As The Crow Flies brought their 2018 full circle as the band laid down two brilliant performances at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York; the same venue that saw the band take flight for the very first time last spring.
The two shows at that Capitol Theatre to close out the year proved to be somewhat of a validation of what this resplendent band is capable of. The performances this time around were much more fluid and engaging compared to the band’s initial live effort at the venue back in April of 2018.
This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the fact that the members of As The Crow Flies had a six-week tour to not only learn to play the material with one another but also get to know each other personally off the stage as well.
Night one at the Capitol Theatre was a rousing affair that primarily offered fans a selection of tunes that the band had played throughout the course of their inaugural tour.
Chris Robinson set the tone for the Black Crowes love-in from the outset by getting things started with a rousing rendition of the Joe Cocker classic, “Feeling Alright.” The song had the entirety of the sold-out audience singing and swaying in unison with the frontman as he delivered some of his trademark dance moves, while also engaging with the crowd with a few head bobs, peace signs and a myriad of other nods to the faithful in attendance.
The first evening’s initial surprise came in the form of the band’s performance of “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution”, from the often underappreciated Black Crowes record, Warpaint.
The band had largely stayed away from the Crowes’ later years catalogue on their initial tour, thus fans had to be excited that one of the gems from that era found its way to the lighted stage at least one more time.
Admirers of perhaps the most revered Black Crowes record, Southern Harmony and the Musical Companion, surely must have been elated with the remainder of night one’s setlist, as nearly half of the remaining selection of songs performed on the evening came from that very record.
The clear highlight on night one had to be the nearly twenty-minute take on the Black Crowes live staple, “Wiser Time.” The front half of the song featured keys player Adam MacDougall laying down an extended funky jam that seamlessly bled into Marcus King’s jaw-dropping solo.
King, whose own outfit The Marcus King Band, opened up both nights at the Capitol Theatre, is perhaps one of this country’s most inspiring and talented young musicians.
I use the word musician here because the twenty-two-year-old wunderkind isn’t just a generational guitar player, King is also an equally gifted songwriter and vocalist in his own right.
The Marcus King Band’s latest release, Carolina Confessions, is a soulful, blues-driven rock and roll masterpiece that signaled King and his bandmates are destined for greater things throughout 2019 and beyond.
As King’s solo on “Wiser Time” wound down, it effortlessly segued into Audley Freed’s time in the sun. The former Black Crowes guitarist reminded everyone in attendance exactly why he’s one Nashville’smost respected players as well as why superstars such as Sheryl Crow hand pick Freed to tour and record with.
It would be a crime not to mention the talent that former Black Crowes and Gov’t Mule bass player Andy Hess brings to the table as a musician. Hess plays with a thundering force while also possessing a stage presence that adds more to As The Crow Flies live shows than most other bassists could ever hope to emulate.
The band closed out night one at the Capitol Theatre with the Rick Derringer classic, “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo,” a song which had served as the encore on a number of As The Crow Flies initial tour dates throughout the course of 2018.
Although the show seemed to be on the shorter side, fans were buzzing about the night’s brilliance and talking to one another about what night two may have in store as they smiled and danced their way outside of Capitol Theatre’s doors and into the somewhat chilly and damp streets of Port Chester.
Heading into the second evening of Black Crowes music, most die-hard fans were likely hoping for a set list that either featured songs the band had not played the previous night or even ever before.
As The Crowes Flies didn’t disappoint in this regard as most of the songs that were featured on night two fell into one of these two aforementioned categories.
Likely the second evening’s biggest surprise had to be the cover of the Allman Brothers staple, “Revival,” a song the band never played as a collective until New Year’s Eve in Port Chester, New York.
Other highlights included a rambunctious take on the Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash,” soulful renditions of Black Crowes classics such as “Descending” and “Sister Luck,” as well as the one-two punch of Deep Purple’s “Hush” and the Marshall Tucker Band’s, “Take The Highway,”
the later of which served to close out the two-night celebration of the Black Crowes’ legacy at the Capitol Theatre.
It’s impossible to know if As The Crow Flies will ever take flight again. Every musician in the band is tied to a variety of musical projects that would seemingly make it difficult for the band to see the lighted stage again in 2019.
Should the two performances in Port Chester, New York end up being the swan song for As The Crow Flies, the band undoubtedly left their die-hard fan base with a litany of musical memories that should keep them all singing, smiling and dancing for decades to come.
As The Crow Flies 12/31/18
[Video: Relix Channel]
Setlist: As The Crow Flies | Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 12/30/18
Feelin’ Alright, Sting Me, Hotel Illness, Non-Fiction, Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution, Good Friday > Almost Cut My Hair, My Morning Song, Wiser Time, She Talks To Angels, Thorn In My Pride, Sometimes Salvation, Jealous Again, Remedy
E: Rock & Roll Hootchie Koo
Setlist: As The Crow Flies | Capitol Theatre | Port Chester, NY | 12/31/18
Remedy, Sting Me, Twice As Hard, Good Morning Captain, High Head Blues, By Your Side, Siater Luck, Thorn In My Pride, Revival, Descending > Jumping Jack Flash, Wiser Time, (Only) Halfway To Everywhere, Jealous Again, Hard To Handle > Hush
E: Take The Highway