A great double act of rockers. First on the bill was the Jim Jones All-Stars. Now, I have been meaning to see Jim Jones for some time, since I saw a video of his incendiary earlier band, the Jim Jones Revue. Jim Jones comes from London and always assembles a large rock/soul revue band around him whose style has been compared to “early rock and roll artists Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis as well as to punk rock bands such as The Stooges, MC5 and Motörhead.” (Wikipedia). A The band’s “string-shredding guitar, furiously chattering piano and blistering, blustery rhythm… you’re bombarded with sonic viscera”. (Johnny Sharp, BBC)
Jim Jones’ new band announces itself as: “Open your ears, arms, and hearts to welcome The Jim Jones All Stars into your lives! Fronted by legendary testifier Jim Jones – formerly of The Hypnotics, Black Moses, The Jim Jones Revue and Jim Jones & The Righteous Mind – his latest project sees him swan dive into not only his primordial influences and his own classic-packed back catalogue, but also into a spicy gumbo of hot, new sounds. Joined by former Jim Jones Revue members Gavin Jay (bass) and Elliot Mortimer (piano and keyboards), The Jim Jones All Stars are augmented by guitarist Carlton Mounsher, singer Ali Jones, drummer Chris Ellul and the three-way sax attack of Stuart Dace, Chuchi Malapersona and Tom Hodges. Born out of necessity, born out of wedlock, and simply born to boogie, The Jim Jones All Stars are an unholy trinity of birth.” (from Jim Jones website).
And boogie they do. Jim Jones is a full-on crazy guy who proudly fronts his review, leading them through a manic set of rock, blues, soul, and craziness. Jim is a great vocalist, full of confidence, with no fear at all. The guy commands stage, audience, and band. A fantastic warmup for the Crowes. “Necessity, being the mother of invention, surprised us all when she delivered a healthy, heavyweight, blue-eyed amalgam of incendiary ramalama soul.” Says Jim from his website.
After a short break, the curtain covering the Black Crowes set up is removed to reveal an amazing wall of amplifiers: Vox AC30, small Fender amps and a host of others. This sort of backline reminds me somewhat of seeing the Grateful Dead at the City Hall in 1972. The piano is perched right at the back of the stage, aloft the rest of the equipment. It is clear that some of the backline may be for effect and a few of the amplifiers may not actually be used, but what the heck, it looks majorly impressive.
The publicity for the Black Crowes latest album and tour says: “The Black Crowes are leaving the bullshit in the past. 15 years after their last album of original music, the Robinson Brothers present Happiness Bastards– their 10th studio album. Some may say the project has been several tumultuous years in the making, but we argue it’s arriving at just the right time.
Call it brotherly love or music destiny that brought them back together in 2019, the highly anticipated record consecrating the reunion of this legendary band just may be the thing that saves rock & roll. In a time where the art form is buried beneath the corporate sheen of its successors, The Black Crowes are biting back with the angst of words left unsaid penned on paper and electrified by guitar strings, revealing stripped, bare-boned rock & roll. No gloss, no glitter, just rhythm and blues at it’s very best – gritty, loud, and in your face.”
I first saw the Black Crowes at the Donington Monsters of Rock festival in 1991 where they were first on as part of a strong lineup headlined by AC/DC and featuring Metallica, Motley Crue and Queensryche. I wrote at the time: “We made sure that we arrived in time to see The Black Crowes, as I’d heard a lot about them. I remember being impressed by them, particularly by their cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle”. My friend John lives in the US and is a massive Black Crowes fan, and he keeps me up to date on them. I really must get to see them again someday soon.” Well, it was many years before I saw the Crowes again at Manchester Academy in March 2013. My friend John remains a dedicated fan and has seen them many times in the USA.
Bands like the Crowes keep the rock ‘n’ roll flag flying high. They exploded onto the stage and immediately the packed house was singing along and rocking with them. Memories of seeing Mick Jagger in the 70s come flooding back into my mind. Singer Chris Robinson has the same sort of swagger and energy. To my shame I don’t recognise many of the songs but nonetheless really enjoy the performance. Chris and his brother Rich Robinson, Chris’ seemingly quieter, more subdued on perfect electric blues/rock guitar lead the band through a set of songs which combine rock, blues, punk, and soul.
