Sheryl Crow – The Ledge Amphitheater – Waite Park, MN – June 5th, 2022

Sheryl Crow featuring special guest Keb’ Mo’

Review and photos by Patrick Dunn

One day after celebrating the Fourth of July holiday like a Minnesotan (fishing on Lake Minnetonka and fireworks in Excelsior), Sheryl Crow was back to the business of performing her chart-topping hits to local and Twin Cities metro area fans at The Ledge Amphitheater in Waite Park. She appeared to be feeling right at home at this exciting new venue and was admittedly in a “chatty” mood to the crowd’s delight. Crow’s tour in support of her documentary and soundtrack “Sheryl” released earlier this year, has an understandably reflective overtone that could be felt in both her commentary and the evenings song selection. Insightful statements like, “my industry’s all tech now, I’m too old to learn all that stuff – I just like playing music” speaks to the attitude and personality behind her catalog of material that has been packing the seats for decades.

As expected, Crow’s special connection to female listeners was reflected in the mix of attendees, but there were also a lot of couples who identified this show as an excellent opportunity for a memorable date night. The first-rate production required a stage full of gear for the 6-piece band and included a stadium quality light show that did its part to compliment the music. It was a favorable weather night that in no way interfered with the band’s good as studio sound that was delivered at a comfortable volume with enough power to spread out well beyond the venue’s constraints.

Crow now proud at 60, still maintains her youthful rock star appearance and more importantly delivered the goods on vocals. She sounded particularly good on the high notes during If It Makes You Happy, which fueled the hit packed beginning of the set. Can’t Cry Anymore also proved to be a vocal standout with a falsetto run that led her to joke “for a minute there I thought I was Mariah Carey”. Crow also made good use of her expanded range of musicality playing electric or acoustic guitar on most songs but grooved particularly hard when playing bass on selections like Favorite Mistake. She even took a break from string instruments altogether and busted out a mean harmonica solo during Live with Me, a throwback cut from the documentary that she originally performed with The Rolling Stones.

While songs in general followed the same structure as their recorded version, Crow often took stylistic liberties on vocal runs. Another positive deviation happened in the form of extended or multiple guitar solos, one of the best took place early on and elevated A Change Would Do You Good. The band was most settled in during Leaving Las Vegas, which slowly developed into perhaps the evenings finest groove. Crow graciously made a point to call-out an exceptional and well matched supporting set by blues musician Keb’ Mo’ along with an opening set by new comer Cecilia Castleman before breaking into the evenings most anticipated selections. Soak Up the Sun was an absolute celebration that had everyone up and out of their seats to dance and sing along followed by set closer Everyday is a Winding Road.

(Click here for a list of upcoming shows at The Ledge Amphitheater)

Setlist:
If It Makes You Happy
A Change Would Do You Good
All I Wanna Do
My Favorite Mistake
Can’t Cry Anymore
Hard to Make a Stand
Leaving Las Vegas
Strong Enough
Forever
Live with Me
The First Cut Is the Deepest (Cat Stevens cover)
There Goes the Neighborhood
Cross Creek Road
Soak Up the Sun
Every Day Is a Winding Road
Encore:
Real Gone
I Shall Believe