Those Black Crowes apparently are in quite a hurry to call it quits again. Sunday’s sold-out show at the Minnesota Zoo amphitheater clocked in at exactly 90 minutes, even though it was billed as “an evening with” and could’ve lasted a whole hour more without passing the zoo’s 10:30 p.m. curfew. This was the first time I’ve made it home from a zoo show in time to catch the forecast on TV (the fact that Sunday’s weather was unbeatable made the gig’s brevity all the more disappointing).
As has been the case at nearly all the shows on their 20th anniversary “Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys” farewell-for-now tour, Sunday’s set list reached deep into the discography and largely ignored the hits. The crowd in this case didn’t seem to mind. In fact, some of the most obscure tunes earned some of the more rabid receptions, including the soulful opener “One Mirror Too Many” and the hazy Zeppelin-esque jam “How Much For Your Wings?” The latter might’ve been a hit simply because it featured Rich and Chris Robinson trading off verses (fans love to see them working together harmoniously). “Wiser Time” gave the whole band time to stretch out. “Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love)” was a showpiece for “new guy” Luther Dickinson, whose smooth but impactful guitar work throughout the show made it crystal-clear he should very much be welcomed back whenever the Crowes do get around to returning. Maybe the point of Sunday’s show was to leave us hanging a bit to build the anticipation. Here’s the whole set list:
One Mirror Too Many / Soul Singing / Jam: My Morning Song > Stare It Cold > My Morning Song / How Much For Your Wings? / Bring On, Bring On / Wiser Time / Descending / Jealous Again / ?? / Twice As Hard    ENCORE: Been a Long Time (Waiting on Love) / Remedy