For around an hour and a half, which seems to speed through in a few moments, Chris swaggers backwards and forwards, left and right around the stage singing his heart out. Comparisons of early Faces, Small Faces and the aforementioned Rolling Stones come to mind. They even play a great version of the Stones’ “Rocks Off”. Why do I always have to draw comparisons? Not sure. It gives me a rock compass by which to measure and categorise artists. Whatever the comparisons, the Black Crowes are a force to be reckoned with.
Chris reminds us that the last time they played the City Hall was back in 1991; the same year when I saw them at Donington. Not many of the crowd seemed to register being present. I am not sure I was even aware that they were on at the City Hall at the time. Not sure why I didn’t attend. They perform “Hard to Handle” again. Magic. Their soul roots showing through and adding new life to the Otis Redding classic. A figure of Chuck Berry reminds us of their rock ‘n’ roll roots and reminds me of when I saw the great man in the same venue many years ago in the 70s.
“When it comes to live music, few bands do it better than The Black Crowes. The American rockers have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years, but they are sounding stronger than ever with their latest album, Happiness Bastards. Hitting the road with Jim Jones All Stars in support, The Black Crowes stopped off in Newcastle to sprinkle a little bit of rock and roll magic in the city’s historic City Hall. I bought a copy of the album, signed by both Chris and Rich (pictured). Class.
The band played a good mix of old and new, including a song first made famous by Otis Redding and immortalised in rock history by The Black Crowes, ‘Hard to Handle’, as well as their cover of The Rolling Stones classic ‘Rocks Off’. The night was a celebration of timeless rock played with style and swagger, thanks to Chris’ larger-than-life stage presence. Each member of the band was an integral part of an unstoppable music machine that took over Newcastle for a night.” (from Music News Monthly website).
A great night spent with two magnificent rock ‘n’ roll, soul revue bands. It doesn’t get much better. Many thanks to Elaine for the photographs and Chris for manipulating the site as usual.
Setlist: Bedside Manners; Dirty Cold Sun; Twice as Hard; Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution; Just Say You’re Sorry; Follow the Moon; Sister Luck; Rocks Off; Thorn in My Pride; Wanting and Waiting; Hard to Handle; She Talks to Angels; Flesh Wound; Sting Me ; Jealous Again; Remedy.
Encore: Good Morning Captain
This is the last of my ramblings on AC/DC and it brings me up to date with my concert memories of the band. The 1991 Monsters of Rock festival was the last time Iwas to see the band for almost 20 years; as the next AC/DC concert I attended was at Manchester MEN Arena in 2009. It was also the last time I attended a Monsters of Rock festival. That particular my daughter was getting into rock music, and her and her friends were big fans of Mettalica, and that was our primary reason for attending. So I drove her and two friends to the festival. Highlights for me were The Black Crowes, Metallica and AC/DC. I don’t remember much about the other bands.
Metallica had just released their “Black” Metallica album, which had been heavily played in our house. I hadn’t rated the band up until then, although I had seen them at an earlier Monsters of Rock in 1985, but that lp got me into them. My favourite track was Enter Sandman, which was the opening song at Donington that year. Metallica were at the top of their game at that time, paying some of the best heavy rock of the time. We made sure that we arrived in time to see The Black Crowes, as I’d heard a lot about them. I remember being impressed by them, particularly by their cover of Otis Redding’s Hard to Handle. My friend John lives in the US and is a massive Black Crowes fan, and he keeps me up to date on them. I really must get to see them again some day soon. AC/DC closed the day with a set which closed with one of the biggest firework displayed I’ve ever seen. I then spent some time finding the others, which was not easy in a crowd of 60,000+ people all of whom were aiming for the exits, and then we drove back home. AC/DC setlist: Thunderstruck; Shoot to Thrill; Back in Black; Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be; Heatseeker; Fire Your Guns; Jailbreak; The Jack; Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap; Moneytalks; Hells Bells; High Voltage; Whole Lotta Rosie; You Shook Me All Night Long; T.N.T.; Let There Be Rock Encore: Highway to Hell; For Those About to Rock (We Salute You). I’ll move on from AC/DC now, and will ponder on which concerts to reflect on this coming week. Back tomorrow.
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