The Black Crowes

American Music Festival
5th Street Stage
Virginia Beach, VA
September 6th, 2009

The Black Crowes headlined the American Music Festival in Virginia Beach on Sunday night, bringing their soulful blend of gospel infused blues and straight forward rock & roll to the massive, beachfront 5th Street Stage. Lead vocalist Chris Robinson, sporting a lengthy beard and looking as shaggy as ever, wasted no time getting down to business when he led the band into “Good Morning Captain”, the first song from the Crowes’ latest offering, “Before the Frost…”. At first, you could forgive Chris and brother/guitarist Rich Robinson for their lack of crowd interaction as the band attempted to squeeze as much as possible into their allotted two hour set time (according to the festival's schedule anyway). For a band accustomed to spending a 3rd of that time jamming on one song, this was no small feat.

If you’re familiar with the Black Crowes, you know that their set lists change from show to show, so you never know what you’re going to get. They’re just as likely to break into an obscure (to the casual fan) track like “Nebakanezer” off their 1996 album “Three Snakes and One Charm” as to play their most well known hit, “Hard to Handle”. Tonight, the Crowes raced through favorites like “Soul Singing”, “Wiser Time”, “Jealous Again” and “Remedy”, while leaving plenty of room in their set for cuts off their new album like “Appaloosa” and “I Ain’t Hiding”. The band even found time for Rich and somewhat new guitarist (as of 2007) Luther Dickinson (also the vocalist/guitarist of the North Mississippi Allstars) to show off their unbelievable chops during an extended jam session on “Poor Elijah – Tribute to Johnson”. Likewise, drummer and only original member outside the brothers Robinson, Steve Gorman gave the rest of the band a breather by pounding his way through an impressive solo. The rest of the Crowes ever changing lineup, currently rounded out by bassist Sven Pipien, keyboardist Adam MacDougall and a duo of unbelievable sounding gospel singers, were equally impressive.

The set was all over too soon though and as great as the Crowes sounded, the Virginia Beach crowd (myself included) was left feeling somewhat unsatisfied, as was evident from the smattering of boos that could be heard when the band failed to return to the stage for an encore. When the house lights came up after the final notes of “Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love)”, it was like a rude awakening for the crowd who were anticipating a much longer set. Whether it was a Virginia Beach curfew to blame is unclear, but for a band who typically play sets that are nearly double the length of this one, the early ending was a real disappointment. The real shame is that you got the impression that the Black Crowes were just getting warmed up.

Having seen this band multiple times in the past, I know that they are typically much more interactive with their audience. This set reeked of a “business trip” mentality for the boys from Atlanta...a get in and get out type of affair. The enthusiastic crowd deserved at least a “thanks for coming out”, but had to settle for a subtle wave goodbye from Chris Robinson as he left the stage (after an hour and a half). Don’t get me wrong, I love the Crowes and will certainly go see them again, but perhaps they would do well to remember who pays their bills.

Set list:
Good Morning Captain
Soul Singing
Wiser Time
I Ain't Hiding
Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution
Appaloosa
Poor Elijah - Tribute To Johnson
Thorn In My Pride
Jealous Again
Remedy
Thick N' Thin
Been A Long Time (Waiting On Love)

Heart

American Music Festival
5th Street Stage
Virginia Beach, VA
September 5th, 2009

Legendary Seattle band Heart headlined the American Music Festival on Saturday night. For an hour and a half, they ran through hit after hit after hit, to the delight of the 20,000 plus fans who packed themselves in front of the beachside stage. The crowd roared as the familiar, opening riff to "Barracuda" blasted forth from the amplifiers and set the tone for the evening. It was evident from the start that sisters Ann (vocals) and Nancy (Guitar) Wilson, along with the rest of Heart, were here to rock.

If there was ever any question as to whether Ann Wilson possesses one of the greatest voices in rock n roll history, let it be said that she proved it tonight. And Nancy's guitar playing was unreal as she stormed around the stage, kicking her boots to the heavens as if she were a member of the Rockettes. It's no wonder this band was honored at the VH1 Rock Honors show in 2007 and ranked number 57 on the channel's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock".

Rounded out by guitarist Craig Bartock, bassist Ric Markmann, keyboardist Debbie Shair and drummer Ben Smith, the current incarnation of Heart ripped through mainstays from the 70's like "Crazy On You" and "Magic Man" and 80's power-ballads like "Never", "These Dreams", "What About Love" and "Alone". But make no mistake, Heart weren't content to play the role of nostalgia act. The fact that the band was playing music spanning three decades was hardly noticeable as the timeless songs flowed together seamlessly.

