No, these two bands aren't the newest names in alternative rock. Yes, each has a middle-aged front-man. And yes, these two seasoned rock groups can still fill an outdoor amphitheater to capacity and prove that they are anything but "past their prime." Though their popularity may have peaked a decade ago, both acts brought devoted fans to their feet.

Smirnoff Music Center in Dallas was shaken at its foundations Saturday night as The Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows delivered a spectacular joint performance that pleased a packed house spanning the demographic spectrum. Parents, children and "twenty-somethings" alike were all singing along to the bands' high-energy sets.

I've been a sportswriter since I was 16, meaning I've been in the newspaper business for exactly half my life. Add the fact that I was a paperboy delivering Newsday as a kid, and it's no wonder some days I feel ready to retire.

Because of this job, I've gotten to meet a lot of cool celebs, but last week I had a thrilling 25 minutes.

BRISTOW--One way to get the crowd on its feet before your band hits the stage is to pipe in a tune from a band much bigger than yours. That's exactly the tack The Goo Goo Dolls used Saturday night at Nissan Pavilion when they started the show with a recording of Pink Floyd's "Run Like Hell."

Immediately afterward, the Dolls hit the stage playing "Stay With You" from their new CD, "Let Love In."

While Counting Crows have always been capable of capturing lightning in a bottle in the studio -- as borne out by their clutch of enduring tunes -- the band have always been at their best onstage. That's never been more evident than on this concert collection, which finds Adam Duritz and company twisting and turning through a career-spanning set of songs, daubing bright new colors on some tracks and delving into the darker corners of others.

MANSFIELD-- Adam Duritz, the lead singer for Counting Crows, has polarized critics and fans for years. Many have endorsed the fireworks-haired frontman's music. Others have been turned off by his frequent sparring with fans in his blog on the band's Web site and his highly personal songs.
On Saturday night, fireworks prevailed when a barefooted Duritz with a Jerry Garcia-like grin led the five other Crows through a rollicking set at the Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts.

In general, concerts fall into two categories.
The first is the true-to-the-album-version show. Songs sound pretty much like what you've downloaded or heard on CD and radio. Everyone sings along and usually goes home happy.
The second is why most people spend the money, time and effort to go to a concert -- the unpredictable, unexpected performance turning the songs you know into something new and interesting. Everyone sings along and goes home very happy.

Adam Duritz has put on a few pounds since his college rock heyday and now needs glasses to see his fans. But the crazy-haired singer of the Counting Crows proved himself to be one of the most compulsively watchable rock frontmen of the last decade last night at Germain Amphitheater.
Ever since the video for his band's breakthrough single Mr. Jones in 1993, Duritz has become known for his gesticulatory, herky-jerky performance style that makes even the most mundane of phrases come alive on stage.

Did Counting Crows really just release a live record sans "Mr. Jones" or "Round Here?"
The band did, and it's a bold move that fans and nonfans will likely applaud.

I was wondering what happened to these guys. Apparently they have been touring Europe and, in doing so, they recorded this CD. During a three-day event at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam (Feb 4th-6th, 2003), Adam Duritz and his flock laid down some tracks that have endeared them to their fans for years, but here they dig deep into their souls to re-release some inner feelings that must have been stored away for ages. This CD has a sorrowful, soulful sound that brings a new darkness to these songs. August and Everything After is the only Crows CD I own; there are some sad songs, but there are some upbeat ones too. On this tour, the band kicked it down a few notches.

Counting Crows made their debut 13 years ago, and Adam Duritz is still writing like an English major. He has always known that the devil is in the details, and he creates sharp dioramas of dreamers, beautiful losers and relationships in peril with such poetic imagery it's like stepping into a Faulkner novel. But there is very little preciousness or self-consciousness.