Counting Crows & Live 8/17/18 Mansfield, MA

(*WARNING* Explicit Language)

Counting Crows are calling their 25^th anniversary tour, Twenty Five Years and Counting. I wasn’t going to go because there weren’t any dates near upstate NY and concerts these days are expensive before adding traveling and hotels to the mix. But, I had taken some days off from work for some plans that ultimately fell through and decided to take a look at the tour schedule on somewhat of a whim. There were two dates that would have fit into my schedule and I checked out ticketmaster to see what seats were still available only days before the show. There was a lonely 6^th row seat at Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, which was enticing, so I started to plan out an adventure.

On Friday, August 17, 2018 (it’s always apropos to see Counting Crows in August, isn’t it?), I packed up my car with blankets, a pillow, snacks, water, and a change of clothes. I plugged Mansfield into the GPS, dialed up Counting Crows on Spotify, and started my car… then, I ran back inside because I had forgotten toothpaste. I had also forgotten my camera, but I didn’t realize that until I was about forty five minutes into the drive. Obviously, I didn’t turn back. Luckily (and surprisingly), my iPhone took really good pictures!

It was mid afternoon on the day of the show and I still hadn’t bought my ticket. I checked ticketmaster every 30 minutes to see if any first row seats would get released last minute like they do at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center). There is no orchestra pit at Xfinity Center like at SPAC, so I wasn’t sure if they would withhold some seats like SPAC does. I took the risk for the potential of a high reward.

The drive was fine. I sang along to songs that I hadn’t heard in a long time. The sun peaked out from behind gray clouds from time to time. It sprinkled on occasion (it’s always apropos to see Counting Crows on a rainy day, isn’t it?).

I had lunch before setting out and snacked on some trail mix while driving. I planned on stopping at a mall or store before pulling into Xfinity Center to pick up a couple battery operated fans and to get some dinner; once I pulled off the last exit, however, traffic was being diverted directly into the Xfinity Center parking lot or not and I missed my chance to get into the “not” lane due to the heavy traffic and not really knowing where I was supposed to be going. I proceeded to travel through a maze of orange cones until finally being directed into a parking spot. I thought about leaving right away to get dinner and a fan, but there was no way to get out once parked. They parked us all in tight! What if I had kids and there was an emergency and I needed to leave? “Sorry. You’re just going to have to enjoy the concert first.”

(I also saw Live open for Counting Crows at SPAC 18 years ago!)

The forecast showed no rain until midnight and I hoped that it would hold off until then. It was about 6pm. I spotted a small hut that was selling water, soda, hot dogs, and burgers. I bought a hot dog there because I was hungry and I was thinking about waiting another hour to see if any first row seats would show up on ticketmaster before going in to the venue. I sat down on a small grassy spot amongst a few trees and waited. The hot dog was pretty “meh” but it held me over.

At 6:45, I decided it was too close to the concert for any more seats to show up, so I went to the box office and bought that lonely 6^th row seat that I had seen earlier and was, shockingly, still available. I went inside the venue and searched for a beer. 

Xfinity Center is much like SPAC in that it is essentially an outdoor venue with a large pavilion covering most of the seats. There was also a lawn area behind the pavilion. I like pavilion concerts. You get the cool outdoor breeze without the concern of being rained on.

I paid a lot of money for a very large can of beer and stopped to take a picture of my minifig and my ticket. A random couple struck up a conversation with me about Live, who was opening the show. To be honest, I wasn’t really excited about Live. I mean, I liked them in the 90s and listened to Throwing Copper A LOT back in the day. I enjoyed seeing them live a couple times long ago, but I really didn’t feel the need to see them again. Apparently, their lead singer left the band and the male half of the couple that struck up the conversation with me was wondering if he was back. I mused aloud that I didn’t think Live could be Live without him, but – apparently – Live was Live without him for several years. I didn’t know.

When it was almost 8, I went to the pavilion to find my seat. At this point, the pavilion was sparsely populated, but groups of people were milling about waiting for the show to start before going in. As I showed my ticket to ushers at various check points and was directed on to the next, I looked around at the venue, the stage, etc. Aretha Franklin passed away the day before and her greatest hits were playing. I smiled as my level of excitement grew. I felt like dancing and was likely half hopping as I moseyed closer and closer to my seat. It has been years since I last attended a concert of this size.

