27
Speaker
all right But some, I think basic things about the tour. um I think we're not going to go song by song. I think I went to some observations. Did you want to say, sorry to cut you off, but did you want to say, I remember that you said last time Jones Beach, the capacity I was looking again today is larger than it's pretty large, right? the The capacity at Jones Beach. And how was it pretty full?
00:16:48
Speaker
like Decent size. The very top, so there's ah an orchestra and then three decks at Jones Beach. The third deck didn't seem like there was really anyone in there, but the other two decks were were relatively full.
00:17:01
Speaker
which would put them in the... It says 15,000. I mean, if you did the upper deck... I mean, that's bigger than they play basically anywhere, I think. Right, and that's the thing. I think, again, I'm not sitting there with a pointer and counting, but if you think even... your point, even like half full is 7,500. Yeah.
00:17:20
Speaker
yeah um And maybe it was more than... I'm just... I'm bad with that. Again, it's like... And most sheds are... Aren't they like 5,000 or 6,000? Most sheds have... so Jones beach is interesting relative to the sheds because it's a full theater, right? If there's seats all the way up to the top, whereas most sheds, there'll be that covered area. That's probably yeah five, 6,000, 7,000.
00:17:42
Speaker
But then there's a lawn that theoretically, like PNC theoretically seats like 20,000 or something, but that's like, I've packed literally every person I can onto the lawn.
00:17:53
Speaker
I think I've literally been to one sold out show at PNC in my lifetime. and I've been to a lot of PNC.
Jones Beach Concert Highlights
00:17:57
Speaker
Um, So that's one of those things, whereas Jones Beach is a more like a – again, it's an actual a vertical theater.
00:18:04
Speaker
um Really kind of love – again, i recommend seeing a show there. It's nice place to see a show. Muggy, though, is on the water. So just and in terms of context, it wasn't crazy hot, but like I noticed midway through the show I'm like – i'm just i I'm just a bit wet. right I'm moist right now. I'm i'm just sweating. I'm not so even sweating that hard. It's just that like I've been perspiring a little bit consistently.
00:18:29
Speaker
And I had a bottle of water and I started drinking it down. And I was like, this feels really good. I should probably should have been drinking more water as we go here. But it was I did think it was kind of an interesting play with the energy of the show. Because the the crowd could have been, I felt, a little more energetic. But also, ah feel like it was just kind of you know, everyone was kind of heavy there.
00:18:50
Speaker
Yeah. um
00:18:53
Speaker
So, um yeah, let's try to... um Yeah, so you you were saying you won't go... ah General observations, you're not going to go track by track. Yeah, well, and so let's hit some of the big things I think for people could expect on the tour, right? Right now, they've been playing all five of the new songs.
00:19:09
Speaker
um Right, so, and I do want to say, you know, if they've been averaging 19 songs, you know, right, because there's some... you know'll you'll we'll get into this. There's some debate about right how much should they be playing? you know Are they Greatest Hits Tour? How much are they playing Deep Cuts?
00:19:23
Speaker
But we do want to say they're playing all five. Well, no, but not all the time. Sometimes they're dropping boxcars. Yeah, but mostly they've been playing all five. I think, yeah, boxcars has been a little in and out. And that was kind of my prediction. At least this is my...
00:19:37
Speaker
You know, hope for their set list has changed, you know, generally in the last couple of years when they're doing the sheds. We'll talk about that. But the one thing that the band has pretty much always done that is played a great selection of new releases, which I love because some bands do not do that. They'll they'll play the single of the new release and maybe one other song.
00:19:59
Speaker
um And even when they did you know Underwater Sunshine, they were playing five or six of those songs a night. They played the whole suite of the you know the one a couple of years ago. yep um And I said, even though I almost prefer them to release LPs, the one good thing about doing it this way is that last tour, they played all four. And then this one, they're playing all five. So you get to see all nine. If they released an LP, there's no way they're playing all nine songs from that LP.
00:20:24
Speaker
yeah Well, and interestingly, I would gamble. i don't if you want to take this money, eric i I actually can't, but the woman before the encore last night was like, do you think they're going to play hanging around? And I was like,
00:20:35
Speaker
Yes. um Pretty confident in that. But I would actually get the two I would really gamble on them continuing to play are Spaceman and Tulsa first and under the Aurora to start the encore. Yes. Because what they've done is the beats of those songs, the intro beats are the walkout music, essentially space man for Spaceman for the first song and then for the encore. So they have sort of integrated those as like in the way they would use the when they did Palisades Park as the encore.
