It has been over 30 years since Counting Crows burst on the scene with their Grammy-nominated debut August And Everything After, over the next 3 decades the band has seen a run of strong releases and evolved from an indie rock band into one of the most respected bands in America. Despite not releasing a full-length record since 2014’s Somewhere Under Wonderland, the band continues to fill arenas and stake its claim as a premier live band. On Saturday, July, 13, the band brought along friend James Maddock for a transcendent night at Mohegan Sun Arena. Please scroll down for my Counting Crows review and exclusive live photos!
The evening began with singer/songwriter James Maddock. Maddock, based in NYC and originally from Leicester, England, is known to some Counting Crows fans through his frequent collaborations with David Immerglück, who performed double duty and joined James in his set. Having seen Maddock multiple times in small venues, seeing him on the arena stage was a treat. Tracks like “Another Life” and “Beautiful Now” not only show that he is one of the great songwriters of his generation but helped win over those in the crowd not familiar with his work. If you haven’t discovered James Maddock yet, you owe it to yourself to check him out now.
Counting Crows took the stage at 9:15 and immediately had the crowd on it’s feet with “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby”. The energy from the stage was palpable as the band, Adam Duritz on vocals, guitarists David Bryson, Dan Vickrey, and David Immerglück, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, bassist Millard Powers, and drummer Jim Bogios were in great spirits. The energy hit an early peak when the monster 1993 hit “Mr. Jones” appeared early as song 3 of the night.
Duritz engaged the crowd throughout the night and the crowd responded by singing loudly in the chorus of “Omaha”. As the last notes of “Omaha” rang out, the band began the beautiful “Goodnight Elisabeth”, morphing the song into the Velvet Underground classic “Pale Blue Eyes”. Personally speaking, “Pale Blue Eyes” is one of my all-time favorite songs and on this night, Counting Crows played what could be my favorite version of the song.
Counting Crows tend to dig deep into covers despite having a large catalog. In addition to “Pale Blue Eyes”, the band also covered “Big Yellow Taxi” (Joni Mitchell), “Blues Run The Game” (Jackson C. Frank), and Taylor Swift’s “the 1”. While it always would be good to hear bands with such a rich catalog do their own songs, Counting Crows are masters at taking these songs and transforming them into something that would make you think they were written alongside the band’s own classics.
Counting Crows always has a somewhat fluid setlist, but the Mohegan Sun show saw a few extra special moments. In addition to the first playing of “Pale Blue Eyes” this year, the setlist also saw the tour premiere of “I Dream of Michelangelo” and a slight shakeup in the encore with “Time and Time Again” and “Hanginaround”.
Counting Crows have not released a full-length record in ten years, there was an EP back in 2021, but they continue to tour and celebrate their legacy. Watching them is seeing a band at its peak, they are a well-oiled machine made up of versatile musicians who are more than capable of bringing Duritz’s stories to life. Catching Counting Crows live is a true summer highlight.