I passed the last check point and found my row. The stage was SO close! By now my smile threatened to break my face in two and I laughed out loud as I counted the seats down to seat 26. The phrase, “Fuck yes!” escaped my lips as I considered how lucky I was to get this fantastic seat only hours before the show. Reason #459191001 why doing things alone is awesome: You can get a better seat than if you needed to buy two together.

I looked around at all the seats that were behind me and to the sides. The pavilion at Xfinity Center very much felt like the Pavilion at SPAC. To better describe what happened next, allow me to take you down to my perspective:

The lights go down as a gentle breeze wafts through the open air pavilion. There are screams and shouts of excitement, as well as, whistles and clapping. A moment later, some guys walk out on to the stage. Do I recognize them? It has been almost two decades since I’ve last seen the guys from Live. The volume of the screams, shouts, whistles, and claps increase in a wave as the guys pick up instruments. I smile and nod as I note that the lead singer appears to be Ed (the lead singer of Live that I recall from years ago).

The band begins to play something unrecognizable. It is a somewhat undulating and dark jam. I holler out, “Heyooooo” and take a sip of my beer. And then… without warning… the lights flash in a near blinding burst, the drum tempo picks up, and the unrecognizable music suddenly erupts into an overdriven and familiar riff… and... my eyes widen in shock for a brief moment before I completely lose my shit. Imagine, if you will... a glass thermometer in which the mercury is simmering around 70/75 degrees Farenheit. The thermometer is now held over a fire and the mercury starts to climb slowly at first for a moment and... then it suddenly leaps the rest of the way until it explodes out of the top – shattering and splattering a silvery slime everywhere! That thermometer, at that moment, measures my level of excitement. I slowly raise my hand in the air and scream at the top of my lungs, “WOOOOOOO!”  The riff plays through a second time and the guitars quiet down. There is a single strum as Ed steps up to the mic and sings, “Our love is... like water…” except it is not simply Ed’s voice that I hear. I hear my own and I find that I am singing as loudly as I can. I hear a chorus of voices in the crowd singing along as well…

“… pinned down and abused for being strange.

Our love is no other

Than me alone for me all day.

Our love is like water…

Pinned down and abused… hey-ey-ey…

All over you, all over me.

The sun the fields the sky-eye-eye.

I’ve often tried to hold the sea.

The sun, the fields, the ti-ee-ide.

Pay me now. Lay-ey-ey me down. Oh-ohhhh-oh yea…”

As I recall that moment, I am filled with excitement again. I hadn’t heard the song (“All Over You”) in years, but I sang every word, including when Ed put his hand up to his ear, signaling the crowd to sing louder, nearly acapella, for the last verse. Band members were smiling happily. Ed looked exactly the same as I remembered him – and fit! Most of the other band members had big guts. I smiled as I sang along and half danced, half bounced to the music. I was suddenly 17 years old, sitting in my room, playing my guitar along to the album with moody lighting. That initial moment of Live’s opening was one of those moments that you just live for. I will never forget it. It set the pace for the whole the concert. I have been thinking about it ever since. I happened to be looking for a review of the concert online and came across a video that someone had taken of that song, as well as, many others. The angle seemed pretty familiar and, well – look at that – there I am down in the right hand corner bopping along. You can see my moment of shock as the lights flash and I recognize the riff. You can see me slowly raising my arm into the air and can clearly hear my "Wooo!"
(You can click on the little thing in the bottom right corner to enlarge the video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6neuD0oZjo

When the song ended, Ed announced that they were going to play a new song. Obviously, I hadn’t heard it and so the excitement died down. Still, I enjoyed most of their set.

They played “Selling the Drama,” which is probably my favorite (“All Over You” is probably my second favorite). They played “I Alone,” which is probably my fourth favorite. "Top," which they did not play is probably in the third favorite spot. They played a few songs from the album that came after “Throwing Copper.” I recognized “Dolphin’s Cry” and “Lakini’s Juice,” although I don’t really care for either of those songs or the album.

