Counting Crows bringing tour to Red Bank

Adam Duritz of Counting Crows (Credit: File Photo)

When Berkeley, California-bred radio rockers Counting Crows headed through Jersey last year, they headlined the reopening of the historic Wellmont Theatre in Montclair. (To check out our photos from that show, click here.) This year, Adam Duritz and company are back in the Garden State and they're paying tribute to another classic Jersey venue: the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank.

The band will be bringing its current trek with Michael Franti and Spearhead and Augustana -- dubbed the Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus and Medicine Show -- to town on Wednesday (Aug. 26) for a special benefit to help raise funds for the completion of the Basie's restoration.

And, rather than taking on the standard "support act followed by support act followed by headliner" format that most shows adopt, the Rebel Rockers tour is looking to bring more of a Midnight Ramble or county fair vibe to the historic theater. Crows frontman Adam Duritz explained the format of the tour in a note posted on the Basie's Web site:

Dear Everyone-Who-Happens-To-Read-This,

I know you're all used to showing up at 8:30 or 9PM for concerts that started at 7. It's understandable. You're there to see YOUR band and you're showing up when you think they're gonna play, right? Well, starting on Thursday July 16th at Marymoor Amphitheatre in Redmond, Washington, that's all going to change.

Ladies and Gentlemen, at 7:15PM, when the curtain goes up on The Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus & Medicine Show, Augustana AND Counting Crows are all going to be walking out onstage together and that show is going to start with EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US onstage singing and playing our brains out. We'll do a few songs together and then it may be Counting Crows that plays the first set alone. I don't know exactly how the shows going to run every night. It'll definitely be different a few days later in Friant, CA when Michael Franti & Spearhead join up. It'll probably be different every night. The only thing I know for sure is that EVERY show on this tour is going to start with EVERYONE onstage together and we're going to all be running on & off stage all night playing on each others songs and playing songs all together and basically just playing whenever we feel like playing. So you get my point, right?

GET HERE ON TIME!

Cuz when the curtain rises...THE CIRCUS BEGINS

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Well, there you have it. Arrive on time and help out a great cause. More information on the show, as well as tickets for the event, can be found on the Basie's Web site.