BLACK CROWES – LIVE – HARTFORD HEALTHCARE AMPHITHEATER

Local Scene

2022-07-05

BLACK CROWES – LIVE – HARTFORD HEALTHCARE AMPHITHEATER

The last time I saw the Black Crowes they didn’t play any of their hits and vocalist Chris Robinson spent a good portion of the night yelling at the audience for the lack of enthusiasm. C’mon Chris we want some hits. This time out at the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater, the band did not disappoint.

My friend Nancy likes to be close to the action and although I’ll sit anywhere to see a show, the closer the better, so we upgraded the tickets. We had two floor seats and I’m glad we did. The band came out on fire with “Twice as Hard” and “Jealous Again”. The crowd was on their feet and singing along from the get go. It was good to see guitarist Rich Robinson singing and playing alongside his brother again.

“Sister Luck” was next, followed by “Could I’ve Been So Blind” and “Seeing Things”. Chris Robinson then led into “Hard to Handle” by thanking Otis Redding. Until that moment neither Nancy or myself realized that it was a cover song after all these years of listening to the Black Crowes sing it. “Thick N’ Thin” played and then I broke out the camera for some video of “She Talks to Angels”, one of my favorites. “Struttin’ Blues” showcased bassist Sven Pipien’s nimble fingers and Brian Griffin’s booming drums.

“Stare It Cold”, “My Morning Song”, “High Head Blues”, “Wiser Time”, and “Thorn in My Pride” were followed by main set closing number “Remedy”. The band returned for a one song encore, a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Rocks Off”. A great show and a happy Chris Robinson made for a great night in Bridgeport. The rest of the touring members included Isaiah Mitchell (Guitar) and Joel Robinow (Keyboards) .

Howlin Rain, a psychedelic, blues rock band from Oakland opened the show. The little I saw of them was outstanding. This is where I have a bit of an issue with the Amphitheater. The ticket and website both said show was starting at 8. Nancy and I went to Bridgeport Brewport before the show. I will give them a shoutout, great pizza, huge salads and cold beers.

We wanted to see Howlin Rain so we left to get in our seats by 8. The band started well before then because the music was filling the night sky on our walk over. Wish I heard more of the set. Howlin Rain is Ethan Miller (Vocals, Guitar), Jeff McElroy (Bass), Dan Cervantes (Guitar) and Justin Smith (Drums).

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