Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

The Navigator

Judging by the hair, this tour is all mussed up

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published September 1, 2006

Last month I text messaged a friend:

whatever else u think of countin grows, angels ofthe silences is a great song ... :

See, I really meant to say "Counting Crows," and "It's a pretty good song, all things considered."

But hey, I was drunk. And Angels of the Silences was playing really loud on the jukebox.

Still, the Grows - I mean, Crows - are worth reconsideration even in the relatively sober state in which I write this column.

Why relatively? Because I'm jam-packed with painkillers and antibiotics for a condition too sensitive to elaborate on in this family newspaper.)

The five-member group, which pretty much defines the "adult alternative" genre, comes to the Ford Amphitheatre tonight, led by vocalist Adam Duritz.

Duritz perhaps is more famous for his crazed dreadlocked hair, which doesn't look so bad simply because he's a chubby Jewish guy. It looks bad because, well, it looks like it's about to leap off his head and eat somebody.

Sure, it's probably unfair for me to say Duritz has the worst hair in rock 'n' roll considering I've already (appropriately) accused Nickelback's Chad Kroeger of that.

And come to think of it, Duritz doesn't even have the worst hair on this tour. That honor goes the way of Johnny Rzeznik. The Goo Goo Dolls vocalist's array of sins include not only awful hair, and having too many syllables in his name, but having loosed on the world some of the worst songs ever.

Once a punk-pop outfit, the Dolls turned into the worst case of corporate sellouts ever, churning out cheese like Name and Iris and Slide to millions of indiscriminating listeners.

Of course, that makes the Dolls the perfect opener for the Crows, whose folksy ditties seem thoughtful and rocking by comparison. After a dose of Rzeznik, fans will be clamoring for Mr. Jones, Round Here and A Long December.

And I'll be texting my friends:

dude u shd be here! duritz's hair just ate johnny rzeznik and 3 roadies! kewl! =)

Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 226-3431. His Times blog, the Ill Literate, is at www.sptimes.com/blogs/tampaarts.

IF YOU GO

Counting Crows with Goo Goo Dolls and Eliot Morris perform at 7 tonight at the Ford Amphitheatre. Tickets are $39.50-$67.50. Call 287-8844.

[Last modified August 31, 2006, 09:52:04]