Review by Shawn Perry
Dirty Honey Photos by Candice Fairorth & Mike Savola
The Black Crowes Photos by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Live Nation
Thanks to bands like The Black Crowes and Dirty Honey, live rock and roll concerts are back with a vengeance. At least, that’s how it felt in Nashville. With the lockdown lifted and masks off, the Black Crowes opened their long-awaited, long-delayed Shake Your Money Maker 30th Anniversary Tour in Music City, and spared no expense or detail in making everyone feel like it was the glory days before the pandemic derailed everyone’s lives.
Los Angeles-based quartet Dirty Honey got things rolling at 7:35, and played an energetic, pure-rock 14-song set. Walking around the cozy confines of the Ascend, it was hard to ignore fans in their Dirty Honey T-shirts, meaning there were plenty of folks at the show to witness these rising stars of the New Wave of Classic Rock scene.
Warm-up acts have a lot working against them — being ignored as people buy drinks and look for their seat — but that didn’t stop Dirty Honey from delivering a strong set. For nearly an hour, the band cranked out their swaggering brand of whiskey-soaked, riff-baked rock. Over half the songs were from their self-titled, full-length 2021 album, including the lead-in single “California Dreamin’,” along with fortified crunchers like “Take My Hand,” “The Wire” and “Tied Up.”
The members of Dirty Honey embody a rare quality that’s been missing from rock and roll for years — an attitude and approach that deserves space and dynamics. Singer Marc LaBelle worked the frontline, instinctively swaying from stage left to stage right without losing his balance, even jumping down into the photo pit at one point to get close up to fans and pose for selfies. Meanwhile, guitarist John Notto plucked away with calculated abandon, each chord and groove handily crafted and embedded. The rhythm section of bassist Justin Smolian and drummer Corey Coverstone lined the pocket, punctuating every turn with hard-bitten finesse. Extended solo breaks from both Notto and Coverstone underscored their exceptional musicianship.
Having won over Nashville, Dirty Honey ended their spot with two of their most well-known tracks from 2019 — “When I’m Gone” and the effervescent “Rolling 7’s.” Watching this up-and-coming group was like seeing the Black Crowes 30 years ago when they were young, hungry and ready to bring the sizzle back to rock and roll. As they continue to gig around the country — in support of more established acts and as headliners — and evolve as songwriters and performers, it’s really only a matter of time before Dirty Honey become a world-class group that regularly packs arenas and amphitheaters full of eager, doe-eyed followers.
After a 30-minute break, it was The Black Crowes’ turn to reclaim the throne and make up for lost time. In early 2020, the band’s founders and mainstays, Chris and Rich Robinson, embarked on their Brothers Of A Feather acoustic tour of smaller venues (including a date at Nashville’s Basement East, which was leveled by a tornado a week later). They finished up just as the world shut down large gatherings, which, of course, led to the cancellation of their vaunted reunion tour.
As the lights dimmed down on a stage resembling an old-time juke joint with its own bar on the backline and tin shacks on each side, each bedecked with their own Crowes Nest, a prevailing thought washed over the amphitheater: Was the wait going to be worth it?
Once the players took their places and Chris Robinson — dressed to the nines like a genteel southern gent in an all-white leisure suit — popped out from behind a Black Crowes umbrella to take the audience through a thrilling run of “Twice As Hard,” it was all too obvious the whole ensemble was as happy and excited to be on stage as the audience who stood before them.
For the next 45 minutes or so, The Black Crowes traveled back in time to their debut platter, Shake Your Money Maker, shaking off the rust of each and every number that filled the grooves of their multi-platinum opus. Among the standouts were the group’s breakout hit, “Jealous Again,” as well as their infamous reworking of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” and the ever-so-beatific ‘She Talks To Angels.”
The Robinson brothers each dug in and dangled their hard-won characteristics — Chris at his most soulful, hands on his hips, strutting to and fro, and more or less taking charge; Rich in front of a bounty of amps, changing guitars for every song, playing mostly rhythm, with a few leads here and there just to make sure everyone knew he’s always been the engine driver of The Black Crowes.
Under more scrutiny are the new recruits, namely guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, keyboardist Joel Robinow, and drummer Brian Griffin. Though the lineup shifted any number of times during the Crowes’ formative years, former members like guitarist Marc Ford and original longtime drummer Steve Gorman (who wrote a scathing book about his time with the band) were not included in this reunion. Consequently, Mitchell and Griffin have been subjected to harsh judgment and comparison, especially by seasoned fans.
To be fair, both musicians, along with Robinow (replacing the dearly departed Eddie Harsch), did an admirable job filling in the gaps and keeping the whole shebang moving forward. Bassist Sven Pipien, mostly with the band since 1999, kept a low profile, seemingly happy just to be there. Completing the cast, backup singers Mackenzie Adams and Leslie Grant did their best to embellish the band’s gospel-tinged rhythm and blues roots.
As expected, the rest of the setlist stuck with the tried and true, stirring in five tracks from the group’s sophomore album, 1992’s The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, including “Remedy” for the encore. They also included two from their third album, 1994’s Amorica, plus “Good Friday” from 1996’s Three Snakes And One Charm, “Go Faster” from 1999’s By Your Side, and “Soul Singing,” from 2001’s Lions. They would have had just about every album covered if they’d pulled out something like “Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution” from 2008’s Warpaint, but sadly they opted to leave any material from it or 2009’s Before The Frost…Until The Freeze off the table.
Chris Robinson had a few quips to share with the audience, mostly ancillary remarks about a need to wear silver shoes for “Struttin’ Blues” and a call to the state of Tennessee to legalize weed. Older and wiser, the smile on the singer’s face said more about being satisfied where things have landed than anything else. His brother’s more sullen disposition leaves little to the imagination, and more than enough for speculation. Yet, when the two embraced at the end of the night, it was clear all past digressions have been forgiven. At least for the time being.
For their second night at the Ascend, the setlist was altered a bit to keep things fresh and dubious with “Kickin My Heart Around” replacing “Go Faster,” and “My Morning Song” instead of “Hotel Illness” and “High Head Blues.” Perhaps the biggest surprise was an encore of the Rolling Stones’ “It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll,” an appropriate tribute to the forefathers of a sound and image that’s aged like fine bourbon.
It’s interesting to think how the Stones opened the door for bands like Faces and Aerosmith, who, in turn impacted The Black Crowes, who likely influenced the direction taken by Dirty Honey. The more things come back around, the more appreciated they become. Two nights in Nashville, after more than a year under wraps, and it’s fair to say rock and roll is still alive and well and ready to prosper in the post-pandemic era.
