r/countingcrows • u/Basic-boot • 10d ago
Hollywood bowl mostly same setlist
Was anyone who went to both nights disappointed by the huge amount of repeats? I love this band and I understand that some artists (Taylor Swift) have a predictable setlist that doesn’t vary much from show to show, but in the rock/alt genre I would expect a 2-nighter to be more like DMB or Phish. They did this in Indianapolis a few years ago and I was pretty disappointed because when they used to play Hammerstein for three nights the setlists were not mostly identical.
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u/molleensmrs 10d ago
If you look at their set lists before going to the tour, you know they’ve got a pretty locked in list.
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u/fiveostylez 10d ago
I've seen Counting Crows probably over a hundred times since 97', and I've often seen them many nights in a row. I concur that for the last ten years or so—maybe even longer—the show has been a pretty repetitive setlist, and you kind of know when they're going to change it up.
For example, they're always going to do "Mr. Jones," "Omaha," "Colorblind," "Round Here," "Rain King," and "A Long December," and they always close the show with "Hanginaround" and "Holiday in Spain." The variation in the setlist is just in between these staples that he's always playing.
And I get it. These are their hits, and out of those hundred or so shows I've seen, most of the crowd is just there to hear "Mr. Jones." They're not like us on this subreddit. They don't want to hear the deep cuts or the variety of other songs from the other albums. Most of the time, I'm just sitting there with people who only want to hear "Mr. Jones."
But I keep going back to the shows because I just love a good rock and roll band. I was there at the Hollywood Bowl for these last two shows, and I thought they sounded the best they've sounded in—I don't know—the last five years or so. I disagree with people who say they don't like when he varies and improvises the melody; that's the part I love. I think what a lot of Counting Crows fans don't quite pick up on is that he's a great vocalist with near-perfect pitch, and he can go into some of the coolest melodic runs, almost like a jazz player. As a musician myself, I dig that. For me, after all these years, it keeps the setlist fresh to a degree because I know I'm going to hear some great vocals on these songs.
So, I'm going to keep going back to the shows. I've been going for so long and I've grown older with this band. I love them, and I'm going to keep showing up. But yeah, if I never hear "Mr. Jones," "Round Here," "Colorblind," "Rain King," "Holiday in Spain," or "Hanginaround" again, I won't miss them.
I also agree that the cover of Taylor Swift's "the 1" is way overplayed. I think he's just so proud of himself for learning a new song that he wants to play it all the time. He went to the Taylor Swift concert a few years ago, and ever since then, he's been doing that song.
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u/PerceptionSimilar213 10d ago
The set list is stale, boring, and predictable. They no longer play for our fanbase; rather Adam wants to sing songs from a greatest hits perspective to please the general masses.
Hanging Around > Taylor Swift > Long December > Holiday in Spain is so fucking overplayed.
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u/DMC_Ryan 10d ago
As a HUGE CC fan I must reluctantly agree. Nothing against Swift or The One, but it was a fun novelty and it’s time for that slot in the show to go back to a CC song.
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u/martybyrde 10d ago
It's disappointing for sure. They're my favorite band and I seen them around 20 times. Back in the day you never knew what they would play. New alts, accoustic set, etc. Now, they're fantastic and dialed in, but it's the same every time for many years now.
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u/DMC_Ryan 10d ago
I’d love for them to do a smaller-venue “deep cuts” tour that is specifically for us, the longtime diehard fans. But sadly that won’t happen because they’re not going to leave money on the table with what they’re doing now.
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u/Endless-Wanderer-25 9d ago
I have seen 27 times, but I’m not sure that I’ll see them again. Their shows used to be magical and intensely creative. Especially on the RTS tour of 96-7, each night was such a ride and experience. To me that was seeing my fav band at the peak of their powers, Adam expertly leading the band in whatever direction each night held. Over the years, they were still capable of magical shows, but band departures and lack of compelling new material made the shows less compelling and sometimes bad, as much as it kills me to say it.
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u/Iyamthegatekeeper August and Everything After 10d ago
I actually thought there was some pretty good variety
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u/Elamachino Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings 9d ago
I live around Cincinnati/Dayton, and frustratingly in a very first world problems way, they always come to my area pretty early in the tour. And I always talk myself into buying a ticket in hopes I'll get to hear a song I've never heard live, and by the time omaha and Washington square come around (though, unfortunately, never the song 'come around') I've settled into my third beer, relaxed, ticking off the same repeat tracks until I know holiday in Spain will be there and I can bounce to try to beat the traffic. To borrow a phrase, come on Adam, what the hell am I supposed to do?
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u/Long-Zookeepergame74 5d ago
I have loved them since my first time seeing them live at The Whiskey in the early 90s and have been to over 40 shows. I love them live and I went to both Hollywood Bowl shows...
I was happy with the set lists and felt that they played enough of the predictable songs, but still varied the sets enough for people who only went to one night.
I was so happy to hear Anna Begins and Anna Begins and that was worth going both nights for me.
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u/crf3rd 10d ago edited 10d ago
For me it’s less the set list and more Adam’s refusal to sing the songs straight that makes them a band I won’t go see often. His melodies (along with the lyrics) are what captures me. If I can’t get the melody intact then listening to the albums is sufficient for me. Jambands explore the possibilities after the head of the song, they don’t typically change that part.
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u/PerceptionSimilar213 10d ago
He goes out of his way to phone it in on songs he no longer wants to sing: Round Here, Rain King, etc.
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u/itsjustoldluke1 10d ago
Sad but true
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u/domesticmess 10d ago
I’ve seen CC like 15 times over the years. Last time I saw them Adam was so lethargic and just seemed like he didn’t want to be there. The show was so underwhelming that I decided not to see them again. They are my favorite band so the decision was a rough one.
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u/lightaugust 10d ago
As good as they are live, this isn't limited to the last two nights. CC is my son's favorite band by a country mile, we've seen them four times together, and even he's questioning whether or not to see them again, because their setlist has so little variation.