after all these years

Aside from that miscue, possibly the biggest hurdle Counting Crows faced was the pandemic which put a halt to the concert industry. The band went two years and a few days between shows, the longest touring draught Duritz had since he first started performing.

“When we started planning the first tour, I was very concerned that there wouldn’t be anybody there,” Duritz says of their 2021 return to the road. “Nobody dreams of having a career and becoming a rock star and having it peter out after two years. Most careers are very short in music. So it’s very unlikely to have a 30-year career like we’ve had.

“But then you have a two-year break and you start thinking, ‘Oh wow, this should’ve been over a long time ago.’ Now we’ve been gone for two years, is that enough for everyone to roll over and go back to sleep? That was a real worry. But it also led to a real appreciation. I don’t think I thought about at times how lucky we are to have fans that keep coming back, they care that much. I really found myself on stage being choked up that people came.

“The other thing that really hit me was, ‘Holy shit! I wrote a lot of words here! How am I supposed to remember all this stuff?’ When we were doing rehearsals for that first tour I was like, ‘What the fuck? There’s a lot of words.’”

Duritz says there’s no plans for an anniversary reissue of 1993’s August And Everything After as he says the “record doesn’t change.” He seems interested in 1996’s Recovering The Satellites possibly receiving reissue treatment as ‘there’s a lot of cool film stuff’ they did for the album. Speaking of film, Duritz also added that Counting Crows is the subject of a HBO documentary, but no release date has been confirmed.

Regarding a new studio album, the singer says they’ve been working on it for some time.

“I thought I had finished it at one point but a friend of mine sent me their new album,” Duritz says. “I listened to it and I thought, ‘Oh shit! This is really good! The stuff I’ve done so far isn’t good enough yet. I got to work on it.’ I didn’t trash it but I’ve been reworking it.”

In the meantime, the band is looking forward to their lengthy Banshee Season tour with Dashboard Confessional this summer. Fans should expect songs from every Counting Crows album, but Duritz and the band decide on the set list every night at their pre-show meal, so nothing is guaranteed.

“We don’t play the same show every night so we’re not bored playing concerts either,” Duritz says. “I still love playing ‘Mr. Jones’ and that’s probably because there were nights that I didn’t feel like playing it and we didn’t play it. So I don’t hate the song now. I can still love one of the best things I’ve ever written.”

Possibly the biggest surprise might be the fact Counting Crows are now starting their fourth decade as a band. The group has managed to survive the rock & roll roller coaster thanks to a simple trait Duritz and company have maintained.

“Epic stubbornness,” Duritz says with a quick laugh. “It’s very fresh for us. We never really tried to chase the fame part of it for better or worse. We were never like, ‘That was successful, let’s do that again.’ We’ve always chased whatever passion or fascination we had. People have a lot of regrets when they try to chase success and fame as opposed to just making great music.”

“You make music you really love and then it’s just how the world reacts to it. We don’t have a lot of regrets and I think that really helps too. That helps tone down the bitterness.”

Like many other groups post-pandemic, Counting Crows couldn’t wait to get back on the road. Duritz also says he doesn’t see rock icons performing well into their seventies and even eighties as a bad thing at all.

“I don’t think of it as inspiration,” Duritz says. “I think it’s okay for Springsteen just being good. But I was never one of those people who believe people should retire whether it’s sport or art. It’s not my job to satisfy your picture of me. I don’t have to retire at the top of my game because it’s not a career, this is my life. I think Bruce should play forever and so should Dylan and the Stones because we got into playing music because we loved playing music.”

As for the songwriting process, age has brought wisdom to Duritz when it comes to crafting words. The big revelation came while recording the 2012 covers album Underwater Sunshine.

“I think I used to write much more all in one breath,” he says. “Now I take a little more time. I was always very autobiographical in the early days and I think I’ve learned to write stories at times now that are still about how I feel. I realized at one point I didn’t have to tell a story about myself to express how I felt. I realized I could communicate that without it just being a diary.”

With the massive changes in how people listen to music since Counting Crows emerged in the early ‘90s, Duritz isn’t sure what would’ve happened had they been starting their career today. But he is certain the quality of their work would never have been in question.

“I don’t think we’d sell as many records because nobody buys them,” he says. “Honestly, the record label thought it [August And Everything After] was a really good record. We really loved it and we were hoping it would sell 100,00 copies and give us a nice indie start to our career. Nobody expected 10 million records!

