Crows Are Classic

Sunday night, Counting Crows performed as if they were putting on a show for thousands of their closest friends. Maybe it was because there was family in the audience, or maybe it was because Wilmington was the first stop on their summer tour, but the band looked rested and sounded tight. A fitter, happier Adam Duritz (oh snap, accidental Radiohead reference) sang his way from one end of the stage to the other, connecting with fellow band members and the screaming audience. Not content to hold court front and center, he sang lyrics from atop speakers and seemed to be having a damned good time doing so.

We were pleased with the beginning of the show, which, though it wasn’t our friend’s victory song, was the title track from our favorite album, Recovering the Satellites. The set list meandered through the band’s catalog, with selections ranging from August and Everything After that we’d never seen performed live before to the crowd-pleasing Dead cover "Friend of the Devil."

Before the last song, Duritz came out and implored the audience to exercise the right to vote. Check out the video above. More information about the band's community outreach program is available here.

For this Phillyist, Counting Crows are a band that marks a certain time in our life. A time we think of fondly. So no matter how many times we’ve heard the songs, in the many different incantations in which they exist, they just never get old. It’s always a good time. Classic.