Counting Crows closed with its 1995 hit "The Rain King" Saturday at Treasure Island Casino, but not before its lead singer threw down some thunder of his own.
The band, opening up for Matchbox Twenty, had just kicked off its encore with "Palisades Park" when Adam Duritz signaled for the musicians to stop playing and glared towards the right of the stage where fans with backstage passes were starting to line up for post-show photos.
The eager beavers had left their seats near the front of the outdoor venue early, which means Duritz was performing in front of at least a couple dozen empty seats.
Duritz boomed some obscenities into his microphone and insisted that the spectators with special laminated badges return to their seats until the band was done. He even threatened not to continue.
"Don't make me exert authority," he said.
To be fair, an encore didn't seem like a given after the band's main set, which had already included a cameo from Matchbox's Rob Thomas. And an impending REAL storm must have had the special-access spectators worried that they may miss their opportunity to get selfies with the Dreadlocked One.
Most complied with Duritz's wishes and got back to the front rows. Duritz then finished "Park," followed by a mesh-up of "The Rain King" and Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road."
Matchbox's set was delayed by thunder and lightning; Hopefully, the added time gave Duritz the opportunity to cool down and pose for pics.