00:21:03
Speaker
Hmm. They would use that sort of intro music as sort of the walkout. They've done that here. And so I tend to think they're probably going to stick with that for at least the rest of this tour. I agree. I actually think that that's, and I haven't seen the show yet, but I think those are great choices. I think, placement yeah like like where do you put Spaceman and Tulsa? I think starting off and um under the Aurora leading the encore, I think is great. Yeah.
00:21:27
Speaker
I thought the placement was great. I thought all the songs sounded great. I really, ah my favorite in terms of what I, in terms of hearing them was under the Aurora. That really kind of got me. And I really liked that a lot.
00:21:38
Speaker
Um, Yeah, for those that are listening when we first post this, ah the the from the show before, it might be from your show too, but ah um the show before was where? ah Jersey.
00:21:49
Speaker
PNC Bank Art Center. in hall maybe i was I think it was that one. Well, anyway, on YouTube, there's some Under the Aurora um you know of recordings. And I'll tell you what, watching him play it live, and sometimes you know with the new songs, he um especially in the beginning of the tours,
00:22:08
Speaker
if they're new songs
Tour Setlist and Fan Reactions
00:22:09
Speaker
and early in the tour, he does it with passion because I think it's it's fun. It's a challenge. He's trying to get the crowd into it so they recognize that they do have other music and maybe they'll go buy it and and know what he's doing.
00:22:24
Speaker
But I was listening under the Aurora live and I thought it was so good that now I'm loving the song more. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, no, that's part of it. It's funny. The same lady who was like, um this is about the why you don't. The same lady who was asking about hanging around when they started under the Aurora. She was like, what's this? And I was like, what's a new one? She's like, ah and I'm like, it's a really good song. And she's like, i think she may have had a couple drinks by the time we got to the encore.
00:22:50
Speaker
But um I don't know. It is what it is. but But people were generally, I actually think those are good spots, too, because people are feeling energetic. They're ready standing. you know As I said, we were kind of struggling. I think the crowd was struggling with the heat a little bit. There was a little bit of a sitting crowd at points.
00:23:05
Speaker
yeah um But again, in part just literally because it was like, I don't know, it's hot. um But yeah, i thought I liked all of that. But I think part of what's happening from a setlist perspective and why I maybe go super deep into these songs is that the setlist have been relatively consistent because I think they've they're doing the five new songs and then they've got another chunk of songs that I think as headliners of in these sheds, they feel like they're going to keep playing. Like they feel an obligation to, to do right.
00:23:33
Speaker
Mr. Jones, long December rain King, um, colorblind hanging around. Yep. Um, they're, they're going to play those songs. Um, Omaha, you know, um, and, and so there is a little bit where you can almost see the set list construction.
00:23:50
Speaker
again, was, excited have Amy on at some point and just talk about setless construction because I know they think about this every night. From a construction perspective, you just kind of start going, there's there's just not a lot of space for the shows to change a crazy amount because they're presumably enjoying playing the new songs. They want to keep playing them. That's great.
00:24:08
Speaker
um Then you want to feel like you either want to or... should keep playing some of these other songs. You kind of, you just sort of lose the real estate. They they played like an hour and 45 minutes, which I think given the length of the tour, someone's ah, play two hours. Well, A, that's three other songs. So that's not exactly going to change the world.
00:24:24
Speaker
um But also an hour 45 when they're going to be playing for, Another few months. I don't. They got to save their voice. Adam sounded, I think, really good last night. But there were times where he could even. i don't know if he was.
00:24:37
Speaker
He was coughing a little bit. So maybe he's just got a little little under the weather or something. um But, you know, you got to save that. Because, yeah there' yeah you know, no Adam, no show. So but you got to save that voice.
00:24:48
Speaker
And we'll talk about some of the quote-unquote alternate songs that they've been playing more than others because we have the stats. But to your point, there's basically nine songs that they are 100% playing every night.
00:25:01
Speaker
you know All the ones you mentioned, plus Holiday in Spain and then also the one. um I wrote you a text the other day. You know what's so interesting is... And I think it originally even got picked up on social media by the Swifties and by whatever people that do... When he did... i think did i think Jeff Harkness saw it the first time he played it in Vegas, if I remember correctly.
