One of the hardest things to do with a live album is capture the essence of the performance with no visualization. Few bands can do this well and Counting Crows have proved to be one of them. With their latest release Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow Counting Crows take us on a journey to their 2012 tour in support of their covers album Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation).
Beginning with Dylan’s “Girl From The North Country” is a stripped down version of the original allowing lead singer Adam Duritz room to play, leading into an extended version of Crow’s standard “Round Here” completed by the sounds of fans singing along.
Like any live album, Counting Crows really cater to their fans, highlighting the best songs including covers of Coby Brown’s “Hospital”, and Tender Mercies song “Mercy”. Spanning their 30 years together favorites “Rain King” is always a highlight of any of their live performances, along with songs off album Hard Candy with “Carriage” and "Up All Night (Frankie Miller Goes to Hollywood)" and Recovering The Satellites bluesy number “Mercury”.
Ending the same way they started, with a Dylan cover, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” closes the album with its bouncy style and room for improvisations, leaving on a high note that will put anyone in a good mood. Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow is a must have for any Crows fans' catalog and does not disappoint.