The intro to “White, Discussion” came on and, while I like the song a lot, I had to pee like crazy and I had finished my beer. I quickly made my way out of the pavilion and through a maze of people and beer carts until I found the bathroom. On my way back, I stopped at one of the beer carts and bought another really expensive, really big beer. The merchant asked for my ID. After I handed it to her, she asked me if I had lost weight. I said that I had and that I was surprised that it showed so much in my face. She said she could tell. I thanked her for the compliment and my beer and walked as quickly as possible back to my seat.

Ed was the only one on stage when I returned and he had an acoustic guitar. He played “Heaven” solo. It is a cute song about the birth of his daughter.

He asked us to hold up our "lighters," which he then clarified to mean our cell phones. He had a warm smile on his face as he sang the entire song. Then he played “Turn My Head” and was joined by the lead guitarist who played a solo on the electric.

The rest of the band came out and they ended their set with “Lightning Crashes.” For some reason, the tone of the lead guitar was off. It was weak. I wonder if there was supposed to be some overdrive that was missed. It just didn’t have the same push that “All Over You” or “I Alone” had. “Lightning Crashes” is one of those songs that’s great, but has been so over played that it’s hard to listen to. Of course, the entire place – including me – sang along; but, I really didn’t need to hear it.

Ed mentioned once or twice during the set that he was really happy to be playing music with his friends from middle school. During solos, he walked around to the band members and put his arm around their shoulders. It was really sweet.

In between Live and Counting Crows, I noticed a guy who was sitting a row up from me had Live’s set list. I asked him if I could take a picture of it. I shook the man’s hand and told him that I was jealous.

After a brief intermission, the lights darkened and a moment later, Counting Crows took the stage. I stood right up and Charlie (piano, accordion) started banging a familiar riff on the piano. They opened with “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby” – a song I pretty much know by heart. While singing along, people came to sit in the seats to my right, which had previously been vacant. A tall, big, bald man was directly to my right and a tall blonde female to his right. The man was singing along as well. We happened to notice each other singing and so we saluted each other with our beer cans. Throughout the show, we caught each other singing along to familiar tunes and bonded while singing together. There is something particularly odd about singing along to emotional Counting Crows songs with a big tough looking man. Singing along with people is always a beautiful experience. I must find ways to do it more often…

"Hey Mrs. Potter won't you... TALK.TO.ME"

At some point during the show, Adam Duritz explained that he had a hangover from going out in Boston with friends the night before. The man next to me explained that he was one of those friends. He explained that he owns a winery and was Adam’s wine guy. He showed me a picture of his female companion with Adam Duritz. He said that just before the show, Adam warmed up his voice for 45 minutes while they were present. At one point, they left their seats for a bit.

They returned a while later and the man handed me a Corona in a glass bottle. He said he got it from the band’s cooler back stage. I am kicking myself for not asking him if he could introduce me to the band. I feel like I missed an opportunity… Although, what would I say to them? "Adam, I was often accused of being 'too emotional' and... well, you made being too emotional seem like it was okay. You made me feel like I was okay." And then I would hug him... prolly a little to emotional, though...

Anyhoo, the Crows sounded great. They played a lot of familiar songs (really, most of their songs are familiar to me at this point). The highlights for me were “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby,” “Hanging Around,” and “Miami,” which was particularly haunting with a story that Adam told in the middle of the song about a break up. They were all great to sing along to. “Catapult,” “Omaha,” “Anna Begins,”  and “Rain King” sounded great and were fun to sing along to as well.

Before “Omaha,” Adam talked about how he and the band chose some instruments and stood around in a circle playing a progression until it sounded right. Days later, it became “Omaha.”

“Round Here” and “Long December” were familiar songs that I really didn’t need to hear again live, but sounded good none-the-less. “Goodnight LA” was a nice piano tune. I was really surprised that they ended with “Holiday in Spain,” which is a lovely song, but not one I would pick as the “thank you, good night” song. I really wanted to hear “Come Around” and “Daylight Fading.” I would have traded “Colorblind” and “Wish I Was a Girl” for either of those. 

"I step out the front door like a ghost into the fog..."

(Charlie manages to make playing the accordion bad ass!)

