The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
The Black Crowes’ celebratory tour brings them to Blossom
The Black Crowes finally able to celebrate 30th anniversary of debut album with big tour
Before the pandemic stopped (or delayed) their moneymaking tour, The Black Crowes, recently reunited at the time, were supposed to hit the road to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their multi-platinum debut effort, “Shake Your Money Maker.” ¶ A year later, the brothers Robinson — Chris (vocals) and Rich (guitar, vocals) — are finally flying again with a show booked for Aug. 4 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls.
To mark the debut album’s milestone, earlier this year the band released a remastered box set that includes unreleased studio songs, demos, B-sides and a 1990 concert recorded in their hometown of Atlanta.
As for the upcoming set, fans can expect to hear not only “Shake Your Money Maker” in its entirety — including hit singles “Jealous Again,” “Twice As Hard,” “She Talks to Angels” and the act’s breakthrough cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” — but also plenty of other Black Crowes staples.
During a recent call to Nashville, The News-Herald talked to Rich about three decades of rock ’n’ roll, Aerosmith, getting kicked off a ZZ Top tour and the future of The Black Crowes.
QA quick look back 30 years finds The Black Crowes played seven Northeast Ohio shows in a calendar year while supporting “Shake Your
Money Maker.” That includes two Blossom Music Center gigs opening for Aerosmith. What do you remember about that tour?
AAerosmith, growing up, was one of our bands that we just loved. So just to be kids and then all of a sudden within literally 12 weeks of touring — and opening for a couple of club bands — we got the call to go open for Aerosmith, it was so lifechanging to see how that side lived, what it meant to do a tour in a big place and how that shaped us. Chris has said 100 times as a frontman touring with Aerosmith and Robert Plant in the first couple of months of your record coming out was a huge lesson to be learned.
QAs a young band, it must have been empowering to be thrust so deeply into the spotlight.
AIt was affirming, but it took a minute to kind of gain our bearings. We came from Atlanta, where our background or approach was more indie. We loved R.E.M. and punk rock. We were coming from a place that viewed sort of this more popular music as kind of not what you wanted to do. For instance, the first night we opened for Aerosmith we wrote a new song at soundcheck. We wanted to play it much to the chagrin of our manager, who said we were supposed to promote our new record. But our mindset was like, we were so excited to play this new song. But it’s interesting, you can either learn how to be in these big places or you can’t. I’d say we learned and sort of moved onward.
QSpeaking of a learning experience, the other notable Northeast Ohio gigs came in the winter of 1991 at the former Richfield Coliseum. Roughly a month later, the Black Crowes would be kicked off the ZZ Top tour by a beer company sponsor.