A Co-headlining with Santana on the Oneness tour, Counting Crows played to a sold out crowd at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, NY on July 21, 2024. Starting with crowd favorites such as “If I Could Give All My Love” and “Mr. Jones,” singer Adam Duritz treated the first half of the set as if the lyrics were spoken word poetry, as opposed to singing them as songs. I had heard this was a technique he used during previous concerts, but he hadn’t done it at previous Counting Crows shows I attended, so this was a new experience for me. It was very interesting to hear the songs treated this way, and also a treat to hear him playfully add new lines to “Round Here.” The downside was that it made it hard for the crowd to sing along, which is an experience I think most people expect and enjoy at a concert.

But if we were there to sing, we got our chance in the second half of the set where Duritz did sing the songs. “Rain King,” in particular, is always fun to sing with a crowd, and it did not disappoint that night. One surprise of the evening was when a piano was brought out and Duritz did a fantastic cover of Taylor Swift’s “the 1.” A second fun surprise was when guitarist David Bryson’s family came on stage for “Big Yellow Taxi” to join in on percussion, getting a chuckle from the audience when Duritz introduced them as the “Bryson family percussion circus.”

All in all, it was a great evening of Counting Crows’ greatest hits, some in a new form, some in their usual form. The crowd definitely enjoyed themselves. It also left me singing “Omaha” for a few days, and looking forward to my next chance to see them perform live.

A full setlist follows the photo gallery

Review & pix by I’m Music Magazine Photographer Amanda Packey