Entertainment

ADDISON – Few people wept – or even noticed – in 2002 when the Black Crowes announced they were going on hiatus. By then, bluesy jam bands had become as common as muck.

REX C. CURRY/Special Contributor

Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes brought infectious rock to Addison on Saturday.

But their five-year layoff has cast the Georgia rockers in a flattering new light. Performing before a big crowd Saturday night at Taste Addison, the Crowes showed why they're infinitely more interesting than, say, Blues Traveler or the Spin Doctors.

It boils down to songs versus solos. While other jam bands treat song-craft as a chore, hirsute singer Chris Robinson and his guitar-playing brother Rich make it a priority. "Oh Josephine," a ballad from the reunion CD Warpaint, burned with the same gospel-soul fervor fans first heard on 1990's "She Talks to Angels," the show's big singalong.

And while the Crowes skipped most of their early hits – no "Remedy," "Jealous Again" or "Hard to Handle" – there was no shortage of infectious tunes. The rousing new "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution" was the perfect show-ender.

New guitarist Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi All-Stars) teamed up with Rich Robinson for some fiery duels straight out of the Allman Brothers' playbook. But for all its guitar chops, the band's lead instrument was Chris Robinson's raspy blues wail.

He was flanked by two female backing singers, but with a voice this commanding, he rarely needed them.

The evening's other star vocalist was Grace Potter, who opened the show with her Vermont-based group the Nocturnals. She seemed surprised to be back in town so soon after playing the Granada Theater – "it was just a week ago," she said – but she didn't perform like it was a rerun. Belting out the blues as she attacked her Hammond B-3 organ, she was captivating from the start.

She looked like she'd just walked out of a Scorpions video – short denim skirt, studded belt, Flying V guitar strapped over her shoulder – and lead guitarist Scott Tournet sounded like he knew Led Zeppelin II by heart.

But the hard-rock touches never overshadowed the band's R&B influences or its anything-goes jam-band bent. The set's highlight arrived during a manic percussion solo in which Ms. Potter and her three mates practically destroyed a drum kit.

Ms. Potter and the Crowes played on the festival's main stage, which featured a top-quality video screen.

Too bad Taste Addison didn't invest in a better crew.

One clueless cameraman stood directly in front of Ms. Potter and blocked the audience's view for half the set. During the Crowes' show, the video-screen operator couldn't seem to figure out which of the two guitarists was playing the solo.

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