"This show is fantastic!!! Play it loud. "

"Who are The Black Crowes: a blues-rock combo? A hippy jam band? Classic rock revivalists? For their show at Higher Ground, they were all that and a bag of weed. They've added country blues to their repertoire with the release of their new double album, which sounds like Exile On Shakedown Street. Their two hour set ran the gamut: Stones-y rockers ("A Train Still Makes A Lonely Sound"), skanky electric blues ("Walk Believer Walk"), square-dance hoedowns ("Garden Gate", "Shady Grove"), and fan favorites ("Wiser Time", "My Morning Song"). The only things they left out were all of their monster radio hits from the early 90s, but nobody seemed to notice or care. New-ish guitarist Luther Dickinson has integrated into the lineup seamlessly, and his Gibson Thunderbird mandolin is, as a guy behind me stated, "wicked cool looking". Master of Ceremonies Chris Robinson held it all together in his wide-brimmed scarecrowe hat, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Rich took a turn on lead vocals for their extended take on The Velvet Underground's "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'". No matter what style of music they're playing, The Black Crowes are probably the last great classic rock band out there."