And back to the concert. The opening-opening band Boom Forest has to be one of the strangest I've ever seen. There was only the lead singer who could play guitar but only played on one song (?) and a drummer.

The rest of the "band" was a keyboard backing track. WTF? Is this a new trend now instead of actually producing music? I was around in the 80s and 90s when keyboard, MOOG, and synth were the rage. Even then they had a keyboard player.

Then Live took the stage. They're one of the bands I regretted not seeing back in the 90s when they were big, and they ROCKED hardcore. Ed can't reach the high notes that he did a decade ago but they've rearranged the songs to compensate for that, and you could tell they put everything into the performance. I would see them again in a heartbeat, not just because I love them and their music but because they put on an awesome show. I would have loved to hear Run to the Water, but judging by the past setlists on this tour they don't do it anymore.

Counting Crows. *sigh* I've been a decades long fan and have seen them probably 10 times. This was one of their most lackluster shows, emphasized by the absolutely energizing performance of Live right before.

I appreciate the storytelling aspect, but Adam was just enervated, walking through the songs, and changing the tempo and phrasing to a point where Anna Begins was almost unrecognizable. Unless you're a devoted fan you wouldn't recognize it. There were a few lyric changes working on the script for alterations, but none really resonated except during Round Here (and that's only because I know the script).

In short, Live - YES! CC needs to settle back, retool, and if Adam's having problems, which he's admitted in the past, being on tour is not helpful. Boom Forest can go do whatever it is they do.