THE TULANE HULLABALOO I MARCH 7, 1997 I AYT.!ld..e 7 Sheryl Crow and the Wallflowers are 'strong enough'

Rob Alexander opening act, but wondered if Crow could deliver for the remainder of the show. I soon got my answer and was Staff Writer pleasantly surprised with just how well she did her job. Sheryl Crow stepped on stage wearing a skin-tight As concerts go, I expected a show with Sheryl Crow black outfit and thick-heeled boots with a purple robe and the Wallflowers to be fairly tame. Both make music over it all which, thankfully, she removed after the first with a wide appeal, getting airplay spanning from top-40 song. Not only did she look fabulous, but she sounded radio to alternative stations. The fans I imagined were a even better. Her voice was smooth, but had enough calm, non-energetic group. gravel behind it to let you know that she still knows how I was wrong. to party. As it turned out, this concert was more full of energy And that's exactly what she and the band did on stage: than most of the concerts I've ever been to. It may not have a great big wild party. Every member of the have been a jump-up-and-down, thrashing hard-core audience was an invited guest. group concert, but it was certainly enough to have an You see, we caught Crow on a very special night- the evening that, simply put, rocked. fifth night to be exact. As Crow happily explained to the The Wallflowers opened for the show and dazzled the audience, she plays five shows in a row, and then she crowd with a mellow, bluesy brand of rock and roll. gets some rest days. So only on the fifth night does she Leading the band was Jakob Dylan, the smooth-voiced get to smoke and drink and do whatever the hell else she singer who is Bob Dylan's son. The apple didn't fall far wants to do. from the tree in this case, and Jakob really did get some At this fifth show, she sure did party hard. With of dear old dad's talent. The young Dylan's voice, as cigarettes, mixed drinks, bottles of who-knows-what and well as facial features, are very similar to his father's, plenty of beer, Crow and the band partied. but, thankfully, Jakob has better control over his hair Rather than take away from the show, it enhanced the than his father had over his. performance. They were really having fun on stage, and The Wallflowers only have one album out, and don't because of that, we in the audience were as well. They have a large bank of songs from which to draw, but what jammed through new songs and old songs, turning a few they played sounded great. They left the crowd hungry into long jam sessions full of energy and fun. Most FILE PHOTO for more. Sheryl Crow and the Wallflowers know how to rock importantly, Sheryl Crow and the Wallflowers showed hard. When they left the stage, I knew I had seen a solid me, a skeptic, that they know how to rock hard. Bumin' up the stage at the House of Blues: Matchbox 20 Victor Bellande Assistant Music Editor

Thursday, Feb. 13, at the House of Blues, an energetic new-rock band called Matchbox 20 opened up for the Lemonheads. This was the second time I had heard of them, being vaguely familiar with a single they had put out on the local rock station back home in Ft. Lauderdale. Seeing them perform at the House of Blues, I was very Impressed. This five-man group got the crowd pumped with a good mix of catchy melody and all-out hard rock. Their set consisted of songs from their debut album entitled Yourself or Someone Like You. They also played songs that, unfortunately, did not make it on the album. As there were more than just a few faces in the crowd who knew the words to every song, it was obvious that their popularity has spread from Florida to the rest of the country quickly. This did not surprise me one bit. Standing right in front of the stage, I got the full effect of the show. The technicians did an excellent job with sound and lighting, which added to the performers' stage presence. The lead guitarist, Kyle Cook, jammed out his solos right in our faces. The lead singer, Rob Thomas, had plenty of room on the stage to move around, which he needed as he was all over the place. It was weird MICHELLE HARDESTY/ MUSIC EDITOR knowing that this band was opening for another one. Matchbox 20 puttin' on a show better than some headliners. Matchbox 20 put on a show better than some headliners. meet the band, who were truly some of the coolest guys couple of the band members had already started in on the After the Lemonheads finished and the House cleared I have met. festivities of New Orleans. Needless to say, they were out, we met up with Adam Gaynor, the rhythm guitarist We talked to all of the band members for a while after having as good of a time as we were. for Matchbox 20. He took us backstage to hang out and the show. All of them were professional and genuine. A