The Black Crowes in Hartford

About The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes emerged from Atlanta in 1989 with a sound that felt like they'd unearthed it from a basement tape vault circa 1972. Their debut album, "Shake Your Money Maker," nailed that Zeppelin-meets-Stones groove immediately, anchored by the irresistible blues swagger of "Hard to Handle" and the softer vulnerability of "She Talks to Angels." Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson traded vocals and guitars through the '90s, building a catalog that proved southern rock didn't need to apologize for its influences—just nail the execution, which they did repeatedly. "Remedy" became their other staple, a hypnotic track that showed they understood dynamics as well as riffs. The band fractured, reunited, and fractured again, but their best albums hold up as genuine artifacts of a moment when classic rock DNA could still produce something that felt fresh.

Their shows are sweaty, loose affairs where the brothers bicker and build momentum through extended jams. The crowd feeds on that chemistry—nobody's checking their phone. It's church music played in a honky tonk.

Known for Hard to Handle, Jealous Again, Remedy, She Talks to Angels, Thorn in My Side

The Black Crowes + Hartford

The Black Crowes rolled through Hartford in July 2021 at XFINITY Theatre with the kind of setlist that rewarded the people who actually stuck with them past the radio hits. They opened with "Shake Your Moneymaker" and didn't waste time getting into the deeper cuts—"Sister Luck" and "Seeing Things" came early, which meant this wasn't going to be a greatest-hits victory lap. The real moment came when they dropped "No Speak No Slave," a song that sits in that uncomfortable space where blues rock meets genuine unease, followed by "By Your Side" and the sprawling "Wiser Time." They closed with a cover of "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll," which felt less like a cop-out and more like them saying they knew exactly what they were. Twenty songs in, and they still had room for album tracks that most bands would've forgotten by now.

The Black Crowes in Hartford News

• The Black Crowes, Whiskey Myers, to rock 2 Michigan amphitheaters this summer MLive.com · Jan 30, 2026
• The Black Crowes announces new 2026 tour dates Rock and Roll Garage · Jan 29, 2026
• The Black Crowes & Whiskey Myers Announce Southern Hospitality Tour 2026 JamBase · Jan 28, 2026
• The Black Crowes, Whiskey Myers to Launch ‘Special’ Co-Headlining Southern Hospitality Tour Billboard · Jan 28, 2026
• The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers Plot Co-Headlining Tour Exclaim! · Jan 28, 2026

Live Music in Hartford

Hartford's got a complicated relationship with blues and classic rock. It's a city that remembers when venues meant something, when touring bands were events. The Black Crowes fit into that lineage—they're not flashy enough for the streaming generation, too rooted in something real for the Instagram set. The XFINITY Theatre crowd that showed up knew what they were there for: a band that takes the blues seriously but doesn't take themselves as gospel.

Hartford road trip to see The Black Crowes?

Stay in the West End neighborhood—it's got actual character and puts you near some decent restaurants. Head to Saluto for Italian that doesn't oversell itself, or The Sycamore for New American food done properly. Before the show, walk through Bushnell Park and check out the Elizabeth Park conservatory if the weather cooperates. After, grab a drink at Vaughan's Public House if you want to decompress somewhere that feels lived-in rather than designed. The Wadsworth Atheneum is worth an hour if you have time to kill during the day.