Chris Robinson took the stage of the Fox Theater in Oakland last night and put on a performance that can only be described as out of this world. Under the temporary monicker, As the Crow Flies, Robinson and a crew of very seasoned and exceptional players ran through a set of classic Black Crows songs with the charisma and energy of guys half their age.
Yes, the years are starting to show on the iconic singer’s graying beard, but the way he moved across the stage proved otherwise. He sang flawlessly from beginning to end combining the soulful tones of old R&B singers with the style and grace of blues greats, all the while shaking his tail feather back and forth across the beautiful illustrious stage of the Fox Theater in Oakland.
Chris Robinson’s As the Crow Flies tonight at The Fox.#blackcrows #chrisrobinson #rocknroll #blues pic.twitter.com/WocTPDDHWJ
— ⚡⚡ MUSICinSF ⚡⚡ (@musicinsfdotcom) May 12, 2018
All the big hits were covered by As the Crow Flies last night. Songs like “She Talks To Angels,” “Remedy,” “Twice as Hard,” and of course the Otis Redding classic that put the Crows on the map back in the 90s, “Hard to Handle.” An unexpected selection came at the end of the set when the guys pulled out a cover of the classic, “Peace Frog,” which had the Doors fans in the audience enthralled by the song selection.
For those hoping that this lineup will become a permanent fixture on the music scene, sorry to break it to you, but Robinson has divulged that As the Crow Flies is only a temporary project and one that only serves as a fun outlet for him. You can tell his heart lies in his other project, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood.
For fans of the Black Crows like myself, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It only gives us hope that his brother Rich Robinson and him could one day bury the hatchet and reform the band that originally composed all those timeless songs that we were so graciously gifted even if for only for a brief moment last night at the Fox.
Photos by Louis Raphael
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