CRB Summer Tour Slides Through Va. Beach
On July 23, Shaka’s Live in Virginia Beach, VA hosted the Chris Robinson Brotherhood to a sold-out crowd. Promoted by Quiva Productions, this show had a good buzz on social media and had many people scrambling to find tickets. There was good representation by our local musicians and music fans, with love and good vibes felt all around. Brian and his fellow friendly bartenders were serving up chilled libations, among them CRB’s own beer label.
The band is comprised of former Black Crowes guitarist Chris Robinson along with Neal Casal on guitar, Adam MacDougall on keyboards, Mark “Muddy” Dutton on bass and Tony Leone on drums. The guitarists are the main vocalists, but all lend their voices to the mix at some point. They opened with “Love’s Made a Fool of You,” a Buddy Holly cover. In this song you can certainly feel their Grateful Dead influence. Halfway through the song MacDougall was featured with his fingers dancing across the keys, and it ended with a strong percussion presence on the tom-toms. “Jump the Turnstile” was a trippy song with references to excursions of the mind fueled by psychedelics. I enjoyed the melodic chorus and the nice harmonies between the vocalists.
“Someday Past the Sunset” has been played by the Black Crowes, Chris Robinson on his own and mostly by The Chris Robinson Brotherhood. It must be one of his favorites. “Tornado” followed, a Black Crowes cover from The Lost Crowes compilation album that opens with a nice slide guitar and Southern Rock feel, then “40 Days,” a Chris Robinson and New Earth Mud cover. “Wheel Don’t Roll” had an Allman Brothers vibe to it, and they wrapped up the first set with a Delaney and Bonnie cover, “Poor Elijah/Tribute to Johnson.” This song honors Robert Johnson, a great Delta bluesman, and starts out with some nice slide guitar by Casal. Beginning in a traditional blues mode for the first two verses, MacDougall kicked it into overdrive as they took it into outer space! After an excursion through the heavens, they dropped it back down into gear to close out the set. This song really got the crowd moving with its funky blues, great guitar jam and a beautiful four-part vocal harmony.
The crowd had thinned noticeably as the second set opened. Perhaps the band wasn’t connecting with the crowd or, more likely, people had to get up and go to work the next day. The set opened with a Chuck Berry cover, “Memphis Tennessee,” a good old Mississippi Blues get down, followed by “Tomorrow Blues,” a Dead-styled song off the Big Moon Ritual album. “Roan County Banjo” is an unreleased track, first played in concert in February of this year. It has a bit of a country swing rhythm, overlaid by Casal’s excellent lead guitar work. “Oak Apple Day” is another yet-to-be-released song that the band debuted this past May, opening with a Sgt. Pepper’s bounce. “Meanwhile in the Gods…” was next, an upbeat number from their most recent album, Phosphorescent Harvest. The first trippy notes of “Tulsa Yesterday” rang out next. This cut, from Big Moon Ritual, provided an opportunity for some extended jams including one of the few solos by Robinson. They played a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Going to Acapulco“ and wrapped up the set with “Beggar’s Moon,” a lament of Rock and Roll excess with a western swing that ended with a nicely done vocal segment.
After a quick break, they came back to the stage for their encore, “Get Out of My Life, Woman,” a bluesy, funky number by Allen Toussaint. It was a great night, filled with good music and wonderful friends, just what you want when you go out to see a concert. Big props to Jon Dorner and the crew at Shaka’s Live for putting together a great summer of shows at the Oceanfront.
