Coming up with my dream setlist for The Black Crowes was incredibly difficult. I pretty much knew the songs I wanted to include, but they already played most of them live, particularly on their Happiness Bastards tour (part one and two, aka The Reprise), because they love to spice up their shows by throwing in deep cuts (thank the freaking Lord for that). Luckily, I have a few underdogs in my setlist that’ll make things more interesting. As a heads up, no songs from Shake Your Money Maker (1990) are included in my dream setlist because The Black Crowes have been playing that album to death (it’s not their fault, though) and I think it’s overrated. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s adorable seeing Chris and Rich Robinson share a microphone towards the end of “Jealous Again,” but I already got pics of that and I don’t need to hear that song again. I’m ready for the bangers!
This concert will take place at the Pearl Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Friday night of Super Bowl weekend because I can’t afford to travel anywhere else outside of Vegas and Super Bowl weekend was the last time I saw them. The lineup would include Chris Robinson on lead vocals and harmonica, Rich Robinson on guitars, Sven Pipien on bass guitar, Nico Bereciartua on guitars, Cully Symington on drums, Erik Deutsch on keyboards, and Mackenzie Adams and Lesley Grant on female backing vocals. I previously did dream setlists for AC/DC and Def Leppard, so feel free to check out those posts later! With all that said, let’s get on with the music!
I was fortunate enough to hear “Sting Me” live when the band played it this past Super Bowl weekend, but the opening riff is so iconic, and it’s a great song to get the crowd up and moving! Therefore, the band will kick things off with that banging track from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992). After the crowd is energized and ready for more, the band will continue down their sophomore album route with “Black Moon Creeping,” which if you haven’t already, check out their recent Halloween show at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut (they played that song at the show). Once you see The Black Crowes dressed up as skeletons, it’s hard to get that image out of your head, which is not a bad thing!
Afterwards, Chris will say hello to the audience, welcome them to the show, and tell them to try to keep up with the band as they speed through the next song, “Go Faster” from By Your Side (1999). Next up, the band will bring out the big guns with “A Conspiracy,” a banger from Amorica (1994), which in my opinion is one of the heaviest songs they’ve ever done. I’ve been checking out The Black Crowes’ setlists from these past two tours like a hawk and every time I see “A Conspiracy” on there, I slap myself for not being at that particular show because it’s a freaking awesome song! There’s not enough wah-wah guitar playing in the world to satisfy “A Conspiracy.” It’s that good!
I was also lucky enough to hear “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution,” from Warpaint (2008), live when I last saw them, but it sounds fantastic live and like I said in My Top 10 Black Crowes Songs post, it’s the perfect blend between their commercial, radio-friendly sound of their early days and southern blues sound of their latter days. The chorus is insanely catchy and because this track is more laid-back, it’ll give the band a slight rest from the two hardcore bangers they did previously. Then, Chris will talk about Happiness Bastards (2024) a little bit before introducing the next song, “Dirty Cold Sun,” the funkiest song on that record.
Continuing down the funk route, the band will bust out “(Only) Halfway to Everywhere” from Three Snakes and One Charm (1996). Funny story, I only saw the February 9th show of the band’s Super Bowl weekend extravaganza because I was flying home the next night, February 10th. However, a few hours before boarding my flight, I looked up the setlist for the February 10th show and found out they played “(Only) Halfway to Everywhere,” and I almost lost my voice from screaming my disappointment of missing it. The lesson is people, if The Black Crowes are playing the same place two nights in a row, see both shows because they never play the same setlist twice in a row! The next song on the agenda is another one of my personal favorites, “Wee Who See the Deep” from Warpaint. If I’m not mistaken, they haven’t played this one live since 2013. I really hope they add this song in their setlists eventually (and I get to see them perform it) because with Bereciartua covering Luther Dickinson’s sizzling slide guitar parts, he’ll be freaking amazing!
Going back to By Your Side, the band will bust out “Diamond Ring,” a beautiful wedding song that hasn’t been played live since 2001. As mentioned in my Songs with the Same Title – The Black Crowes Edition post, it’s got a gospel feel with the female backing vocals, and it’s lighthearted and upbeat. Moving onto the following album, Lions (2001), we get a monstrous banger with “Midnight from the Inside Out,” which is one of their best album openers overall. I can hear the Shake Your Money Maker fans covering their ears at this point, but I don’t care because it’s my dream setlist! I love the raunchy fuzz guitar work on this track and the fact that the amplifiers are literally on fire.
At around the halfway mark, Chris tells the audience that his brother, Rich, is going to sing a couple of songs for them. But these aren’t covers, oh no, he’s bringing out his own material as he rightfully should! First of the two is “I Know You” from The Ceaseless Sight (2014). I truly believe this one would work well with the audience if Rich were to play it at a Black Crowes show one day because sonically, it sounds amazing and it’s a good rocker. The second song of the two is “Shipwreck” from Flux (2016), another track that I think would work well with the audience because it’s got a memorable hook to die for. I can see why Rich is only doing covers at The Black Crowes shows because if Rich gets to play his material, then that would give Chris a reason to play his material, as well. I know they do amazing covers, but it’d be nice to see Rich’s solo material get the recognition it deserves once in a while.
Anyways, going back to the show, now that Chris had time to recoup and rest his vocals, the band feels confident enough to bring out my favorite Black Crowes song ever, “HorseHead” from By Your Side. Like “A Conspiracy,” this track is freaking heavy, it grooves hard, kicks butt, and Rich’s guitar playing (including his tasteful slide guitar solo) is chef’s kiss! From one weird song to another weird song, the band moves onto “P. 25 London” from Amorica. When I say weird, I mean that in a good way because it’s one hell of a great time and it’s funky as heck! Plus, Chris Robinson on the harmonica is always a blessing.