00:25:19
Speaker
yeah And they've been doing it ever since. I think every time. I think every time. There might have been a couple last year where they didn't play it, but like... 99% of the time, maybe 8% of the time. Yeah.
00:25:30
Speaker
So he, um, so I say that because there are people that are jumping on Reddit who maybe they're Reddit users and then they're going to see the show and they casually like the crows, you know, maybe like I casually like other bands.
00:25:44
Speaker
And they came on, they're like, oh, they sounded so good. You know, I didn't realize how good. And it was really cool. They played the Taylor Swift song and it went it like it was like hot new news and they did it and that that he did it just for them. And so sometimes I think, you know, put things in perspective that even among people that consider themselves fans, not just casual listeners, like they have no idea that they're, that you wouldn't know unless you're following. so Yeah, no, it's and it's something where, again, it's a hard, I know a hard thing to balance because you do have that thing of like, who are the people that are following these things and who are like, picking on the same woman. But she was like, when I told her, was like, i this is probably what the encore is going to look like. She's like, you've been doing the research. And I'm like, I just follow them on Instagram. The in the set lists come up.
00:26:34
Speaker
You know, like it's not. You should have also. I don't think of it as much, you know. But but again, other people don't follow every band they go see. I don't follow every band they go see on Instagram, you know. No, and they want to. You know, you're a big concert goer, although I know you. One thing I like about you is that you also see a lot of new bands, right? You know, you want go to the Underwater Sunshine Fest and whatever, but.
00:26:53
Speaker
Correct me if I'm wrong. So I, I, I did see Billy Joel once and I've saw when he did the recent tour, um, they had a TV special. I don't know if they edited some songs out Billy Joel. And partly because he had so many singles, I, he plays mostly greatest hits, right? I don't even know what he plays any deep dives at all. as he like And actually I'm in a Billy Joel base. I somehow ended up in Billy Joel Facebook group at some point. That's a hilarious one sometimes, but, um,
00:27:19
Speaker
He, when he's touring, no, he's not touring right now because he's and he got sick or something, but um he'll kind of play pretty, it's similar thing. He plays pretty heavy greatest hits. It'll be similar.
00:27:30
Speaker
There's a ah selection of deep cuts that he sort of rotates. Okay. So, and it's my understanding that Springsteen, who I know maybe has one of the most rabid fan bases, ah for his concerts, right? They have to see him every year when he comes.
00:27:44
Speaker
And I know he didn't have as many radio singles, but from what I understand, he does, because I think Adam kind of mentioned this, because he thought Palisades Park should be like his Springsteen song in that the crowd should go nuts when he plays it, even though it wasn't like a big single. from what I understand, Springsteen gets away with playing...
00:28:02
Speaker
a lot of deep cuts and the crowd goes nuts about it. Now, I don't know if that's true. I've never been to a Springsteen show. I think that's true. I was only seeing Bruce once. But yeah, I mean, part of it's, again, just relationships to the songs and the... I mean, there's just... i think everyone's got a different relationship.
00:28:17
Speaker
Albums... People have different relationships to artists, right? Yeah. What's meaningful to them? um You know, Springsteen's someone who had... a longer career sort of at the like top ish.
00:28:32
Speaker
Yeah. You know, and a lot of albums. He released a lot of albums. Timeline wise, actually probably not wildly different. But um and maybe Springsteen fans that go to the concerts every year have a higher percentage of his album collection than even Counting Crows fans that go every year, but maybe still only own the first three albums or something like that.
00:28:53
Speaker
And he plays longer. and Bruce has always sort of played a long time, but he also is – it's more of a musically – it's a different – you know, everyone's different. Oh, when you three hours yeah I guess I was just saying I felt bad in a way for the Crows that they almost feel that they have to – you know, I mean, they like playing it, but they probably – if had given their choice, would play maybe ah have fans that yeah don't need as many as you had. So anyway, a long story short, yeah, if there's nine songs that they definitely play every night ah from the quote-unquote hits, plus five from the new releases, that gives you 14 out 19.
00:29:25
Speaker
So then you're dealing with basically five that are interchanged, although... they've rotated in some kind of random ones, and I'll talk about what I hope to see, but for the most part, three or four of those five slots are going to Miami, Hard Candy, and Richard Manuel in Washington Square. Those four, they've been playing. Yeah, Hard Candy, Mrs. Potter's a good bit too.
