Concert Review: Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile at Starlight, 5/5/08
Sheryl Crow
Date: June 5, 2008
Venue: Starlight Theatre
Better Than: A Royals game
By C.J. JANOVY
Photo by Angela C. Bond
Halfway through her show last night, Sheryl Crow told her audience something revealing and sad.
It was just after the silly “Gasoline,” off of Detours, Crow’s newest album. The futuristic-enviro-revolution rock song had gone over well, despite its ill-conceived chorus – instead of a world where gasoline is free, wouldn’t Crow prefer one where we were free of gasoline? The song had ended with the cool just a shot away refrain from “Gimme Shelter,” in which Crow’s two backup singers had done a worthy impression of the Stones’ unforgettable Merry Clayton. After Crow introduced her band, she gave a speech. “Because of gas prices,” she said, “ticket sales are really down for everyone this summer. I always feel like a stewardess when I say” – she switched to an airline voice – “thanks for choosing us. We know you have a lot of entertainment options.”
Whether it was gas prices, an ominous gray sky or Crow’s drawing power, Starlight’s wide upper third was a sea of empty blue seats.
But Crow was adored by the Triple-A radio crowd of boomer ladies, sensitive guys, women in sundresses and cowgirl boots, and A-list lesbians. Crow spent much of the night without her guitar, lithely pacing stage in tight black jeans and a sleeveless black top that showed off her chiseled arms.
Her hits were straight off the radio only louder, with Jeremy Stacey’s drums benefiting from Starlight’s massive speakers and the low ceiling of clouds that seemed to keep the sound close. “Leaving Las Vegas” was a little slower and thus more contemplative than the recorded version; “There Goes the Neighborhood” careened into a psychedelic jam. Keyboardist Mike Rowe bulked up “My Favorite Mistake,” sometimes attacking his B-3 like it was a pair of bongos; afterwards, Crow noted that the list of subjects for that particular song “just keeps on growin’.”
Introducing the newer, less-familiar material from Detours, Crow noted that a lot had happened since the last time she played Kansas City. “I got engaged, and then I got unengaged. I got breast cancer. I got cured. I adopted a baby boy.” The point was about how, you know, life takes unexpected turns. The Detours songs were mellow, and followed by an uninspired “Strong Enough” -- it was as if Crow didn’t need anyone strong enough to be her man anymore.
Things picked up quickly with a disco “Out of Our Heads.” Then opener Brandi Carlile – who’d drawn her own share of the night’s crowd – came back for a duet on “If It Makes You Happy,” part of a finale that included “Soak Up the Sun” and a joyous “Every Day is a Winding Road” that ended with strains of Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright.”
Encores were quick and efficient, since the storm had almost arrived over Swope Park. After “All I Wanna Do,” the band laid into “Higher Ground,” pulling off an impressive imitation of Stevie Wonder’s wah-wah-chicka-chicka riff and Crow’s backup singers each taking a verse. Then it was over, giving the Triple-A crowd time to beat the rain home.
Setlist
God Bless This Mess
Shine Over Babylon
Love is Free
A Change Would Do You Good
Leaving Las Vegas
There Goes the Neighborhood
My Favorite Mistake
First Cut is the Deepest
Gasoline
Can’t Cry Anymore
Motivation
Detours
Drunk with the Thought of You
Strong Enough
Out of Our Heads
If It Makes You Happy
Soak up the Sun
Every Day is a Winding Road
All I Wanna Do
Higher Ground
Critics Notebook
Personal Bias: “A Change Would Do You Good” got me through a breakup in 1997.
Random Detail: The crowd was all white; Starlight’s staff was almost entirely African-American.
By the way: Missouri likes to claim Crow as one of its own, but she seemed uncertain about the name of Kansas City’s pro baseball team.
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