Photos and Review by Ilya Mirman
Galleries: Black Crowes, Whiskey Myers
There are rock concerts, and then there are nights when an amphitheater feels less like a venue and more like a gathering place for believers. On Friday night at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts, The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers delivered exactly that kind of experience—a celebration of Southern rock, blues, swagger, and songs that refuse to age.
The evening was part of the Southern Hospitality Tour, a fitting name for a package that felt more like a musical family reunion than a typical summer shed show.
Whiskey Myers opened with the kind of confidence that comes from years of roadwork and a catalog built for big outdoor stages. The Texas band leaned into its trademark blend of Southern rock grit and country soul, turning the early evening crowd into a sea of raised cups, nodding heads, and singing voices. Their set was packed with fan favorites, delivered with the muscular twin-guitar attack and hard-earned authenticity that have made them one of the most respected live acts in modern Southern rock.
By the time the sun disappeared beyond the pavilion roof, the audience was more than ready for the night’s headliners.
The Black Crowes wasted no time reminding everyone why they remain one of rock’s most compelling live bands. From the opening moments, Chris Robinson commanded the stage with the loose-limbed charisma that has always defined him, while Rich Robinson’s guitar work provided the perfect combination of muscle, groove, and soul.
The setlist struck a near-perfect balance between classic material and newer songs, but it was the familiar anthems that turned Mansfield into a massive sing-along.
“Twice as Hard” hit with all the swagger and urgency that made it a breakthrough track decades ago, while “Jealous Again” arrived like a shot of pure adrenaline. The audience responded instantly, shouting every word back toward the stage.
One of the evening’s most powerful moments came during “She Talks to Angels.” As thousands of voices joined Robinson on the chorus, the amphitheater seemed to collectively exhale. It was one of those rare concert moments where a song becomes larger than the band performing it—a shared memory unfolding in real time.
Elsewhere, the Crowes showcased the depth of their musical influences. Their take on the Rolling Stones’ “Dancing With Mr. D” was loose and dangerous in all the right ways, while the AC/DC classic “Riff Raff” injected a welcome jolt of hard-rock electricity into the evening. A soulful run through Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” reminded everyone why the Crowes’ version became a defining hit in the first place, and their performance of The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin'” added a touch of late-night, street-corner poetry to the proceedings.
The newer material fit comfortably alongside the classics, evidence that the band isn’t simply living off nostalgia. Songs from their latest era carried the same blues-soaked DNA that has always driven the Crowes’ sound, and the audience embraced them as part of the larger story rather than an interruption from it.
But if there was a defining stretch of the night, it came toward the end. “Sting Me” exploded from the stage with relentless energy, transforming the venue into a giant dance floor. Then came “Remedy,” the kind of song seemingly designed to close summer nights under open skies. As Rich Robinson’s guitar rang out and Chris Robinson urged the crowd onward, thousands of fans sang every line as if it were still 1992.
What made the evening special wasn’t simply the strength of the songs. It was the sense that neither band was going through the motions. Whiskey Myers played like they were determined to win over every person in the venue. The Black Crowes performed like a band that still genuinely loves the act of playing rock and roll in front of people.
Three decades after their breakthrough, The Black Crowes continue to prove that great rock music doesn’t need reinvention—it just needs conviction. On a warm June night in Mansfield, conviction was in abundant supply.