“We wanted venues that were a little bit more fun to play and maybe also a little more fun for an audience,” shared Counting Crows‘ lead Adam Duritz previewing the stops on the band’s latest touring schedule, including DC’s WolfTrap on June 20.
Fun is definitely Duritz’s focus — whether it’s playing for concert crowds, writing songs for an upcoming play, or compiling covers for their recently released new album. And especially when choosing a set list.
The GRAMMY-nominated American rock band, making only its second performance at Wolf Trap, is gearing up for a night of Crow classics and signature covers as a part of their Outlaw Roadshow tour, performing songs from their recently released album, Underwater Sunshine (Or What We Did on Our Summer Vacation), a collection of 15 interpretive covers (like Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere” and Coby Brown’s “Hospital”).
But while they’re singing a mix of Crows and somebody else’s songs of success, Duritz won’t guarantee he’ll play you their most popular: “Mr. Jones.” Because sometimes, he admits, singing that song just isn’t fun anymore.
“…That one thing you need to do stage every night is want to be there, and you should play your ass off every night and you should put everything you can into it. And I doubt we’re perfect about that, but I think it helps a lot that we don’t plan set lists of songs we don’t want to play.”
The again, he says (for fun), sometimes “Mr. Jones” is his jam.
*Tickets still available for Counting Crows, June 20th at WolfTrap, 7 PM. $48 in house, $30 lawn.