00:29:54
Speaker
So kind of, again, if you want to just, you look at the construction, right? It's Spaceman and Tulsa to open, then one or two songs different. um Hard Candy was in the slot for me. um Then Mr. Jones, ah A to Z, Omaha. Then there's another spot. That was St. Robinson. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Eric. know you always want to hear St. Robinson. So I'm sorry. I i think i to say i get i did get to hear it in in Ireland last time. So I saw it pretty recently. so yeah you hope And hopefully you get it this summer too. um And then, yeah, then you get into, again, it's another another block. There's an acoustic set. Again, last night it was Big Yellow Taxi in Washington Square.
00:30:29
Speaker
um Big Yellow Taxi with the Bryson and Boges kids on Maracas, which is great. um you know and then And then it's kind of, again, there's that, and I think they've been playing, if had they not played Miami every night? There's been a couple nights where they haven't played Miami. Basically every night there's a couple they haven't, maybe one or two.
00:30:47
Speaker
but But yeah, that's almost my, yeah, if I had to um to criticize, and I didn't criticize, if I had my ah vote and and in and i was in the tea room with Adam and Emmy, um I guess what I think is interesting is how does Richard Manuel get played almost 75% of the time?
00:31:05
Speaker
But then, so so here's a great one they played. this of Actually, out of all these, the one I want to hear the most is High Life. So what why do they play High Life just once, but Richard Manuel seven times? It's like it's interesting. you want it more Or they play Come Around once.
00:31:19
Speaker
So i'm like, that's not a regular song, so maybe they had to practice it or whatever. Maybe they do know it, but how does that make it? But then... um You know, right. Washington Square is played seven times. I'm not I'm not sure. It's like outside of New York. So it'd be it'd be a fun conversation to have there. Yeah, I'd i'd be interested in that, too.
00:31:36
Speaker
I will. The other thing I say that I was sort of struck by was that. Maybe the lighting, yeah the lighting was very professional and very, like, cool. um It felt like it was a little more. Yeah.
00:31:49
Speaker
they have tended to use not that there were no lights or, but I think a little bit of a less um heavy light rig in the past few years. And this felt like more of a ah light show.
00:32:00
Speaker
um There's a very specific lighting for colorblind and different things that, um which was nice. It was great. it made it um the the set feel a bit more like a show than I felt like a counting crow show um normally goes towards, it goes towards a little bit more like, Hey, like the,
00:32:17
Speaker
We're keeping things kind of basic and kind of focusing here. We're like, oh, we, they, maybe again, I think taking part of it is taking their role as a headliner of these sheds or as a responsibility and being like, Hey, let's, you know, let's up the lighting game. Let's Adam came out wearing all white last night. It was a very striking outfit.
00:32:38
Speaker
yeah He was in a white denim jacket, white t-shirt, white jeans, and, um it was it was noticeable i i liked it um but it was just very like i don't know i'm used i i it's probably i'm just used to certain other things i was just surprised that that pants that he was wearing and a lot to strike although this would be a show that he can wear an outfit right so that i'm guessing he stayed at home right so yeah this is this is a show that he could wear an outfit that he doesn't have to bring to europe yeah hopeful True, true. Easy to keep that around. you know You're not worried about getting that getting dirty. or
00:33:13
Speaker
um yeah and I think one of them was talking – mean, it's like all bands, but when they go to Europe, that you know most of them, I don't know, bring in four sets of clothes. You can't bring – it's almost like backpacking across Europe, right? If you backpack two or two months across Europe, you have limited outfits. It's kind of for them. I mean, how many – suitcases or whatever do they have? So, yeah. um Okay. um Did you have any other saw, by the way, it's interesting. We said, but the lighting, i have noticed,
00:33:44
Speaker
Again, I don't watch them all the time. and and And I was just thinking recently how there was like a couple of years, basically 16 to 19, that I was like, I don't know why i didn't go to those shows or even look into it. It might have been because they didn't have new music.
00:33:59
Speaker
I wasn't hosting a podcast. But I also think I was just caught up in career and young kids, which sometimes distracts you. Because i was like, geez, they they played... ah a bunch of songs from somewhere in the wonderland. I would have liked to seen that. It was only 45 minutes away.
00:34:12
Speaker
Um, but I have noticed that, that, that some tours, they will have like more lighting going on or more in in the background and some, they don't, uh, it seems, yeah, maybe sometimes, yeah, whatever. Uh, maybe someone just came up with the idea, like you said, or headlining,
00:34:29
Speaker
What was your, oh, ah two questions. One of them, any other strong opinions about the new songs live, except you said you really were impressed with another Under the Aurora. You liked the placement of all of them, but anything that you were like, oh, wow, so glad the, you know. Well, you did talk about ah With Love From A to Z um before the song, um sort of very gushingly about it. My wife turned to me and she was like,
00:34:54
Speaker
I think he's going to propose. yeah's like no um But but if if anyone was wondering if that A to Z was a metaphor or something, it's like, no, it's it's to his lady and and that's lovely. It's kind of what we expected. i don't, although I said once, I have to look that i want to, I really want to ask him this if we don't get a one ah hundred percent validation that I think one of the reasons he loves the song and he's kind of obsessed with it is I think almost all of the lyrics are supposed to be written precisely to her and precisely to the fans. Like every line has like a double meaning.
00:35:33
Speaker
Like, um i might you know i might leave you a lot but i won't leave you alone like he because he leaves her a lot when he goes on tour but he's also leaving the fans a lot when he he sees them has a connection and go and leaves i'm just well then he could have told us he loved us before he sang us that song if you wanted ah um but but no it was yeah the song was really good and it's um yeah i think that's a it's a great tune he talked also about it's it's interesting he's like you know, these themes about like traveling America comes back to my childhood, and which we've heard him talk about before. he's like, these themes recur a lot in my songs. And was like, that is true.
00:36:10
Speaker
That is, you know, He could tell that story about going, about his dad taking off from Boston, driving to Texas but before like three or four different songs. But it's, again, it's part of just, again, the nature of being a fan for 30 years. You know, themes are going to recur. you talk about what you talk about. talk about Yeah, like the angels and stuff. But you're right. That was almost something that it was always there, especially of him like name dropping places and partly good of his travels.
00:36:38
Speaker
Yeah. But... really starting in, shouldn't say starting, but it became more evident in Somewhere Under Wonderland, right? I think. And then also, yeah because Earthquake Driver has, but but you know part of that too, and and definitely the new songs about right elevator boots going to the next town. And here we go.
00:36:57
Speaker
Yeah. um But you're right. So that that that that's an interesting through line, as they would say, right? That he had Wanderlust as... Not Wanderlust, sorry, but traveled town to town as a kid and that has stayed with him because he's still traveling town to town almost every year.
00:37:14
Speaker
so Yeah. So maybe maybe maybe maybe it's ah we'll do a best traveling song some point, ranking. I get what he's saying, though. Not to get too much into Psyche, but about that...
Adam's Relationship with Touring
00:37:24
Speaker
I know he's used to it, but I've been thinking a a lot about what you're saying and hearing you know him talk about some of you know the struggles that he's had. And he loves being on the road. and I know post pandemic, he loves seeing the fans and that people still who supported him and right yeah supported the band.
00:37:42
Speaker
um And i guess some'm person i guess I'm projecting a little way, a little bit that I think I know he loves whatever he talks about having fun in New York city and thinks it's the best city. Cause he can go see a show and the restaurants, but I think he has a bit of a home body part of him and that being in the tour forces him out.
00:38:06
Speaker
He loves it. Also, But if he didn't agree every year, right, it's not like he okay, I'm canceling the tour because I'm going to, you know, travel South America or, you know, travel, you know, I guess he went to the farm, but you know what I'm getting at. So, yeah. And there's that tent to pull a line, right? I didn't go outside yesterday.
00:38:26
Speaker
Yeah, from Miller's Antilles, exactly. right that's That's what made me think. And I do think he's a bit of a homebody in that, and, you know, we've talked about this, that sometimes when he forces yeah himself, I think, you know, to in in a house on the hill, and and once once he gets going, you can't stop him.
00:38:41
Speaker
I think some of us all have these dichotomies in us, you know, of like, the things that make us ourselves sometimes we're resistant to because they can be kind of a trope and kind of a yeah and and just because you're good at one thing or being a certain way or like being a certain way doesn't mean you want that every day.
