Review: The Cranberries at the Count Basie Theatre

"I think that in the palm of your hand you can hold three or four people who really, really carried you to where you are today," Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan told the adoring crowd at Red Bank's Count Basie Theatre as a way of introducing "The Journey," one of the final songs of the band's Monday night (Nov. 16) performance.

Taking in O'Riordan's words, and seeing her on stage with the Cranberries as part of the band's first tour in nearly seven years, it was hard not to think of the journey these musicians have taken since forming as teenagers in Limerick, Ireland nearly 20 years ago.

The band's legacy was on full display on Monday night, with songs pulled from across their career and even a few, such as "The Journey," taken from the pair of solo albums O'Riordan released since the band went on hiatus in 2003.

When O'Riordan left the stage three songs in to walk through the crowd and give the early hit "Linger" a joyous, communal vibe, it was easy to feel worried that the show was peaking a bit too soon. However, the band had a large catalogue of hits to call on for the remainder of the 90-minute show, including "Zombie," "Dreams" and "Salvation," that left the crowd on its feet and singing along for much of the night.

Looking like she could have walked right off of the covers of one of the band's classic ‘90s albums, O'Riordan spent much of the night prancing, hopping and skipping around the Basie's stage, except on the numbers where she strapped on her guitar, such as the still-lovely number "Free to Decide."

And what about O'Riordan's one of a kind voice? As anyone who's heard her latest solo album, this year's "No Baggage," can tell you, it's still pretty much intact. For all of the showmanship she exhibits on stage, O'Riordan still maintains a remarkable amount of control over her wildly dynamic voice.

However, due respect must also be paid to O'Riordan's fellow Cranberries -- this is, after all, a reunion tour. The rest of the band, including brothers Noel and Mike Hogan on guitar and bass, respectively, and Fergal Lawler on drums, made its presence felt with playing that was crisp but understated, never taking the focus off of O'Riordan and always delivering the goods on these fan-favorite tunes.

The audience's enthusiastic response to the show, which saw fans breaking out into applause mid-song, rushing to touch O'Riordan and one fan even handing her a flower necklace at the start of the band's set, proved that fans' love of the Cranberries doesn't just linger on, it thrives. Hopefully it won't be another seven years before they come back this way again.

Opening the show with a solo acoustic set was engaging and endearing Ohio native Griffin House. Sporting an Americanized Damien Rice sound and a bit of a countrified Jeff Buckley look, House delivered folksy originals and a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" during his 40-minute set.

Here's  the Cranberries' Monday night set list:

1. "How"
2. "Animal Instinct"
3. "Linger"
4. "Ordinary Day"
5. "Wanted"
6. "Just My Imagination"
7. "Dreaming my Dreams"
8. "When You're Gone"
9. "Daffodil Lament"
10. "I Can't Be With You"
11. "Ode to my Family"
12. "Free to Decide"
13. "Waltzing Back"
14. "Switch Off the Moment"
15. "Salvation"
16. "Ridiculous Thoughts"
17. "Zombie"

Encore:
18. "Lunatic"
19. "Empty"
20. "The Journey"
21. "Dreams"