Highlights of the evening included the two Led Zeppelin covers, "Immigrant Song" (with Nancy Wilson on mandolin) and "Going to California", which due to Ann Wilson's vocals, would have impressed the Golden God himself (perhaps Robert Plant should throw in a Heart cover or two on his next solo album). Debbie Shair's keyboard playing was phenomenal and well, entertaining to say the least. She bobbed her pigtailed head up and down and never stopped grinning throughout the entire set. It was evident that she was thrilled to share the stage with such rock royalty.

Music festivals like this one often bring out the one hit wonders and acts that are trying to re-create the magic of a lost era. Heart's inspired set ensured they didn't fall into the latter category and the sheer number of hits certainly proved they weren't part of the former. Here's to hoping Ann, Nancy and the rest of the crew continue doing what they do for another decade!

Cowboy Mouth

American Music Festival
24th Street Stage
Virginia Beach, VA
September 4th, 2009

Cowboy Mouth are one of those rarest of breeds in rock music, the kind who's singer just so happens to also be the band's drummer. You can imagine how difficult it must be to simultaneouly sing, lay down the beats and fills associated with energetic rock music and maintain the kind of stage presence required of a rock n roll frontman. Well let me tell you, if you want to see it done to perfection, then do yourself a favor and go see Cowboy Mouth.

The New Orleans band was in Virginia Beach on Friday night as part of the annual American Music Festival and they provided the laid back beach crowd with a much needed kick in the ass. The aforementioned vocalist/drummer, Fred LeBlanc set the tone early in the set when he left the stage, marched into the crowd, who he was clearly not happy with due to that laid back demeanor, and literally forced them to move closer to the stage. LeBlanc even went so far as to single out one unfortunate attendee who looked a little too comfortable standing in the middle of the crowd smoking a cigar, and dragged him to the front of the stage. He informed us all that "rock n roll is not a spectator sport, it's a participatory event". Preach it brother...I agree whole heartedly!


The band clearly has a personal relationship with their core fans as was evident when those in the know threw red spoons at the band during the song "Everybody Loves Jill". Racing through fun songs like "Joe Strummer" (sample lyric: "why would I wanna be with someone who doesn't know the Clash saved my life...she had to go cause...she didn't know who...Joe Strummer was...Hey!") and the hit "Jenny Says", the band had the crowd jumping, dancing and singing for the entire hour and a half set.

Let me be clear though, Cowboy Mouth is indeed a band and not just an individual. Reginia Zernay did her part on the bass to make that very well understood as she danced around the stage in her white boots, mini-skirt and fishnet stockings, banging her pig-tailed head like a mad woman. Meanwhile, axemen John Thomas Griffith and Jonathan Pretus anchored down the sides of the stage while laying down some serious guitar licks. At times, the band seemed as amused by their singer's antics as the crowd did, laughing along as LeBlanc licked his drumsticks and made comments to the crowd like "I won't bite, but if I do, you'll like it".


By the end of the show, I was left feeling sorry for headliners Sister Hazel. To take nothing away from that band, I would absolutely hate to have to follow a band like Cowboy Mouth, who are clearly at their best in a live setting. As if to express how much they love playing live, Fred explained to the crowd that they would be jumping back in their van at the end of their set to drive to a show in Indianapolis the very next afternoon. Insisting that the crowd live for the moment and put all of their energy into the show, he preached that it isn't about the past because that's over, and it isn't about the future, because that isn't here yet...all you have is right now! As if to drive that point home, LeBlanc explained that he and the rest of Cowboy Mouth would "worry about Indiana when we get to Indiana". How can you not give your all to a band that will be exerting this same amount of energy on a stage 12 hours away in less than 24 hours?

This is my third time witnessing the Cowboy Mouth experience live and each time I've come away with the same mix of feelings and emotions. They truly make you leave your problems at the door and make you simply happy to be alive. At the same time, they make you feel exhausted by watching the sheer exertion that they display onstage. I only wish I could bottle that energy and drink it on Monday morning! If I haven't convinced you to check these guys out yet, then you may not have a pulse. To quote Fred LeBlanc one more time, "the name of the band is...Cowboy Mouth"!