The Black Crowes are on a summer tour to build up support for their first album of new material since 2001's Lions. Last Thursday, I missed the Crowes at Summerstage appearance in favor of Daft Punk, but was able to catch them on Sunday at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.

The first time I saw the Crowes was back on 1992's High As the Moon tour at the Tilles Center on Long Island. It was a wicked show. The Crowes were super-charged and played their asses off. Over the years, I've seen the Crowes play rock n' roll shows, jam shows, high energy shows, low-key shows, private performances, and horrible shows. The Borgata show was an uneven, jam-filled show. It seemed to be played more as an obligation than as an event.

While "Virtue and Vice" is an excellent song, it's not a great set opener and didn't need a ten minute guitar solo ending. It didn't help that every song throughout the show was jammed into the ground, from Money Maker's "Seeing Things" to a cover of Eric Clapton's "Comin' Home." The only extended jam of the evening that worked was when they did "Ballad of Urgency" into "Wiser Time" into "My Morning Song," for which the band was joined by Luther Dickinson. His pressence seemed to spark some life into the Brothers Robinson and the rest of the band.

The set then concluded with an excellent cover of Otis Redding's "Ole Man Trouble," which is the first time the band ever played this song, and then a run through of some of the bands hits that were thrown off without any real spark in an attempt to keep the masses entertained. The band than returned for a cover of The Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things," their third cover of the night and then said their goodbyes. The entire show last less than an hour and half, which is incredibly short for these Atlanta boys.

While I can't say I was impressed with the Crowes, I was totally impressed by the Borgata! The hotel is sweet. Unlike the hotels and casinos on Atlantic City's boardwalk, this place didn't smell of carpet cleaner and old, fat, sweaty people. Seriously, it was a sweet joint to catch a show and win some money at Blackjack.........

BLACK CROWES | BORGATA EVENTS CENTER | 8-12-2007
Virtue And Vice / Seeing Things / She Gave Good Sunflower / Comin' Home / Ballad In Urgency -> Wiser Time -> Jam -> My Morning Song / Ole Man Trouble / By Your Side / Hard To Handle / She Talks To Angels / No Speak No Slave // Shapes Of Things

BLACK CROWES | SUMMERSTAGE | 8-9-2007
No Speak No Slave / Gone / Sting Me / My Morning Song / Sister Luck / Jealous Again / Hotel Illness / Downtown Money Waster -> Jam -> Thorn In My Pride / Soul Singing / Sometimes Salvation / Wiser time / Remedy // Oh Well