Written by Susie Salva
Counting Crows has released the simultaneous CD/DVD and Blu-Ray discs of August and Everything After – Live at Town Hall on Eagle Rock Entertainment. The DVD/Blu-Ray are the first-ever video releases from this acclaimed indie rock band and all formats of this release feature the complete album from top to bottom. August and Everything After is performed live with extended running times and a few surprises.
The Town Hall is the perfect location for the Counting Crows to perform the entire album in a live setting. Adam Duritz’s signature scratchy, sultry vocals are showcased on these releases on the three formats. Starting off with their signature song Round Here and the much improvised track of Raining In Baltimore you will find this on the high quality video presentation. Wearing the first of three of his vintage T-shirt’s sporting KISS across his chest he sputters the lyrics and is comfortable on stage. Omaha is greeted by thunderous applause as the audience sang along on this track with the accordion played along in the background.
Performing probably their biggest hit Mr. Jones Duritz lets the audience in by admitting that the band was not that good at being a band where at one point they killed one another. The theatrical performance of Anna Begins found Duritz in a comfortable stride. The band performed a stirring rendition of Rain King. It was when Duritz let the crowd in to the story behind Sullivan Street when he was dating a girl whose Mom was a strong Catholic and wouldn’t let her daughter spend the night with him. So he knew it was over soon and they parted ways. The band rounded off the set by singing Ghost Train and A Murder of One.
The DVD/Blu-Ray included an interview with Adam Duritz and Charles Gillingham. Duritz explained that they were an indie band in the ‘90’s and the band was on the road with no songs at the beginning at all. Round Here was performed on Saturday Night Live and the song summed up the Counting Crows. That’s when they know that they were onto something.”That song was what makes us different,” explains Duritz. “We put out there a singer (Adam Duritz) and left him totally naked,” says Gillingham. Duritz talks in this interview about how the band couldn’t get the songs to sound great at first. “We had to learn to play together and all be in the same room to play together.”
Both expressed that the band has to be democratic and be collaborative. Durtiz also explained that the songs came together when he wrote the lyrics and the band had to play them all together. He also dispels the idea that his lyrics are not poetry and that a decision has to be made and it turns out that he has to be the decision maker. He says he and the band never tire of singing the songs that made them what they are.
Another thing is that the band is known for their ability to improvise on the music that they perform. “When the improvising is good we know where he is going and we follow that idea to a conclusion,” says Gillingham. “There is this kind of stream of consciousness especially on the song Round Here. Duritz also explained the bands decision to perform the August and Everything After album. The band was becoming more comfortable doing that album top to bottom and decided to do the recording of it on video and somewhat do the songs that were familiar to the fans to celebrate the 18th year anniversary. August name was selected because it was the month that Duritz was born.
Counting Crows’ debut album August and Everything After was released in late 1993 and went in to sell over seven million copies in America. On September 18, 2007 the band came together to perform the complete album live at the Town Hall in New York City. This one night stands supreme in the mind of the band members themselves as one of the greatest nights performing the entire album with passion and precision complete with jam-worthy elongated portions.
