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CC have been to Australia once and this is from there first Melbourne gig. Unfortunately I missed out on their second concert but this was an event ten years in the making and the wait was well worth it. Spectacular.
My apologies for note crediting the photographer, I can't remember which I site I got these from.

BRING THIS EXPERIENCE TO DVD!!!!







 
 

 

 

  
 
 

 

 

  
 

 

 
 

 

 

  


I first feel in love with Counting Crows on the release of their debut album August and Everything After. There are only three albums that have ever grabbed my attention straight away*, although A&EA is the only album to change my life completely.

At the time I was into metal/grunge and all the heavier forms of music. I was also a lost, confused and troubled teen. On the outside I actually appeared quite "normal", I was fairly popular at school and a steady C student - except science where I can now proudly say I acheived my lowest test score ever: 1.5%. I was the student that did well enough not to raise questions, but not good enough to stand out, so under the radar I flew.

During this time, inside, I was a train wreck. I had a drinking problem I hid from everyone, I slept around a lot and felt like ending everything. I was completely trapped inside myself with no where to turn. It's not that I didn't have friends, I was luckier than some to have several good friends, but I felt so trapped that there was no way I could of explained it to them. It is hell both ways ofcourse. If one has no friends, they have noone to talk to, if someone has friends but is so trapped inside themselves they cant talk the end result is the same no matter what... You want to scream and scream but there is no way to get out what is inside.

The day my life changed was the first time I heard A&EA. A friend had a burnt.. err I mean perfectly legal bought copy...yes, that will do... of the album (yep, there were CD Burners back then, just really crap!!) It wasn't the lyrics at first, but the sound - the tone in Adam's voice, the sound of the quiet guitar in Perfect Blue Buildings, the piano in Raining in Baltimore. The loss in his voice, the pain in the music, I could go on and on. Round Here sounds like a lost poet fading into nothing and everything just struck a chord, it was like this music understood me, that there was someone out there who got what I was feeling. I immediately bought the CD (unlike my evil evil dirty friend!) and listened to nothing else for God only knows how long.

It astounded me that all the anger and sadness I felt seemed easier to carry while listening to the album. It also inspired me to write. By this time I was already in a band playing bass - a metal/grunge band, which I loved and I still do to this day even though we folded 5 years ago. On the side I started writing, at first, my own lyrics and nothing else and found that the pain that I couldn't express came out through the lyrics. I just kept writing, most were terible but at the time it didn't matter as I was getting out my feelings as I had found the release valve that eased the pressure. It lessened the weight enough so I was able to step back enough to look at what was going on in my life and take action. That would not have happened if I didn't listen to the Counting Crows. Plain and simple, they were the trigger that started the ball rolling.

The road is ofcourse never easy and there have been many ups and downs but that album is something that will be dear to me for ever - even though my favourite CC album is Recovering the Satelites. By this time I was into art as well and writing my own lyrics encouraged me to start writing my own music and now, 10 years later after many bands a varying styles - I am about to step forth and form and front my first band, not just a support anymore. I have a voice and I believe I have something to say in the artistic realm. I would be lying if I said Counting Crows weren't a big part of why I am here right now, both artistically or otherwise. I hope to effect people the way CC effected me and changed my life forever.

Thanks, GAZ (monkeydeathcar)
fuzzy.lamb.of.death@gmail.com


* The other two albums were: Nirvana Unplugged and Metallica's Black album.