00:39:00
Speaker
And sometimes that can be really extreme, right? yeah Yeah. Again, the idea of like literally touring the world or not leaving your house are two pretty extreme things. But and all of us, I think, struggle, maybe I'm maybe i'm projecting,
00:39:15
Speaker
ah Maybe you and i both, Eric, would say we both struggle with versions of of that, like, you know... not wanting to be one thing and being, having different takes on those things. And I don't know, like it's, you can that energy that, again, to come back to the title, have you seen me lately? I think we both, yeah we relate to that stuff. And so that's why probably one of the reasons why we're fans and we're sitting here doing a podcast about this. Yeah. And you can be great and you can be great at something and it's still mentally and physically exhausting too. Right. So when gets into the zone, you know, whatever, but then he's like, I need my downtime or whatever.
00:39:50
Speaker
um You have not mentioned your, second favorite band, Gaslight Anthem. I think they did play yesterday. They did. Oh, yes, they did. um They were awesome. They were great. I mean, Gaslight, so Gaslight's coming out.
00:40:04
Speaker
If you're, if you need the details for the show, whatever time your ticket says, Gaslight will come out at that time, basically to the minute, and they'll play just about an hour. They played like a few minutes under an hour last night, like 56 minutes. like I guess that's kind of normal when the Crows tour with somebody, right? That the opening does about an hour.
00:40:23
Speaker
That's what... And like with when they did the tour with Dashboard, Dashboard did exactly that. um Yeah. I... They were terrific. They played a lot of great songs. They were going deep into their catalog.
00:40:34
Speaker
I actually felt for them... You know, they played a couple of their bigger songs, 59 Sound and 45, which are probably two of their – if you're picking two songs that people would know by the Gaslight Anthem, those are probably two.
00:40:45
Speaker
I actually felt like they took the opportunity by not playing for their fan base. Okay. To go, we're going to get interesting with this. They played some – Deep stuff. They played a song called Dark Places that I really love that they had not played in a decade until this tour. And they decided they just at some point they flipped a switch. They've been playing it every night.
00:41:06
Speaker
I was super stoked to hear it. It's a great song. Highly recommend it, gang. um And I really they I thought they were great. They ah made a joke about ah but being on long island the billy speaking of the billy joel the downeaster alexa right he's saying a little bit of uh brian fallon saying a little bit of the downeaster alexa in get hurt um but yeah they were great i the fan base i thought was you know obviously look not everyone was losing their mind but that's fine you sit and re sit down and enjoy it there were a bunch of people standing up and having a good time and and i liked you know sometimes when you're at a show like that you have the people who will be annoyed
00:41:46
Speaker
that someone is standing and enjoying the opener. And it just felt very it did feel like we all had kind of a nice energy of like, stand if you want, don't stand if you want, have a good time. You know, it was a nice energy there.
00:41:59
Speaker
um Adam did do a little bit of ah the the Gaslight Anthem song, High Lonesome. has some very explicit counting crows references. Oh, um, Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand. I always kind of, sort of wished I looked like Elvis, um, to steal that line.
00:42:14
Speaker
Um, but he, um, Adam has been incorporating a little bit of that into round tier. He also did a new alt last night that again, because we don't have tapes of all the shows. I don't know if he's done this before so so far.
00:42:24
Speaker
um It was similar to what he's done recently in the summers, and but it was about some summertime songs. It was a fun kind of play on words, some some summertime um little you know play play with the words there and word test that I liked. It was really good. i thought was I talked last summer. I really loved that version of Round Tear they did in Central Park last year.
00:42:44
Speaker
this was it didn't hit me quite as strong. Um, but it was, great it was great and i loved it and highly recommend, um Highly recommend. well but What am I saying?
00:42:58
Speaker
If you're going to see the Counting Crows, you'll enjoy Round Here probably. I don't know why I'm recommending that to people. But Seek, actually would say Seek Out. I mean, if you're seeing, I don't know how many of them. They played Round Here a a like a week or two ago when I saw it and it didn't have an alt in it other than a couple of lines of High Lonesome.
00:43:16
Speaker
This was longer. So keep an eye out, I guess, is what I'd say, on your on videos of Round Here. Check one out. I'll, you know We'll try to highlight it for you guys. If there's anything crazy, there's no tapes on nugs. That's the, yeah, we mentioned controversy but we'll see. But right now it's a controversy. They, they kind of go back and forth with nugs about whether they're going to put them up.
