“Beneath this graveyard western sky.” – Counting Crows

September 6, 2023

“Beneath this graveyard western sky.” – Counting Crows

Many people, my wife included, think I may be more than a little crazy when it comes to attending Counting Crows concerts. I have seen at least one show from every one of their tours since 1994 and this show at the Palms in Las Vegas was my 108^th time seeing them live in concert. Last year, I saw four shows but was actually feeling a little bit disappointed by the seemingly stagnant set- lists so I decided not to see multiple shows this tour but to focus on one show and make it a good one.

As the summer started and I began seeing multiple reports from trusted friends and fellow crazy…er fans of the band, I immediately started to regret the choice, but I stuck with it, so Vegas was to be my only show. I picked Vegas, even though there were multiple venues that I could have chosen, including a number of much closer shows here in Florida, or shows in Indianapolis or at Red Rocks.

I selected Vegas for two reasons, one it is Vegas and it had been too long since I had been there and two, one of my other favorite musicians was opening for just a few of the West Coast shows, Frank Turner. The opportunity to see two of my favorites in a fun location was all I needed to hear, so I booked a VIP package for two that included attending the sound check and invited my buddy Pat, when Kathy resisted going. 

Pat and I spent the day wondering around Vegas, checking out the scene and enjoying a fabulous meal at the Buffett at the Bellagio before we had to head over to the Palms, which is off the Strip across the interstate and an Uber ride away. People seem to either love Las Vegas or hate it, I love it even though I don’t really gamble much other than placing a few bets on the opening weekend of college football.

It was decent weather, some rain but not the vicious heat that can be a burden. I noticed right away that they have cleaned up much of the grift that was once commonplace on the strip. I did not see a single huckster handing out cards advertising “quality escorts”. There was a time when you couldn’t walk five feet without someone trying to stuff a handful of the cards in your hand. Also thankfully gone were the myriad of comic characters, showgirls and people dressed up in zany costumes trying to get you to pay for a photo with them. It is a welcome change and makes walking the strip much less annoying.

The soundcheck was at 4 PM, so we showed up at the Pearl Theater at the Palms along with about 25 other people to watch the Counting Crows soundcheck. I have attended a bunch of soundchecks and they always fascinate me. Seeing behind the scenes in a relaxed setting as the band works through musical numbers is so cool. No fancy lights or stage craft, just the band playing and working through three to four songs.

This was the best soundcheck I had ever seen, the band played five songs (one twice) and Adam was in the most relaxed and happy moods that I had ever seen him, even pausing to take questions from the small crowd and interacting with us in a way that I had never seen. It was awesome.

After a brief respite back at Mandalay we were back in our front row seats for the start of the actual show as I didn’t want to miss a minute of Frank Turner. I was happy to be surprised by my fellow band friends, Mike and Marsha, who I had not seen in 15 years. They live in California and are as fanatical about the band as I am. I also met some wonderful new friends Vera & Dan and a bunch of other friendly fans.

The show was nothing short of spectacular. Starting with an amazing acoustic performance by Frank Turner and Matt Nasir. I had seen Turner in Cincinnati back in May with the full band, but this was beyond even that incredible show. He played most of my favorites and added in a few new songs that I was not familiar with and it was just great.

Counting Crows were awesome as well, certainly as good as I have seen them in probably ten years and way better than the shows just last year. Adam was in an amazing mood and the set was much improved over the same old thing we were getting last year. The highlight was thye second ever performance of a Taylor Swift cover, “The 1” played on the piano just before “A Long December”. It was a fantastic show and a wonderful evening, so freaking happy that I chose this show.