August and Everything After - Live at Town Hall by The Counting Crows

Adam Duritz and The Counting Crows have turned their first album into a cottage industry. The album which launched them is a wonderful album, one they admittedly never come close to matching in depth and meaning. A couple of years ago they rereleased album with many additional songs from the sessions that did not make the original. These songs too were very good, and strong but the Crows music is often polarizing. Not alot of people who are in between on their music.

I am surely in the Counting Crows camp as I love the music. Yesterday Amazon informed that they have now released a live performance of their original album performed recently. Of course Springsteen started this area with his performances of some of his classic albums on his most recent tour.

I have several live Crows albums and Duritz shines in these moments. So with a sense of what new can they offer in another live album of this material I listened. In short it is a great album. No there is no revalation. There is nothing new. The band clearly loves this material, Duritz was in great form offering many great stories and lead ins to songs. The intro to Sullivan Street is funny but the gem of the album is the extended Rain King with a full version of a funky Thunder Road in the middle. I have heard this before but did not have a recording of it. Round Here, Mr. Jones and Murder of One are highlights as expected with Murder of One with a few brief lines of U2's Red Hill Mining Town.

A great album, one wanting to know what the Counting Crows and their diehard fans connect on would be well to start here.