The Black Crowes - Furthur Festival in Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, Irvine CA   

8.3.97


Setlist:

Remedy
My Morning Song
Sting Me (slow)
Tied Up & Swallowed (B-side from Amorica)
Paint an 8 (a song about staying up late)
Shake Your Money Maker
Black Moon Jam > Black Moon Creepin'
No Speak No Slave

This was the first Crowes show I've been to, so I really didn't know what to expect. We had good seats, the first row
of the terrace. The crowd was there mostly to see the Grateful Dead stuff, but the Crowes took it after they got on
stage, the last big act of the festival. I think it's because they weren't really there for seeing the Crowes, so the
audience wasn't too lively. 

They opened with Remedy, and it started with a flash and lots of energy! They varied the song with lyrics, solos, and
extended interludes, which was very nice to hear. Chris Robinson was spectacular on vocals as he had a lot of energy
since he was dancing around and twirling the mic stand around constantly. The keyboards and drum solos of
Remedy were very nice and showed that they are as good and better live than on the CD. My only complaint was that
the vocals were sometimes too low and I couldn't catch all the words since he changed them around for certain
verses. My Morning Song was probably my favorite simply because of the harmonies and the vocal style. Sting Me
was a slow version and it was really cool to hear since it was different than usual. The next 2 songs were cool but i
wasn't too familiar with them. Tied Up & Swallowed i had only heard twice or so, and paint and 8 was new to me. 

After this song he said, "For all the people with fingers in their ears it's not gonna get any less louder.. I'd hate to see
what a bunch of young hippies would do if Jimi Hendrix was playing.. He played &*^^&* LOUD!.. But we love ya!" I
guess they wanted to finish off with a bang, and this show had all the energy you could ask for. 

Shake your moneymaker was a nice straight rock n' roll number, during which a few bodybuilders came on stage and
showed off (for no apparent reason), but it was a good song as well. Black Moon was really different.. I didn't even
recognize it at first and it was really cool since it was very long and showed off all of the band members in solos. No
speak no slave was last.. and another good song. The lighting was good, as well as the smoke.. and set the
atmosphere for the show. You just can't go wrong with the Crowes.. 

But they left in a hurry and I expected an encore, unfortunately which did not happen. Overall it was a great show,
and very fun to go to and if you can try to get a tape from one of the further sets. 

I have read that the Crowes are working on their Fifth album to be released by the end of the year or sometime next
year. 

--Ravi