Word: songe
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...fairness to Counting Crows, however, the new version of "Mr. Jones" was immensely moving and served to reinforce what the band is all about. Keyboardist Charlie Gillingham provided a haunting melody on an accordion that complemented Duritz's new lyrics to the song, which included the introduction of words from "So You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll Star" by The Byrds. Reflecting on the band's bittersweet feeling about their own fame--something that did not exist when the song was first written--Duritz sang, "We all wanna be big, big stars, but then we get second thoughts about...
...acoustic version of "Omaha" followed "Mr. Jones" before Duritz sat back down at the piano to play "Raining in Baltimore." With the exception of Gillingham, who played the accordion for parts of the song, the rest of the band sat quietly. Duritz concluded the song by continuously repeating the final line, "I need a raincoat," with a sad emotion in his voice so piercing that it would not have been surprising if someone had been driven up on stage to actually give the poor guy a raincoat...
...With Duritz yelling "get up!" during "Murder," everyone had their hands in the air and were jumping around. The unbelievable ease with which Duritz and the band turned the mood of the show around--from the sullen conclusion of the acoustic set to the raw intensity of the final song--proves just how emotionally extreme their concerts...
Counting Crows left the stage having given an extremely powerful, albeit short 90 minute concert. It was unclear, though, if the band and its fans always operate on the same wavelength. Duritz closed "Round Here" with the song's character Maria asking, "Can't you see me?" He then added his heart-wrenching response, "And I say...no." One fan obnoxiously shattered the moving silence yelling out, "I can't either!" Obviously he hadn't quite gotten the point. But then again, in his defense, maybe he missed the rollercoaster and was just looking for the party that Counting Crows...
...want to be a solo-artist," he says. "We know that we're a band." Duritz says that he could write the most incredible lyrics and music, but without musicians who understand what he has written and who are able to follow his onstage changes and idiosyncrasies, the songs are worthless. "Look at Leonard Cohen," says Duritz. "He's an incredible song writer, but there is no musician talented enough to do justice to what he has written." Some of the music for Counting Crows' songs--such as "Goodnight Elizabeth"--is as simple as four chords, yet he says that...