Counting Crows – New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall

Artist: Counting Crows

Title: New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall

Label: Geffen

Rating: 4.5/10

FILE UNDER: Shameless.

CORPORATE LINE: Recorded in February 2003 in Holland, Counting Crows’ New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall 2003, will be released on Geffen Records on June 20th, and includes a collection of songs from their years of performing. Counting Crows success dates back to their 1993 debut release August And Everything After and the hit single “Mr. Jones.” The band’s most recent success included a # 1 hit with the song “Accidentally In Love,” which was featured on the Shrek 2 soundtrack, as well as nominations last year for a Grammy Award, a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award for the track. In 2004 the band released their first ever “Best Of” set Films About Ghosts which featured songs from every phase of the Counting Crow’s recording career. The band has sold over 20 million records worldwide.

THE REVIEW: This live album was recorded live during the Counting Crows Hard Candy tour and features songs that are far from spectacular. It takes nerve to release a live album that doesn’t feature their greatest hits (“Mr. Jones” and “Round Here”). Apparently, the band must believe they are too good to play those hits even though they sing “Rain King” and “Omaha” from the same album. Counting Crows want to sell us something different than their other live album Across A Wire—but why the hell should we care about New Amsterdam?

There are awful tracks like “Goodnight L.A.” and “Four White Stallions.” How do you put filler on a live album? Especially from a band who has real hits? It’s a good question and we don’t know the answer. Live albums should be all killer and no filler and the Counting Crows let everyone down. There is a good track; “Good Time.”

FRANKLY: The entire album comes off as shameless. There are plenty of songs that could have been left behind; “Catapult” and “Goodnight L.A.” for starters. Are we to believe because we haven’t heard these songs live on an album that we should care enough to buy this album? New Amsterdam is made for a select few diehard fans that the band and record label are afraid will have downloaded these songs from some other source when they should be cashing in. Sure, the Counting Crows should get paid for their music—but we shouldn’t be asked to pay for crap.

+ Rae Gun