Counting Crows - August and Everything After is one of my favorite CD's of the last 20 years. The songs were written perfectly and the production quality of the album was amazing. After their first album, I really didn't care for much other than a few songs off of Recovering The Satellites, the follow up to their extremely successful debut.
Some time in the mid 90s, my wife and myself decided to go see them to hopefully catch a glimpse of their first CD. Unfortunately, everything they played off that disc was completely changed to suit the bands needs to satisfy themselves and not the audience. It was a self indulgent catastrophe that furthered my dislike of where they were going. In my eyes, the fans want to hear the songs the way they were recorded and released, especially in a live situation. We only got changed versions and songs that were nothing like the originals.We left the show about three quarters of the way through and literally wanted our money back.
Well, this past year they released a blu ray in which they perform August and Everything After in it's entirety. I was excited when Best Buy had it on sale last week for $9.99. So, I picked it up and decided to watch it the other night. Once again, disappointment set in. The performance is only similar to the album in the musical performance. Adam Duritz sings all the songs completely different than the recorded versions. This only furthers my earlier proclamation that they are a self indulgent band that cares little for their fans or their legacy. Duritz only fuels my assumptions while speaking on the companion interview. He says that the band simply chooses what they want to play not what the fans want to hear.
If you like August and Everything After, listen to the CD again. This performance is uninspired, self serving crap that makes me like the band even less.