The singer and multi-instrumentalist rolled out familiar hits and brand new material for a sold-out amphitheater on a sticky summer night. (Photos, review)
Soaking Up the Sun: Sheryl Crow’s return to Meijer Gardens meshed old and new material. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
For many fans, a Sheryl Crow concert is a night of sunny nostalgia: With more than 40 singles and nine studio albums spanning 24 years and several genres, the singer and multi-instrumentalist has been a virtual hit factory.
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She’s also a consummate entertainer with a commanding stage presence who relishes interacting with her audiences.
Sold-Out Amphitheater: Sheryl Crow’s concert is part of a current string of sellouts at the amphitheater. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
But give Crow credit for never wanting to stand still or rest on her radio-friendly laurels.
So after launching Wednesday’s sold-out concert at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park with a non-stop flurry of crowd-appeasing, buoyant older hits – “Everyday is a Winding Road,” “A Change Would Do You Good,” “All I Wanna Do” and “My Favorite Mistake” – Crow and her cracker-jack six-piece band bravely turned to tracks from her latest album, “Be Myself,” released in April.
And she never missed a beat, not with her lively performance or with the warm reaction from the audience, rolling out four straight new songs – “Be Myself,” “Long Way Back,” “Roller Skate” and “Strangers Again” – boasting classic Crow vocals, hooks and lyrics (e.g., “If I can’t be someone else, I might as well be myself”).
“You look pretty comfortable,” she joked, addressing the crowd in regard to playing more new material from an album that, happily, represents a return to her rock roots. “I don’t think you’re going to bolt right out of here.”
BEATING THE RAIN AND ENGAGING THE CROWD
They didn’t, of course, sticking through not only new songs and sticky, hot weather, but dancing, singing along and otherwise adjusting to a concert that started a bit earlier than initially advertised in hopes of beating the stormy weather that rolled through later that night.
‘Sensible Shoes’ and Dynamic Performance: Crow on stage Wednesday at Meijer Gardens. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
“What rain?” Crow beamed early on as the sun beat down onto the amphitheater jammed with 1,900 people. “Shoot, I should’ve worn sunblock! It’s been a great day. … It’s been an awesome day.”
In her third visit to Meijer Gardens and first since 2014, Crow, 55, also poked fun of her advancing years and role as “a working mom” who’s the mother of two adopted young boys.
“I haven’t seen you in a while, and I think we all look exactly the same,” Crow quipped, adding that she’s now “wearing
sensible shoes” and recorded her new album “between school drops and school pickups.”
But with a voice as strong and dynamic as ever, she also proved her mettle as a true rock star, not only playing a succession of guitars and keys throughout the evening, but deftly balancing the old (“Soaking Up the Sun,” “If It Makes You Happy”) with the new (“Halfway There,” “Rest of Me”).
PHOTO GALLERY: Sheryl Crow, Aaron Lee Tasjan at Meijer Gardens
Photos by Anthony Norkus
Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC
