Counting Crows Bring Their Medicine Show to CMAC.
9/6/2009

Instead of your typical concert, the Counting Crows wanted to offer something different to their fans. The concept was the Traveling Circus & Medicine Show and the idea was that instead of an opening act, everyone one would begin the show together on stage.

When the curtain went up the Counting Crows and opening act Augustana swarmed the stage and broke into a wonderful version of Van Morrison’s “Caravan” with all the singers trading verses and playing each others instruments.

Considering that at any time that there could be a banjo, mandolin, backup singers, and guitar players and of course Crows frontman Adam Duritz on stage, the crowd got a sound that was amazingly tight and remarkably potent.

Each act did have their moments to shine as the individual bands, broken into small sets. Augustana’s Dan Layus often wandered around the stage like and awkward kid looking for something to do, but when he step up to the mike he had a sweet sound similar to Bob Dylan. His performance was truly typified on Dylan’s “Just Like a Women” when accompanied by the Crows frontman Adam Duritz.

The Counting Crows are as tight as ever from all the years touring and still bring the hits to the stage every night. The bands biggest hit “Mr. Jones” was a nice touch taking us back some fifteen years.

As the season comes to a close at CMAC, I would like to give Metropolitan Entertainment a quick “Thank You” for a great lineup and hope 2010 bring more great acts to a wonderful venue.