John and I went to see the Black Crowes last night at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa. I wish I could say it was the most awesome show ever. Maybe I am spoiled after seeing them only in the Joint inside the Hardrock in Vegas. Such a small venue fitting only 1200. Maybe it was the Ford Amphitheatre and all of their RULES about the sound being TOO LOUD TOO LATE at night for the people that live nearby. Whose idea was it anyway to build an outdoor theater in FLORIDA?? HELLO?? Even our MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM PLAYS INDOORS!!
I'm off topic. Let me go back. This was the third time I've seen the Crowes. One time I was right at the stage and the 2nd time I was about 15 feet away. Neither time did they have the chickie babe backup singers. But both times they rocked. The Amphitheatre in Tampa is comparable to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre or Pine Knob (not the name anymore, I'm sure it's like Aflac.com Amphitheatre or something) Last night they had the backup singers and the sound was SO AWFUL we couldn't even hear them. We couldn't hear Chris Robinson singing either. He was drown out by the music. When he sang, it wasn't audible. Not a verse. Not a note. When we first got there they offered us, for the low low price of $25 a CD recording of the show to be picked up right after the concert ended. Really cool. But if that CD sounded anything like the show last night I would be pissed. The sound was so muddy and distorted it was pathetic!! At one point John leaned over to me and said "Don't you feel like going behind the sound guy running the board and heckling him?" I honestly don't know what the problem was, but in my mind and heart I am blaming the venue. I love the Black Crowes.
We had purchased lawn seats. When we got inside they exchanged our lawn seats for real seats under the gigantic awning. Poor Crowes, they couldn't sell out. I'm not talking sell out the whole thing either, they couldn't sell out just the seat portion of the amphitheatre! Was it the promoting? How can that be? On a Friday night in Tampa? Sigh. At one point Chris Robinson said that security sucked because they weren't letting anyone dance in the front rows. How lame. It's going to take an act of God and Prince to ever get me back to that venue.