The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Counting Crows — road warriors with Matchbox Twenty
Adam Duritz says co-heading tour with Rob Thomas’ band an easy sell
When it came time for Counting Crows to go on the road this summer, frontman Adam Duritz said it was a no brainer to join Matchbox Twenty for the co-headlining “A Brief History of Everything” tour. The bill rolls through Northeast Ohio for a show Sept. 20 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, where fans can expect a night of sing-along hits.
The News-Herald talked to Duritz about Matchbox Twenty, the 1993 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the NBA Finals. Q Regarding Counting Crows co-headlining tour, why was it a good fit to go out with Matchbox Twenty? A We never toured with them before, so it just seemed like it would draw people. Also, we’d get to
hang with Rob (Thomas) again for a summer, which is really fun. Rob opened for us last year, and he doesn’t really have to open for anybody. This year he wanted us to co-headline, but play first. It just seemed fair to switch. On a basic friendship level, it was the right thing to do, but also it was such an obvious going-to-sell-tickets kind of thing. Q Looking over the current setlist, what songs are really working out well live?
A “Dislocation,” which we didn’t really play last year, has been in every single show. I’ve always loved it, I just wasn’t particularly singing it well last year. It could just be I got different monitors this year, and I’m hearing it, so I’m not killing myself singing it as much — although it does sound like I am. A couple of guys in the band are like, “Are you OK singing this song?” A lot of the guys said they had problems with it, too, last year. I assumed it was just me who was struggling, but all of a sudden this year, really from the first rehearsal, we just crushed it.
Q
While most bands dream of one day playing at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, Counting Crows, a year before the release of your debut album, “August and Everything
After,” performed the star-studded 1993 event in place of inductee Van Morrison. What do you remember about that experience? A I have a million memories. I remember exactly what was going on when I walked into the door of the rehearsal hall the day before. A band was playing “Roadhouse Blues.” I was like, “Oh, it’s The Doors.” I remember Cream was supposed to go after The Doors in rehearsal. Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton were leaning against the wall. Eric, I think — he couldn’t remember the lick from one of their songs. Jack Bruce was humming it, and Eric was like, “Oh yeah.” But they didn’t go next, and this is classic too: Ginger Baker was late. It was like, “Wow, that’s exactly like that’s supposed to be.” They’re here, they’re messing around and Clapton is the most awesome guitar player I ever heard and Ginger Baker is late. Oh, that’s Cream in a nutshell. Q Any other memories of the first induction ceremony to take place in Los Angeles?
A After we were done, it was such a cool feeling to perform there. I’m walking offstage, and I tripped over a chord or something. I fell face-forward, thinking I’m going to do a full face plant. Instead, I landed in this giant, soft, pillowy ... I didn’t know what it was. I pushed myself up and I realized my face had just landed in between Etta James’ breasts. No one saw this except for Etta James and k.d. Lang. I was so mortified. She said, “You all right, honey?” Q The last time we saw you on television, you were sitting in the front row at a Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State Warriors NBA Finals game. What gives? A I’ve known (Warriors Head Coach) Steve Kerr for a long time. He used to come to our gigs when he was a player. My two teams growing up were the Celtics and the Warriors. Over the last years, I’ve been spending time going to Warriors games. Also, my friend Owen has the great courtside seats. It’s amazing to be sitting in those seats, which are basically next to the visiting team’s bench. You can hear all of the (expletive) talking. Q So does that mean you’re not surprised about Kyrie Irving (since traded from the Cavs to Celtics) not wanting to play with LeBron James? A
No. Not about Kyrie in particular, but LeBron is a very strong leader. And that might not appeal to everybody. To be honest, the best game I saw last year, the most fun I had, was Game 4 when Cleveland killed the Warriors. It was just such an awesome atmosphere. Just the hostility — not to me, people were nice. It’s one thing to have that in your building, but it’s like the same thrill maybe people get on a roller coaster to be in the other building and have it be so intense. This is what it’s supposed to be like — A really fun fanbase who are really intense and really into their team. It’s like, I totally get that.