The Black Crowes and George Porter Jr. at The Capitol Theatre (A Gallery + Recap)

Photo Credit: Dino Perrucci

On Sunday, Dec. 22, The Black Crowes assumed the spotlight for a performance at The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, N.Y.’s rock haven. The Southern rock stars’ stand on the storied stage arrived as their final performance on the end of a thrilling year that brought Happiness Bastards, the band’s first collection of new music since 2009’s Before the Frost… Until the Freeze. The narrowly pre-holiday engagement also concludes the second tour taking its name from that massively-acclaimed studio return, inherently celebrating and punctuating a new beginning for the 40-year outfit fronted by Chris and Rich Robinson.

The Black Crowes’ celebratory performance began with an opening show from George Porter Jr. & The Runnin’ Pardners, whose presence was specially requested by the headliners. After an introductory set packed with favorites from The Meters and a touching, funky treatment of Jarry Garcia’s “They Love Each Other,” The Black Crowes stepped into a spotlight for a marked change of pace, turning up the heat on the cold winter night with a bluesy, heavy-hitting heartland rock set. The Crowes stuck mostly to the hits, dropping favorites from throughout their catalog like 1990’s “Jealous Again,” 1999’s “Go Tell the Congregation,” 1992’s “My Morning Song” and 2011’s “Soul Singing” alongside 2024 favorites like “Bedside Manners,” “Rats and Clowns” and “Wilted Rose.”

The band of self-identified music nerds and rock aficionados wore their influences on their sleeves by working four covers into the main portion of the set, treating The Rolling Stones’ “Rocks Off,” Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle,” The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” and finally The Undisputed Truth’s “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” After a classic cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Torn and Frayed,” the band finished off its 2024 by ushering in the holidays with a debut of Chuck Berry’s essential “Run Rudolph Run.”

Get an inside look at the performance in the gallery below, courtesy of photographer Dino Perrucci. For more information on The Black Crowes, visit theblackcrowes.com.