Counting Crows - Arch, St. Louis (July 6/13)

August and Everything After was perhaps the first album I loved front to back, that having been released in 1994. In all those years since I have never had the opportunity to see any of it performed live but all that was about to change, brought to me by America's Independence Day and the great city of St. Louis, Missouri. On the Mississippi's edge we peered as a rousing intro song over the loudspeakers introduced the Counting Crows to  the stage. Without further ado they began their signature song, Mr. Jones. As Adam delivered a wanton vocal performance, smacking gum in a version rather unlike the original I was worried that he was just phoning it in a couple decades later. As the set continued I became accustomed to his interpretive style, as he "walked on a wire in the circus" (amp edge) during Round Here and threw in a long-winded side trail to the same song before bringing it back around. For the acoustic/piano accompanied Colorblind he busted out the hipster chic glasses for an educated look. Outside of the singer the 7-piece band played a solid set around him, accompanying the somewhat loose singing with tight guitar work, some solid drumming including a song beat out on a book, organ, slide guitar and even an accordion. Adam chipped in on the piano for a song or two but primarily held the mic and let his cohorts handle the music itself. Another stunner, not from A & EA, was Long December on which they actually let the crowd sing along to the na na na na's, whereas other singing along was basically useless. Being a pre-fireworks festival show there wasn't an encore per se but they did close out and then give us the American rendition of This Land Is Your Land - actually I guess that was the second singalong. Perhaps the best follow up to the CC set was the nearly immediate beginning of a bursting night sky - even if it was accompanied with Fourth of July themed top 40.