Ravinia 2025 Issue 1

as Hard,” “She Talks to Angels,” “Seeing Things,” and a radical reworking of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” Not only was it an invigorating alternative to the glam- and hair-metal men that were saturating the scene and often accused of favoring image over art, but it helped fortify the foundation of the post-Grateful Dead generation’s burgeoning jam community. Those con- nective qualities were further cemented throughout 1992’s The Southern Har- mony and Musical Companion , which reached double platinum sales certifi- cation fueled by the smashes “Remedy,” “Sting Me,” “Thorn in My Pride,” “Hotel Illness,” and “Sometimes Salvation.” Right as that immensely fruitful season was in progress for The Black Crowes, the Counting Crows were emerging out of the San Francisco Bay Area, debuting locally in 1990 having grown up on a hearty diet of Canada’s Americana-flavored The Band, Ireland’s soulful Van Morrison, universal folk hero Bob Dylan, and, once again, the alternative rock jangle of R.E.M. Come 1993’s landmark introduction, Au- gust and Everything After , the group’s grooves were instantly elevated to superstar status, characterized by the unique combination and application of those muses over the unmistakable voice of frontman Adam Duritz. Singles such as “Mr. Jones,” “Round Here,” “Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman),” “Rain King,” and “A Murder of One” led Counting Crows to open for Dylan and the Stones, become radio regulars amidst the domination of grunge (and fastest sellers since Nir- vana’s game-changing Nevermind ) and earn heavy MTV rotation, where Duritz and his dreadlocks quickly became a visual fixture opposite the generally flannel-centered fashions. Although he was understandably bewildered by the frenzy of fame, that seemingly unstop- pable momentum continued throughout 1996’s Recovering the Satellites as another two million CDs flew off the store shelves, thanks in part to the obvious authenticity of “A Long December,” “Angels of the Silences,” and “Daylight Fading,” amongst others. As the 1990s advanced, The Black Crowes released such explosive evolu- tions as Amorica , Three Snakes and One Charm, and By Your Side , even touring alongside Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page, while Counting Crows reworked its catalogue in both intimate and bois- terous concert contexts throughout the platinum-plus Across a Wire: Live in New York City , kicking off a peri- odic pattern of live recordings, then returned to the studio to infectiously explore This Desert Life . In terms of their lyrical sides, The Black Crowes and Counting Crows always seem to have a knack for tapping into instantly relatable subjects, from the former’s clever knack for addressing the many angles of romance or overcoming various forms of hardship, to the latter’s deeply personal, poetic and observation- al assessments. Along the way, each of these varied and voracious rock revival- ists steadily sold out arenas and amphi- theaters, not too dissimilar in size from the otherwise incomparable Ravinia. The 2000s proved to a bit less prolific, as the music industry’s em- phasis began to shift from album sales to in-person events, yet was no less satisfying of a communal experience. The Black Crowes’ Lions from 2001 was as ferocious as ever and was supported by the enormous, cheekily titled “Tour of Brotherly Love” co-headlined with Oasis, although it was the final chap- ter (outside of a live swansong) prior to a hiatus when the principal players embarked upon their own interests. In spite of an unusually lengthy studio gap, 2008’s Warpaint was succeeded by the mostly new Before the Frost...Until the Freeze a mere year later, which was re- corded in front of a live audience at The Band drummer/vocalist Levon Helm’s studio The Barn. Meanwhile, Count- ing Crows dropped the hit-stacked long-player Hard Candy in 2002, landed “Accidentally In Love” on the Shrek 2 soundtrack a couple years later, then closed out the era with 2008’s Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings , featuring RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JUNE 6 – JUNE 15, 2025 16 PATRICKGIPSON/RAVINIA