Las Vegas Mixtape v11: Mind Massage, Musical Sparks, and Pasta Paradise

Track #4: The Black Crowes, Pearl Theater @Palms Casino Resort

Right out of the gate in 1990, The Black Crowes were an unbeatable combination of rock & roll grit, soul power, and engaging songcraft. On the first of their two-night stand during Super Bowl weekend at the acoustically stellar Pearl Theater, the band’s co-founders, brothers Chris and Rich Robinson—along with longtime bassist Sven Pipien and newer members—were as authoritative as ever in a hits-loaded set.

The Crowes were confident enough to open the show with a sturdy new song, “Bedside Manners,” and later dialed in another new one, “Wanting and Waiting,” from their upcoming album ‘Happiness Bastards.’

It was terrific to watch the band sink their teeth into the hits. But it was more fascinating to hear them perform deep cuts like the joyously snide “Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution” and the inflammatory “Gone.”

In the latter song (from 1994), Rich’s guitar work skillfully stuttered, and Chris’ lyrics—“C’mon and remove me/Dilated and burned”—daringly embraced self-torment in this age of self-care. To wrap things up, Chris gave Vegas a shoutout onstage before the band fittingly played set-closer and deep catalog gem “Virtue and Vice.”