Crows give own wings a clipping

Counting Crows' Adam Duritz is a good bluffer. "I'm tired," the lead singer huffed, two songs into his San Francisco-based band's show last night at Massey Hall. "If you're not, y'all can get up." That ended any trepidation the sold out audience had about letting out their enthusiasm. Duritz must have sensed the energy boiling up but not being delivered. He probably felt a good, old fashioned guilt trip was in order. After all, Counting Crows did have to flail around up there for over an hour, shaking through songs from their latest album, Recovering The Satellites. Duritz actually owed his zealous fans thanks.

It's not often a band as bland as the Crows can turn a staid -- yet acoustically pure -- venue like Massey Hall into the forum for a bare-bones rock concert. That couldn't have happened without all that hooting, hollering, and rebellion from fans, who defied security and mobbed the foot of the stage early in the set.

Security shouldn't be blamed for dozing, as any involuntary member of a Counting Crows audience can attest. The Crows' greatest achievement, other than selling a million copies of their 1993 debut August And Everything After, was being a year ahead of Hootie & The Blowfish on the alterno-easy-listening tip. They seemed to want to break with that easy-listening rep last night. After an inexplicable opening -- playing a recording of The Mamas And The Papas' California Dreaming in its entirety, in the dark -- Duritz and company took a heartfelt-sounding run at the title track to Recovering The Satellites. Their newfound aggressive streak sounded best on the album's lead-off single, Angels Of The Silences. It did the trick in firing up the set, and the Crows settled into mid-tempo for well-played tunes like Daylight Fading, Time, Mercury and Catapult.

Duritz got particularly lively support on the dynamic Monkey. But, as solid as the Crows sounded, it often felt as if they were operating as backup band for the frontman, whose breathy attempts at drama were sincere, but not engaging enough to carry the show. In between the Van Morrison-inspired wailing, the Soul Asylum-inspired power chords, and even the uninspired dullness, something was missing. The Crows have obviously ironed out their playing. They might have ironed out some of their soul in the process.

Sun Rating: 3 out of 5

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