00:43:36
Speaker
And it seems like this year we're deep enough into the tour that I'm, I heard ah someone had said they talked to someone that it's going to happen at some point. I don't know. Um, But they haven't had them yet, so know. But in the last couple years, haven't they been all up except for the international ones? Haven't most of the U.S. ones been up? 21, 23, and 24, not in 22.
Concert Bootlegs Controversy
00:43:58
Speaker
um But they've gone up pretty quickly, so that makes me a little – has made me a little nervous. Okay. um You know, but that's what it is on that. That's – I did see a tape up of um Nashville on Dime, but I haven't downloaded it yet.
00:44:14
Speaker
um I've just been busy. I've been listening, you know, speaking of 90s rock bands, I'm going to see Oasis this summer. so Oh, cool. I've been very in a very deep Oasis dive because it had been a while.
00:44:25
Speaker
And I was kind of reminded of how much I love those songs and I'm getting ready for that. So i I've just been listening to Liam Gallagher all the time. So what can I say? and What can I say with the under the Aurora, right? That kind of ties into slightly with the British pop a little bit, you know, the sound of that or quickly that, I mean, obviously that's some, you know, in the embers of one British cigarette that is burning from Noel Gallagher's, the headstock of Noel Gallagher's guitar, potentially. Yeah. And what is it? The under the Aurora, they talk about the the eye, the British eye Ferris wheel looking down on London or something like that.
00:44:57
Speaker
ah know Yeah. No, yeah. The, it did you tell me before, good that they, this is the second time dashboard is open for the crows or have they ever done it? They hadn't done it before. Yeah. yeah Oh, they have not done it before. Yeah.
00:45:12
Speaker
Oh, I kind of thought, all right, because I you know didn't follow them on tour all the time. So, okay. This is very exciting for me. this is that's I'm going once again on this tour because i was kind of like, yeah what am I supposed to do? Not see these.
00:45:25
Speaker
I would go see if they were both playing headlining shows. I'd probably go each see them once in a summer. And so if they're both playing together, I get, what you know what i mean? It's may as well double it up. Okay. um Well, um anything else? okay This was just a little, we've talked for 45 minutes, but this was just kind of, ah you know, pros, news. ah And then we'll see if if in the next, ah you know, 12 months, hopefully, up we'll talk to James Campion. Maybe we will actually see that book over the next year or so. Hopefully. We're hoping.
00:45:55
Speaker
Fingers crossed. ah We got the movie. ah We got the tours. Now time to get the book. um Also, I don't mind previewing the next Second book. What is that? we get We have a book. We have yeah book another book.
00:46:08
Speaker
Yeah. The other, the right. The other book, ah the second book. Yeah. Please buy ranking Jeff Arknis. ah You know, it's funny. I don't, Jeff, if you're listening, somebody did some kind of, youtube you know how they do YouTube shorts or people put like videos up and then they just put like photos from the album, like every five seconds.
00:46:28
Speaker
Somebody did that. And one of, it was all like official band photos. And then suddenly it was the cover of Jeff's book. So I don't think he's going to mind, though, somebody using the book's likeness because maybe it'll sell a copy or two by somebody singing a YouTube short.
00:46:42
Speaker
And imagine i imagine the pat that the thirds of pennies getting paid for YouTube short plays. Yeah, exactly. Jeff's a reasonable man. He'll let that one go. I don't mind plugging. mean, you'll see it in your episode list soon anyway, but the next episode we are currently planning to release.
00:46:59
Speaker
We are going back to the album reviews, reviewing ah the next official release, which is, ah what is it? Live at the, at the new, or the new Amsterdam, live at the new Amsterdam, the Canon Cruise live album. And Kyle Meredith joins us on that. So ah one of the most ah famous, uh,
00:47:18
Speaker
music journalists out there, uh, uh, that, that doing long form was with some of the best, uh, not even the best. So it's just everyone in the, in the industry. So we're, we're, it was really fun having him on. So please, uh, listen to that episode.
00:47:31
Speaker
We'll release that in you know about three weeks or something. Yeah. He's got some great stories about interviewing Adam and we go, um, we We get really into New Amsterdam. Really, really into it. Thank you. So glad you had a good summer. I will also add when I do plan to see them this year and I'll give my take when we wrap up the tour news at the end of the summer.
00:47:50
Speaker
So, yeah. All right. See you next time on Sullivan Street. Thank you so much.
00:48:06
Speaker
I'm just