When Counting Crows released their debut album August and Everything After in 1993, alt-rock radio was still dominated by heavy, sludgy grunge bands, so Crows frontman Adam Duritz’s clean, poppy vocals and the band’s jangly, upbeat guitars offered a refreshing counterpoint to the doom and gloom of most other successful rock bands. Not that Duritz lacked for angst, in songs including August’s hit singles “Mr. Jones” (about life as a struggling musician) and “Round Here,” (about leaving old relationships behind) but his emotional expression is more wistful and melancholy than intense and angry. The band’s later hits include perennially popular ballad “A Long December,” the Oscar-nominated “Accidentally in Love” (from Shrek 2), “Angels of the Silences,” “Hanginaround” and “American Girls” and on their current tour they’re celebrating 25 years of making music. “The nice thing about having 25 years of music to celebrate and seven studio albums we absolutely love to choose from is that we can play a different show every night,” Duritz said in the initial tour announcement, which means that audiences in Vegas may hear most of the band’s big hits, but they’re just as likely to hear deep cuts and well-chosen covers, all with that jangly, poppy and instantly appealing style.
Hard Rock Hotel, 7:30 p.m. July 14, starting at $50.50 plus tax and fee. 888.929.7849 AXS