The next song on the agenda is “Cypress Tree” from Lions. Again, if I’m not mistaken, the band hasn’t played this one since 2013. The entire Lions album is on a whole different level, in terms of creativity, and “Cypress Tree” is no exception. The lyrics are really dark, yet the melody in the verses is really beautiful and lighthearted. This ain’t no sleeper, though, because the chorus absolutely kicks butt! Then, Chris checks in with the audience to see how they’re doing before warning them if they don’t know the next song to ask the person next to them who’s pretending they know it, haha. That leads into “Magic Rooster Blues,” which was never released on any of their studio albums. The only official recording I can find of this song is on the Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy (2007) album.
Upon first listen, I immediately fell in love with the main guitar riff because it’s funky, bluesy, it has a lot of swagger, and I love Rich’s guitar tone for it. With a song like “Magic Rooster Blues,” though, it requires teamwork between Rich and Bereciartua because the lead guitar playing has to complement the rhythm guitar playing. Listen to the difference between Rich and Marc Ford from 2006, and Rich and Jackie Greene from 2013. Ford’s playing is more elegant and classy, while Greene’s playing is more wild and free spirited. Two different lead guitar styles, yet both versions work well. The hardcore Black Crowes fans would absolutely go nuts for this song because it’s an unreleased gem!
Afterwards, Chris jokingly says he’ll take it easy on us for this next number, “Cross Your Fingers” from Happiness Bastards. It’s my favorite track from the record and for a good reason. It starts off with beautiful acoustic and slide guitar work from Rich and Bereciartua, and then, BAM! The drums come in and it’s full-on electric. The lyrics are dark and angry, the main guitar riff is heavy, and Chris sings with anger and lots of swagger.
The band slows things down for the next two songs, “Welcome to the Goodtimes” and “Better When You’re Not Alone,” from By Your Side and Three Snakes and One Charm, respectively. Chris and Rich have performed “Welcome to the Goodtimes” recently for their Brothers of a Feather gigs, and while it sounds gorgeous acoustically, it sounds amazing full-on electric, as well. Ok, maybe not full-on electric, but you get the idea. The chorus is so simple, yet fun to sing along to and let’s be real, we all could use some positivity in our lives! “Better When You’re Not Alone” is one of my favorites from Three Snakes and One Charm because I love the pretty melody and Rich’s backing vocals for it. Like the previous song, “Better When You’re Not Alone” works well both in an acoustic and electric setting. More funky in the latter setting, which is not a bad thing.
For the penultimate song of the night, the band will bust out “She Gave Good Sunflower” from Amorica. A weird choice, yes, but Amorica is a weird album, yet it’s a blast! I don’t even know what it means to give good sunflower, but I love it anyway. Afterwards, the band takes a short break before returning for the encore and I couldn’t leave Before the Frost…Until the Freeze (2009) in the dust, so for a fun surprise, the band wraps things up with “Good Morning Captain.” Bereciartua gets to go nuts on the slide guitar for this one, it’s got a great melody, a memorable chorus, it’s bluesy, and sonically, one of their more mature sounding tracks. Then, the band will bid farewell to the crowd and toss their guitar picks to lucky individuals, before making their exit. Because it’s my dream setlist, I get to catch one of Rich’s guitar picks, so yay me!
And that is how you do a Black Crowes show, people! No hits, just deep cuts and bangers. In total, the show would be about two hours. As mentioned earlier, the band is doing a great job at spicing up their shows with deep cuts, especially this year while promoting their Happiness Bastards album, and I salute them for that. They know how to please the casual fans and hardcore fans simultaneously by mixing in the hits with the deep cuts and rarities. While I have no doubt that The Black Crowes will eventually include a few hidden gems from my dream setlist in their setlists, two Rich solo songs is a bit of a stretch. But hey, a girl can dream, right?!?!
Dream Concert Setlist
1. “Sting Me” from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)
2. “Black Moon Creeping” from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992)
3. “Go Faster” from By Your Side (1999)
4. “A Conspiracy” from Amorica (1994)
5. “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” from Warpaint (2008)
6. “Dirty Cold Sun” from Happiness Bastards (2024)
7. “(Only) Halfway to Everywhere” from Three Snakes and One Charm (1996)
8. “Wee Who See the Deep” from Warpaint (2008)
9. “Diamond Ring” from By Your Side (1999)
10. “Midnight from the Inside Out” from Lions (2001)
11. “I Know You” from The Ceaseless Sight (2014) (Rich Robinson song)
12. “Shipwreck” from Flux (2016) (Rich Robinson song)
13. “HorseHead” from By Your Side (1999)
14. “P. 25 London” from Amorica (1994)
15. “Cypress Tree” from Lions (2001)
16. “Magic Rooster Blues” (not released on any of their studio albums)
17. “Cross Your Fingers” from Happiness Bastards (2024)
18. “Welcome to the Goodtimes” from By Your Side (1999)
19. “Better When You’re Not Alone” from Three Snakes and One Charm (1996)
20. “She Gave Good Sunflower” from Amorica (1994)
21. “Good Morning Captain” from Before the Frost…Until the Freeze (2009)
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Comment below which songs you would add to The Black Crowes’ concert setlist?
Take care and see ya real soon!
Lana
Lana Teramae | Me, Myself and Time 