I remember back in 1994 buying the cassette tape for Counting Crows‘ August and Everything After. At the time, “Mr. Jones” and “Round Here” were getting heavy airplay on the local Alternative Rock station, which prompted me to buy the tape, but I ended up falling in love with most every song on the album as it never left the player in my car. When I heard that they were playing a fairly intimate show at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre I jumped at the chance to check them out, 16 years after I first bought that tape.
Friday evening, Counting Crows got together with sketch comedy group Broken Lizard to showcase the Adam Duritz/Broken Lizard co-produced movie Freeloaders. Before the film the Broken Lizard crew and Duritz did some comedy bits/storytelling before introducing it. Written and directed by Duritz’s friend Dan Rosen it was made as a film for them and their friends to enjoy. The screening got a fairly good response from the crowd at the theatre, although I must say the best lines all came from Kids in the Hall alum Dave Foley, playing himself, who stole the show from the cast of relative newcomers.
Counting Crows followed the film with what was billed as a “short set” and ended up being a full performance. Having filmed the video for “Angels of the Silences” at the Ford, Duritz promised the crowd that most of the set would be from the 1996 album Recovering the Satellites, much to the apparent approval of the crowd. Clearly energized from seeing his movie played on the big screen, Duritz ran around the stage manically, playing air guitar and dancing as they plowed through many of their early hits (after working through some early sound problems). At one point during an extended solo he sat on the edge of the stage and took photos with some excited fans before finishing the song from the seated position. All in all a fun, high energy performance that I’m sure most people there will not forget.
Unfortunately they weren’t allowing photographers at the show so we’re photoless, but check out the video for “Angels of the Silences” and just imagine everybody about 14 years older and you can pretty much imagine.
damn… i was hoping there was a vid or trailer of the Broken Lizard movie.