“I think we’ve made nothing but great records. I’ve loved them all and I’m really proud of them all. At some point, if you get that kind of consistency over your career, hopefully you’ll have success but nobody really knows what makes success. Who knows what the zeitgeist of the culture is going to be like? You can’t control other people, the only thing you can do is do great work. You can control the quality of your work. I think we’ve done that throughout our career.”

One tragedy Duritz had to deal with over the course of the pandemic was the loss of his longtime dear friend, Bob Saget. The singer appeared on the 100th episode of Saget’s podcast in

June, 2021 and the two spoke of hooking up. Unfortunately, Saget died in early 2022.

“I talked to him a few times,” Duritz says, clearly still coping with the loss. “It’s a weird thing. I’ve had people pass away in my life. I don’t think I’ve experienced something like Bob where I think about it all the time. There are days

I wake up and just feel like talking to him and then I realize I’m not going to talk to him ever again. It is devastating still even now.

“He was the best fucking guy and he was my friend for 30 years. I think about him all the time. I miss him all the time. Bob made every person feel like you were the most important person in the world. I swear to god he was maybe the loveliest guy I’ve ever known. He was just a fucking wonderful guy.” •

Counting Crows perform August 4 at Florida SouthWestern State College’s Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers as part of their Banshee Season tour with Dashboard Confessional opening.

Flagler College

74 King Street

St. Augustine

904-819-6220 flagler.edu

An institution that values academic rigor, Flagler College offers 32 majors and 44 minors to roughly 2,500 students. The College is consistently featured on U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review . Recently, Flagler College was ranked for ‘Best Undergraduate Teaching’ and ‘Most Innovative School,’ by U.S. News & World Report ’s Best Colleges guide and named #2 ‘Best Regional Colleges in the South’ in 2022. Flagler College, also noted for its National Historic Landmark status with the campus centerpiece being the former Hotel Ponce de Leon built by railroad pioneer Henry Flagler in 1888, is located in St. Augustine.

Florida Gulf Coast University

10501 FGCU Boulevard South Fort Myers

239-590-1000

800-590-3428 fgcu.edu

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has made an indelible impact on Southwest Florida since opening in 1997. With 64 undergraduate and 33 graduate programs, the university created a pipeline of teachers and nurses, engineers and entrepreneurs, social workers and scientists. Nearly half of its graduates stay in the area and contribute to economic growth and community life. FGCU’s Fort Myers campus and the surrounding area serve as living laboratories where faculty and students conduct innovative research in water quality and incubate new business ideas. Its cultural offerings and 15 successful sports teams enrich life throughout Southwest Florida.

Florida

SouthWestern State College

Lee campus

8099 College Parkway

Fort Myers

239-489-9300

Charlotte campus

26300 Airport Road

Punta Gorda

941-637-5629

Collier campus

7505 Grand Lely Boulevard

Naples

239-732-3700

Hendry/Glades Curtis Center

1092 E Cowboy Way

LaBelle

863-674-0408 fsw.edu

Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) is the largest and most affordable college in Southwest Florida. With campuses and a center in Fort Myers, Naples, Punta Gorda, and LaBelle as well as FSW Online options, FSW serves over 18,000 students annually. Tuition begins at $3,401 per year for full-time enrollment, and 75% of FSW students graduate debt free. Students experience an active student life and study abroad opportunities. With in-demand industry opportunities like the Rist Cyber Institute and 60 certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree program options, FSW students can go straight into the workforce or transfer to a university following graduation.

Ringling College of Art & Design

2700 North Tamiami Trail

Sarasota

941-351-5100 ringling.edu

Since 1931, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit, fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College’s rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. For more information visit www. ringling.edu and follow the College on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota

Bradenton campus

5840 26th Street West Bradenton

Lakewood Ranch campus

7131 Professional Parkway

Sarasota

Venice campus

8000 S. Tamiami Trail

Venice

941-752-5000 scf.edu

Founded in 1957, SCF is the region’s first and largest public college, serving more than 11,000 students annually at campuses in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Venice and online. Students can earn two- and four-year degrees, workforce certificates, and non-credit career credentials. Dual enrollment is available for local high school students to earn tuition-free college credits, and SCF also operates charter schools for grades 6-12 in Bradenton and 9-12 in Venice. Serving as an economic engine for the region, SCF keeps a finger on the pulse of employers’ workforce needs and adjusts programs and resources to promote local development.