Live Review: Counting Crows, Ben Salter

It has to be a hard ask, opening for Counting Crows in an overflowing Tivoli. Firstly, tonight’s crowd is much older than your average and it feels like tonight might be their one annual night off the leash in a long time. Hence loose times from wannabe MILFs (who won’t shut up even in the quietest moments) and their expensive whiskey-drinking other halves. However, it’s heart-warming to see a full room for these household names after 22 years and a top-shelf discography that’s only really suffered a couple of misses in the overall scheme of things.

Local hero and stalwart Ben Salter holds his own through the racket nonetheless, slipping onto the stage almost unnoticed until he begins to sing. Clearly with some new material in the pipeline, he treats the unsuspecting Counting Crows fans with a stunning set from start to finish.

As Bill Withers’ Lean On Me belts out of the PA (something of a tradition for the band) six silhouetted Counting Crows file onto the stage, followed by the seventh and most recognisable shadow of charismatic frontman Adam Duritz. A moody introduction precedes the instantly-recognisable opening guitar pluck of Round Here, the song that opened their 1993 album, August And Everything After. It’s an ambitious, epic kick-off to the show, but one that pulls the audience right in immediately. Duritz is in his role as the large, on-the-spectrum yet lovable oaf – sweating, swearing and graciously accepting relentless, obnoxious compliments from the aforementioned wannabe MILFs.

The greater portion of tonight’s setlist is comprised of songs from their recent album, Somewhere Under Wonderland, and, for the most part, the material stands up with ease alongside the classics. Scarecrow borrows the riff from Sweet Home Alabama, while the affable Elvis Went To Hollywood and Hard Candy bridge the way to the first en masse singalong of the evening, Mr Jones. Delivered with no trace of irony, the song seems to have come full circle and, tonight, Duritz delivers it less party-pub anthem, more art-pop. Whatever it is, it works. Covers from Teenage Fanclub (Start Again), Bob Dylan (You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere), Big Star (The Ballad Of El Goodo) and Gram Parsons (Return Of The Grievous Angel) all creep in and are scattered among Crows classics Omaha and If I Could Give All My Love among others. A pair of old-school classics – A Long December and A Murder Of One – close out the main set with the stage set for the band to swiftly return. Rain King, with no less than a seven-part harmony, is by far the highlight and the closing Holiday In Spain rounds out the set nicely. It’s not the greatest list of songs the band could’ve played, but it’s delivered impeccably. Duritz, by his own admission, is “hungover as fuck” but it doesn’t dent his performance in the slightest. As the lights come up and Californina Dreamin’ blasts through the PA with Duritz mouthing the lyrics and conducting a mass singalong, he tells The Tivoli how much he loves Australia and that they’ll be back soon.