Counting Crows have told a lot of stories in its many years on the road--the stories of Mr. Jones, Mrs. Potter, Anna, Elisabeth, etc. They are bound to tell a few more this Wednesday when they perform at The Louisville Palace.
The Berkley, California group is on a short winter tour in support of their seventh album, "Somewhere Under Wonderland," but it's their first release of original music in six years.
Drummer Jim Bogios who has been a member of the band since 2002 said new music took a long time because after so long in the band, "our lives change and we've been doing this for so long and people want time for life."
Life was busy this summer as the band was on a summer tour (as they are most summers) playing the songs from all parts of their catalog and previewing a few songs from the new album. Once they album came out, many songs were already popular because of these previews. Bogios said, "The songs were already hot from the road and people could identify with them."
Fans at the show on Wednesday should hear about six or so of the new songs, but I can't tell you which exactly because Counting Crows take pride in tweaking their setlist every night. Beyond what seems to be a consistent encore of Palisades Park, Rain King, and Holiday in Spain, every spot and song is up for grabs. Bogios said that's the only way he could play on a tour.
"If you are doing the same show every night, you don't know if you had a good show or a bad show," Bogios said. "You just had a show."
Sometimes not only do the setlists change but the songs themselves can take different shapes and sounds. That is usually attributed to two things: musical improvisation and the imagination of lead singer and songwriter Adam Duritz.
Bogios said the band is all about being right there on the stage in that song and place. "You just have to be in the moment and try to capture a moment on tape," he said. Sometimes those moments last 14 minutes long. Some songs can stretch into the length of three or four so the band finds out where they can take them.
"There are parts where it might be uncomfortable, but that's when the magic happens, when you put yourself out there to fail," Bogios said.
They are constantly putting themselves on that limb to fail. A lot of the time that starts with Duritz who loves to walk a metaphorical wire in his lyrics, sound, and stage presence, willing to fall or find the right step and keep balance.
Bogios said, "I've gone to a way deeper place with Adam than I have with any other singer by far."
Don't try to sing along with Duritz Wednesday. It may prove to be too difficult. Duritz finds his own melodies each times he sings a song even if its one he has been singing for over 20 years. It's all in that unique concert mentality. "You never know when he's going to take a left turn and that's awesome," Bogios said.
Regardless of what it is that they are playing on the stage, Bogios said every night every ounce of creative energy is poured out from all seven members of the band. Counting Crows plays many shows every year but Bogios says they don't have bad shows. Why?
"We won't allow it."
Counting Crows play The Louisville Palace this Wednesday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. Twin Forks opens. Tickets are $41, $52, $58, $69, and $101.