When they finished and walked off the stage, I kept hollering and prepared for the encore. The lights in the venue came on and people began filtering out. There was a clock on stage beneath the piano and I could see that it said 11:00pm. Don’t concerts typically go to 11:30pm? I noticed someone had the Crows’ set list. I snapped a picture of it and saw that Hanging Around was the last song before a three song encore. I really don’t recall the band leaving the stage after Hanging Around. I later learned from friends at work that noise ordinances are usually enforced at 11:00pm during the week and 11:30pm on weekends. It was Friday and so I would expect that 11:30pm would be okay. Apparently, not. I’m disappointed in people who feel the need to limit fun. I mean, seriously – if you are the person who suggests that concerts end at 11:00pm, how do you live with yourself? If you live near a concert venue and took part in advocating for the 11:00pm ordinances, why the hell didn’t you just move? Why do we expect the world to bend to our individual needs? Our heads are so far up own asses that we can’t see the world around us, we can’t experience life through others’ eyes. And it’s bullshit. Additionally, why the hell are concert venues being built in residential areas? Ya know what? There was hardly anything around Xfinity Center! Lots of trees everywhere, likely blocked the sound from traveling too far. I’m digressing. Seriously, though: fuck you, happiness killers. Fuck you.

When it sank in that the Crows weren’t going to play anymore, I walked closer to the stage. I begged, in a horse voice from all the singing, to some guys to give me a guitar pick. One sort of tossed one in my direction like he was tossing scraps to a dog. I leaned down and picked the pick up off the ground. Then, I turned and meandered my way out of the venue. A short, pierced and mohawked man with a hipster mustache struck up a conversation with me as we walked out of the pavilion. He said he attends many concerts and has seen Counting Crows several times. We talked a little bit about past concerts. He introduced me to his female friend. We talked more about concerts for another twenty minutes at least. I was pretty buzzed from the two huge beers and the random Corona that I hadn’t been expecting, so I needed time to be okay to drive. After saying good bye to my new friends, I started walking toward my car. By now, the parking lot was nearly empty. There were two vehicles besides my own in the section where I was parked. A group of five or six was standing at the back of an SUV/truck sort of thing next to a grill. They hollered at me asking if I wanted a cheeseburger. “Yes, I do,” I said, happily. They were out of burger buns, but gave it to me in a hotdog bun, which was fine. It was a delicious burger and I was actually quite hungry as all I had had for dinner was that hot dog hours ago. We talked about the concert. Another random man walked by and a burger was offered. He declined, but hung out for a bit. One of the women complained that Adam talked too much. The new guy loved that Adam told stories. I sided with him.

One of the men gave me shit for being a New Yorker and, likely, a Yankee fan. He was obviously a Boston fan and had one of those thick Bahstan accents. They didn’t have anything to drink that wasn't alcohol, but the new guy had some water in his car. He ran and got me a bottle. I finished my burger and the group had packed up their things. We all said “good bye” to each other and I thanked the group for the burger and new guy for the water.

It had begun to sprinkle gently as I walked to my car in the now deserted lot. I leaned against my car for a moment and let the cool rain drops splash my glasses and face as I drank from the water bottle. Eventually, I got in my car and started to check the internet for hotels. It was after midnight at this point and I learned that I would be unable to book a hotel for this night online. I decided to plug “home” into the GPS and find a rest stop to park and sleep at. About 30-40 minutes later, I found one. It was raining more strongly now, so I was unable to open my windows more than a crack. And I didn’t get a chance to buy a fan, which meant that it got pretty warm in my car pretty quickly. I couldn’t sleep. After about an hour, I gave up, went into the rest stop building, bought a coffee and some munchkins from Dunkin’ Donuts, went back to my car, and drove home. About an hour later, I started to feel too tired and, despite only having an hour to go, I pulled into another rest stop. The rain had stopped and I was able to leave the windows open a little wider. I napped for a few hours. When I woke, I was groggy as hell. As the sun rose, the temperature was getting warmer, which would have made it hard to sleep again. So, I drove that last hour home. I didn’t even unpack the car. I dragged myself inside and crashed on my bed for a few more hours. It took me a couple days to fully recover from the lack of a good night’s sleep. I think fans would have helped me sleep at that first rest stop. Next time, I will have fans.