When writing about As The Crow Flies a few weeks back, the author found no predictions or expectations for what this band might sound like. No matter what Chris Robinson says or feels about the band he created these songs with, it is his voice that is synonymous with this music. The Magpie Salute has become an ideal vehicle for Rich Robinson and Marc Ford to rediscover their guitar chemistry and dive deep into the Crowes’ back catalog.
It was interesting to watch Chris Robinson assume the role of frontman again Tuesday night (4/17) at Port Chester’s Capitol Theatre. In fact, it was an absolute pleasure. He might still look like the shaggy Northern California guy, but he couldn’t sing these songs with some of that preening peacock returning. Marcus King and Audley Freed didn’t quite connect on the opening to “Remedy,” as expected on the opening tune of the inaugural tour, but Robinson can really still belt it out.
That’s not to say that there weren’t highpoints on guitar. Marcus King really soared on CSNY’s “Almost Cut My Hair” and put his own stamp on “Wiser Time.” Warren Haynes has recently taken this 22-year-old cherubic-faced kid under his wing and you could hear why. In fact, his “Wiser Time” solo had a familiar stamp on it, as Freed followed it but more than held his own.
Robinson pledged that he’d stick to the Crowes hits, and kept his word. However, the aforementioned “Almost Cut My Hair” was a surprise out of “Good Friday.” The encore, Ten Years After’s “I’d Love To Change The World,” was also a welcome addition that seemed to come out of left field as King did a nice job of honoring the late Alvin Lee on the tune. The set-closer, “Hard To Handle,” also contained the “Hush” coda the Crowes played on their last tour.
Was the show at all lacking? Of course it was. You couldn’t take Rich Robinson and Marc Ford out of the equation and have it not be. But last night reminded everyone of how good Chris Robinson sounds singing these songs. With a second show in Philadelphia tonight, there is no indication that this band will continue beyond their scheduled dates. They will undoubtedly gel as they play more and maybe even reach deeper into the Crowes’ songbook. (“Sister Luck,” by the way, was set listed but not performed.) But even if they had only played last night, they left us with one hell of a sweet sound.
