12 -- The Michig an Daily - Wednesday, July 9, 1997 Rain kings: Counting Crows rocks storm-drenched Pine Knob crowd By Elizabeth Lucas Daily Arts Editor Counting Crows has won many fans for its introspective, emotional song- writing, qualities which don't always translate well to live performances. But at Sunday's sold-out Pine Knob show, the band met and exceeded its audi- ence's highest expectations. Bettie Serveert, a p band from Holland, opened the show to COu a lackluster response from the crowd. "What's it called? 'Tone- Deaf?"' inquired one audience mem- ber, after a song title was announced. The band's droning guitars, repetitive lyrics and nasal singing failed to enthrall the audience, many of whom played cards or wandered around the hill, ignoring the band. Fortunately, the Wallflowers played an hourlong set after Bettie Serveert left the stage, and the group succeeded in changing the audience's mood. R ur Though not the most original or inno- vative band, the Wallflowers provided fun, poppy songs that the audience enjoyed. The band was somewhat lacking in stage presence. The Wallflowers' per- formance style hadn't changed a bit since it played at Hill Auditorium in November; the members simply E V I EW stood in one place and strummed nting CroWS their guitars. Pine Knob However, lead singer Jakob July 6.'1997 Dylan made fre- quent comments to the audience and even gave one fan his guitar pick. The show became more interesting with this interaction, though Dylan's comments didn't always make sense: He announced that the band would play "Asleep at the Wheel," paused, and then decided, "There's too many words in that one." The audience remained seated for much of the Wallflowers' set, only becoming enthusiastic about the band's best-known singles. (As Dylan noted wryly, "They can't all be hit songs.") One 40-year-old fan, however, danced ecstatically for the entire hour, in a style somewhere between a Tom Jones imitation and Garth's "Foxy Lady" strut from "Wayne's World." Audience members in his vicinity soon began to imitate him, to the amuse- ment of all. The Wallflowers closed with its latest single, "The Difference," ending the set on a lively note. A sudden downpour, complete with thunder and lightning, struck as this song began, but the audi- ence members were undaunted. They calmly opened their umbrellas and stood on the muddy hill awaiting Counting Crows. Half an hour later, the storm had passed and a rainbow spread from one end of the hill to the other. In this aus- picious atmosphere, "California Dreamin"' began to play, signaling the start of Counting Crows' perfor- mance. "Is it dry up there, or is it still rain- ing?" Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz asked the crowd on the hill. "Well, here's a song for you." The band launched into "Rain King" as the newly animated audience danced and sang along. Like its two albums "August and Everything After" and "Recovering the Satellites," the band's set was a mix of lively pop-rock tunes and brooding minor-key melodies. One highlight of the evening was a short acoustic set that included a Mexican-tinged version of "Mr. Jones" Duritz's performance was frenzied and emotional, and he occa- sionally put a new spin on old lyrics: "We all want to be big big big big stars / But we got second thoughts about that." Counting Crows played equal amounts of old and new material, ensuring that there was something to delight every fan. Mr. "Tom Jones," perhaps the ultimate fan, danced and sang along throughout the show, with such energy that he fell backward onto the grass at one point. But despite such minor mishaps, the band proved that its live shows should not be missed. If Counting Crows decides to play longer sets (this show, an hour and a half long, seemed much too short) and teams up with better opening bands, the band will no doubt sell out every venue it plays. " r qw 'Ann Arbor Speaks' on spoken-word poetry compilation Various Artists Ann Arbor Speaks ***I Spoken word poetry is a lot like country music; you either develop a taste for it, or you don't. Those who are fans usually can't get enough, while opponents have been known to run from a room screaming at the mention of an open mic. Unlike poetry read on the page, the effect of spoken word on its audience relies heavily on how it is presented by the reader. An incongruous voice or rhythm may end up sounding as abrasive as a scratched record. On the other hand, a good perfor- ! mance may lend unusual depth and texture to a poem which, if read on paper, would be simply ordinary. "Ann Arbor Speaks" is a spoken word compilation of 10 Ann Arbor poets, pieced together over three months by audio produc- er Doug Cameron and poets Lisa Mueller 1 and Todd Spencer. The CD offers a view of the dif- ferent flavors of spoken word around the area. It ranges from Decky Alexander's neurolic one- woman monologue to Ken Mikolowski's low-key jam with the Big Enigmas, and lots in between. The performances on the CD are hit- and-miss. Some poems are aurally beautiful, going straight for the gut, while others try hard, but end up as just disembodied words, floating in the air. Some highlights are Todd Spencer's imaginative and humorous "4 AM at Meijer," which envisions the supermar- ket as a cowboy-laden frontier; Steve Marsh's "The Bond' which thoughful- ly probes the emotional aftermath of a man's mugging; and Elise Bryant's no- nonsense "One Thousand Cranes," which addresses the question that almost all artists ask at one time or another: Why am 1[doing this? This collection offers a comfortable foray into spoken word poetry, which even the wary should find relatively painless. At the least, it will give you a sampling of these talented poets' work, and a chance to see if you would like to explore the medium further. - Sairh Beldo ore Bis and Kenickie to .7, perform at Magic Stick Fans of Britpop, your weekend is coming up! UK pop groups Bis and Kenickie (right) will play at the Magic Stick July 24. You can spend hours on the phone with Ticketmaster to get tickets ... or you can get them free from The Michigan Daily. That's right, we said FREE. The Daily is giving away three pairs of tickets to see the Bis and Kenickie show, and we know you want to win them. Simply come to the Daily Arts office (420 Maynard St., sec- ond floor of the Student Publications Building) and enter your name, phone number and e-mail address in our contest drop box. \OF [! J'ravel 1220 S. University, Ste.208 Above McDonald's Ann Arbor Tel : 313-998-0200 DAILY ARTS.