The Crowes Fly?

I got this article from antimusic.com.

Kind of stunning news...never liked the word.... hiatus.

In late summer, The Black Crowes will kick off their "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys" 2010 Tour which will feature three hour performance sets in most markets. The tour will begin on August 13 in Milwaukee and is presently scheduled to conclude with the band's annual multi-night stand at the Fillmore in San Francisco on December 19, 2010.The shows are being billed as "Acoustic Hor D'oeuvres followed by an Electric Reception With The Black Crowes," and will consist of a full hour and a half acoustic set followed by a full hour and a half electric set, except where noted below *.
In celebration of the 20th year anniversary of their 1990 debut multi platinum release "Shake Your Money Maker," The Black Crowes will release their first ever double album of all acoustic material on August 3, 2010.
After touring in 2009, The Black Crowes spent time at the Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles, recording over 20 songs from their 20 year history. The band arranged acoustic versions of many of their best loved songs and the band's catalogue picks.
The double album, Croweology, will be sold at the cost of a single album as a "Thank You" to their fans for 20 years of support. Also to be released on vinyl, the project was produced by Paul Stacey and will be released on The Black Crowes label, Silver Arrow, through Megaforce records.
Following their 2010 "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys" Tour the band has planned a lengthy hiatus. Chris Robinson had this to say, "With a smile so wide you can count my teeth and with a heart so full of love that it is spilling over the rim, I offer a humble and simple thank you. Thank you for your time, your imaginations, your heartaches and joy. Thank you for 20 years of cosmic rock n' roll ,20 years of keeping it weird. 20 years of chasing horizons and before the band that dares dream out loud puts it down for a while, we are proud to give you our Croweology. This year the music is only for you as we celebrate what has been, what is now and whatever will be".
Rich Robinson said, "At this milestone in our career, I feel very fortunate that I have had the opportunity to spend my life making music. It's been 20 years since we started out on this journey. I would like to extend my deep gratitude to all of our fans who have been there with us along the way. We would not have gotten here without your support. Every night I stand on the stage I feel great pride and respect for what we share with our fans. After this tour we are going to take some much needed time to spend with our families. But for now, we are very much looking forward to a great year of touring. I look forward to seeing all your familiar faces again on the road. See you soon."
Steve Gorman added, "20 Years Gone - To look back over the past twenty years ...there are so many thoughts, feelings, and memories of all shapes and sizes that it's tough to process it all. Lots of ups and downs, lots of everything. One can easily get lost in the labyrinth of those many experiences. However, there is one constant - and that's an overwhelming sense of gratitude to all of you that have supported us for the past twenty years. Our tour this year serves as a very large THANK YOU to all in attendance. Whether you have seen us one time, ten times, a hundred times, or more, it goes without saying that we wouldn't be here without you. The lives that we all lead, and the opportunities that we have been presented with, all trace directly back to your support. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! And after this tour, we'll be taking a nice, long, much needed break. We are all in agreement (no, seriously, we are!) that this is the right time to spend time with our families, friends, outside musical and non musical projects and of course, our personal lives. So, we're going out swinging with all we got. Let's all join hands and share the ride!"

The Black Crowes tour dates (* = Electric shows ONLY):
Aug-13 Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
Aug-14 * Walker, MN - Northern Lights Casino
Aug-15 * Apple Valley, MN - Zoo Amphitheatre
Aug-17 * Des Moines, IA - Simon Estes Amphitheatre
Aug-18 * Kansas City, MO - Harrah's Kansas City
Aug-20 Detroit, MI - The Fillmore @ The State Theatre
Aug-21 Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
Aug-22 Columbus, OH - Promowest Pavilion
Aug-24 * Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
Aug-25 Indianapolis, IN - The Murat Theatre
Aug-27 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant
Aug-28 * Council Bluffs, IA - Stir Cove
Aug-29 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
Aug-31 * Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
Sep-07 * Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre
Sep-08 * Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
Sep-10 Charleston, SC - Family Circle Magazine Stadium
Sep-12 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
Sep-17 Raleigh, NC - Raleigh Boutique Amphitheatre
Sep-18 Charlotte, NC - Uptown Amphitheatre @ The Music Factory
Sep-19 Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Sep-21 Jacksonville, FL - The Florida Theatre
Sep-24 Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theatre
Sep-26 * Dallas, TX - House of Blues
Oct-01 * Biloxi, MS - Beau Rivage Casino
Oct-02 Fayetteville, AR - Arkansas Music Pavilion
Oct-15 Albany, NY - The Palace
Oct-16 * Salamanca, NY - Seneca Allegany Casino
Oct-17 * Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre
Oct-19 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Oct-20 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Oct-22 Boston, MA - House of Blues
Oct-23 Boston, MA - House of Blues
Oct-24 * Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Oct-26 Waterbury, CT - Palace Theatre
Oct-27 Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
Oct-29 Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
Oct-30 * Atlantic City , NJ - Music Box @ Borgata Resort
Oct-31 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre Times Square
Nov-02 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre Times Square
Nov-04 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre Times Square
Nov-05 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre Times Square
Nov-06 New York, NY - Nokia Theatre Times Square
Nov-10 * Baltimore, MD - Ram's Head
Nov-12 Pittsburgh, PA - North Shore Entertainment Complex
Nov-13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Nov-14 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Nov-16 Richmond, VA - The National
Nov-17 Norfolk, VA - The Norva
Nov-19 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
Nov-20 Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle
Dec-03 Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Auditorium
Dec-04 * Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre
Dec-05 * Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
Dec-07 Santa Barbara, CA - The Arlington Theatre
Dec-10 * Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
Dec-11 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
Dec-12 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Dec-14 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Dec-15 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Dec-17 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Dec-18 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
Dec-19 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore

The last two Black Crowes albums have  been very good to great..and barely anyone has heard about them...Warpaint?  Before the Frost..After The Freeze?  Why did this happen?  The latter is half acoustic, recorded live in Levon Helm's barn in Woodstock and has some stellar songs on it including Good Morning Captain and Houston Don't Dream About Me..and was, like Warpaint, released on the Crowes own label Silver Arrow.

Their live shows have gotten quite "Jammy" over the years. But still full of blues. Although I never did find the perfect bell bottoms to wear,  I had the pleasure of seeing them at one of their residency Fillmore shows in San Francisco, 2005. It had been almost 5 years since I'd seen them last (Beacon Theatre, NY 2001)..and I was really psyched to see Marc Ford back in the band. Alas, he left the band soon after..and was replaced by Luther Dickinson (from the North Mississippi All Stars)...


If this truly is their last go round...you can bet I'll be at the Tower Theater show in Philly in October.