Black Crowes clash with Tampa crowd over 'U.S.A.' chant, drawing boos and walkouts
Frontman Chris Robinson pushed back on a patriotic chant during the band's Southern Hospitality Tour stop, and some concertgoers headed for the exits.
The Black Crowes — a band rarely cast as political — found themselves at the center of a culture-war flare-up Sunday night after frontman Chris Robinson rebuffed a “U.S.A.” chant during the group’s concert in Tampa, drawing boos and prompting some fans to leave, as the Los Angeles Times and JamBase reported.
The exchange unfolded at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre after the band played “Soul Singing,” when its crow mascot — an intentionally subversive image of the bird dressed as Uncle Sam — appeared on the venue’s screens. Part of the crowd took it as a cue and broke into chants of “U-S-A.” Robinson responded with a dismissive “Thanks for the geography lesson,” then, as the chanting continued, told the audience he didn’t see what they had to be proud of at the moment.
The remarks drew a mix of boos and cheers. According to JamBase’s account of the on-stage sequence, Robinson went on to tell the crowd that some of them had real faith, then directed a profanity-laced line at the hecklers — saying that some of them were not afraid and were not ignorant — before the band moved into its 1991 hit “She Talks to Angels.” A video from TMZ shows some concertgoers getting up and walking out during the back-and-forth.
The reaction stood in contrast to other stops on the tour. At a Fort Lauderdale show, the same material reportedly drew a warmer response. Representatives for the Black Crowes did not immediately respond to requests for comment from multiple outlets.
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