by photojournalist Dan Fernandez
On Sunday night The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers Co-Headlined their Southern Hospitality Tour in Tampa Florida at Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheater with support by Oklahoma natives Southhall and man this lineup brought it! I can’t speak much to Southall’s set as I was in the media room for much of it but judging on their first 3 songs these guys were more than equipped to get the night off to a running start.
I have also got to admit that this was my first time seeing Whiskey Myers but man, I get the hype and understand why there was such a faithful contingent there just to see them. The bands twangy stylings embrace influences ranging from southern rock legends such as Lynyrd Skynrd to outlaw country faithful Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings with the demonstrative Cody Cannon leading the way on vocals. It is this magnetic approach, along with a little TV bump in the way of multiple features on Paramount’s Yellowstone, that has rocketed them to fame in recent years. The band’s 14 song set list had the crowd dialed up and dialed in throughout its duration. These guys are definitely a name to keep on your radar.
Next up came The Black Crowes, whose set was polarizing to say the least. As we have already touched on the “controversy” that came just after mid set in an earlier post I am not going to give that any more attention. Instead, I am going to focus on a pre-show interview that I had with guitarist Rich Robinson, one of two brothers in and founding members of The Black Crowes.
Rich and I spoke on the phone on Saturday afternoon in anticipation for Sunday night’s concert. We touched on many topics ranging from lineup changes, day of show preparation, industry longevity and much more. When asked if the city or venue plays a major role in their ever rotating setlist Rich told me “I think it’s more what we feel on the day. We have a basic framework, but within that framework we do change a lot.” “We have so much to draw from now and every time you put a new song in the mix it’s going to affect how that set feels. Every set is an organic. It’s a living thing…” He continued, “If you change 6 or 7 songs every night it’s really going to have a profound impact.”
Although The Black Crowes have been around and maintaining notoriety since the 1990’s, the mid 2020’s have been quite good to the band as well. Rich and I spoke on both the key to their longevity as well as how it feels to be recognized on such monumental stages as the Grammy’s and The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
On the groups longevity Rich remarks “I think that Chris and I have always written the songs that move us and don’t try to write songs that may be seen as just popular. We’ve Really tried to keep it interesting for our fans and explore the meaning of being human, the inner workings of being on this planet… I think there’s an authenticity to that.” Rich went on to speak about their recent string of high profile nominations “It feels amazing just to be recognized, just to be nominated. I know people are supposed to say that, you know, but it’s cool after all this time to be recognized by your peers and by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame body. If we win great, if we don’t great, it doesn’t affect us really. But to be recognized by your peers at such a high level is pretty special.”
On the night Black Crowes delivered a stellar 17 song set that included classics “Hard to Handle” and “She Talks to Angels”, recent hits from the album A Pound of Feathers as well as covers stemming from the likes of Ottis Redding, Faces and The Rolling Stones. The band threw down a highly energetic and dynamic performance, especially for being in the middle of their 3rd decade in rotation.
When asked how he continues to fuel his creative process Rich Robinson answered, “I always pick the guitar up when I want to pick it up, so it’s always fun. It doesn’t ever feel laborious…I know people that just play incessantly, over and over again, it’s almost like a need, a compulsion or something. But I kind of feel like when I pick the guitar up to play it’s because it feels good. It’s because in that moment I want to. I think that translates into making the kind of music that I want to make. It never gets old.”
When all is said and done, don’t let a few minute span of division be blown out of proportion. Do not let click bait media win. Let the show and the effort that the musicians and crew put behind it speak for itself. This tour spoke up to me alright and shouted it “Hey! I am damn sure worth catching!”
