May 2001, Sunfest, West Palm Beach, Fla.
It was the show I was pretty sure was going to be the Black Crowes last one, not because of internal trouble, but because of electrocution
While the festival is called Sunfest, in 2001 it was Rainfest, and it was coming down hard on this day. There shouldn’t have been a show, the outdoor stage had a roof of sorts, but it didn’t stop the sideways rain from covering the stage, the instruments, the electronics. I was sure a raincheck was in order, but here come the Robinson brothers set to give it a go.
I saw the Black Crowes once before, early in their career. I was living in Atlanta in 1992 and the Crowes played the Great Pot Festival in Piedmont Park to a huge crowd (and a cloud of smoke). I wasn’t close to the stage, and was there more for the atmosphere of it than the band, though there’s no denying Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion aren’t solid albums. Bands don’t last for decades if they don’t make good music.
This show had the Crowes at their rootsy best, eschewing their “hits” and concentrating solely on songs from their recent album (2001 Lions) and Southern Harmony, playing “Sting Me,” “Bad Luck Blue Eyes” and “Black Moon Creeping” from the latter. Chris Robinson embraced the rain, playing to the crowd, while Rich, strapped with the electric guitar, almost dared the rain to kill him. During one long guitar solo, he closed his eyes and just jammed as water splashed everywhere. Crazy.
Being a music festival, there’s always a chance for collaboration, and who would walk on stage 45 minutes in — George Clinton. The master of funk, who Chris would call his grandfather, joined the band on “Young Man Old Man,” then sang his classic “Give Up the Funk” to the delight of the wet crowd. The Crowes ripped into Remedy for good measure, as the rain lifted ever so slightly.
Can you believe the band returned for an encore? It was on song — “Cosmic Friend” — but it proved the Crowes as a band willing to put itself in danger for its fans. I never forgot that.
