Photos by Ryan Swerdlin, Recap by Max Stewart
The Black Crowes are quite possibly the coolest band to come out of the Nineties. They were not part of the grunge, alt-rock, or any other scene that had its fair share of novelty acts that have not aged well. They forged their own path with authentic rock ‘n’ roll inspired by blues, roots, and R&B in a time when that was not really in fashion. In 2021, they are one of the bands whose sound is just as pure as it was in 1991 and it is a pleasure seeing Chris Robinson and Rich Robinson make amends after their years of very public feuds to perform some incredible music for the world.
In their first homecoming show in Atlanta since reforming last year, the band played their debut album Shake Your Money Maker in full (which includes the hits “She Talks to Angels”, “Twice as Hard”, and “Jealous Again”) before pouring through some of their other career staples including “Sting Me”, “Remedy”, “Thorn in My Pride”, “Wiser Time”, and the first performance of “Oh Josephine” since the band called it quits in 2013. Although it was somewhat disappointing to not see original drummer Steve Gorman and guitarist Marc Ford on the bill, it was a true delight seeing the ATL native Robinson brothers performing again with their new touring unit, which seems to be firing on all cylinders. We were very glad that Black Crowes bassist for many years Sven Pipien was on the tour as well, who actually was a roommate to Chris Robinson in their early days living in the Atlanta neighborhood of Little Five Points. The touring band also included stellar support from Isaiah Mitchell (Guitar), Joel Robinow (Keys), and Brian Griffin (Drums).
Such a joyous night listening to the some rock ‘n’ roll under the southern moonlight (we even had an encore of The Velvet Underground‘s “Rock & Roll”). We certainly hope to see The Black Crowes continue this reunion for years to come and hopefully even cut some music in the studio. Because if the past year and half has taught us anything, it is that life is short and we must savor the sweet musical experiences we are gifted with.
