round here
"did you think that you were dreaming?"

And in this song is captured the complete and total essence of Counting Crows in the live persona. As the opening throbbing fades into the introductory chords of "Round Here," the crowd swells in approval. My favorite on this album, simply because of the fact that Adam put so much into this one; obviously the song tends to be more personal than one might think at first. Adam draws on experience to compose his songs; one can only imagine what sort of pain gave birth to this song of confusion.

Maria is no longer the only messed up soul in this tale; Adam turns the confusion on himself and lets everyone know he's not sure of himself. The high road isn't always the safest, and he finds himself plunging from it's heights.

The music in this song is exceptional for a live performance; all due credit to the band -- as always, they maintain musical excellence even when not in the studio. Too many times bands will sacrifice quality for the show, thinking that the audience will be so overwhelmed by the fact that they're THERE that they won't care about the music. Not so. "..she says, 'Shut up. I know it's only in my head. Did you think that you were dreaming?' I said no. She said 'Did you think that you were dreaming?' I said, no. She said 'Did you think that you were dreaming?' I said 'Sometimes I don't know.'" And from this apt bridge comes the familiar lyrics of "Have You Seen Me Lately?" At nearly ten minutes in length, Adam incorporates so many familiarities into this song, weaving an intricate tale of depression and sadness that would move a boulder to tears.

When he pleads "..tell me one thing.." over and over, you want to assure him he's not forgotten. When he whispers "shhhh" over and over, you can hear the reverberation of the assaults in his head. The segment of the song bringing to light the messed up girl in the parking lot gives more meaning to the inner workings of depression. "She says can't you see me? Can't you see me? Can't you see my walls are tumbling down? Can't you see my walls are crumbling down? Can't you see my sun stopped spinning round? Can't you see that sky turn black and brown? Can't you see my moon go flashing down? And can't you see me; can't you see me; can't you see me?" Adam answers this horrible plea with a simple "No."

And the original tones of the girl on the car in the parking lot come to life as Adam recounts the tale once more, in a more familiar way. Throughout this entire song, the crowd remains silent and you can only imagine the mesmerization they must be feeling. I know I would be. The way this song has been reworked is simply breathtaking. The insertion of the lyrics from "Have You Seen Me Lately?" fit the song so well that Adam sings them again, and the song begins to wind down slowly with the desperate pleadings to please remember him; just one thing, remember him. Just one thing.

"Round Here" does one thing that I've never experienced in a lengthy song before, much less a live recording; though nearly three times longer than the original version [the live version is nine and a half minutes long], the song does the impossible -- leaves you longing for more and more and more and more and more.. Another reason you've got to love this band.

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Whew! I accidentally wrote my thoughts for this live version on the Storytellers section. At this point, I already have approximately 10 or so versions of this song coming from the the actual studio version to various live recordings. And I have to say, every single one of them is different from each other. Each has their own personality depending on what's running through Adam Duritz's head at that percise moment.

"Round Here" isn't "just another song" in their collection, it's more than that. "Round Here" is a revalation....a moment wherein the band, most notably, Adam, reveals himself and his inner feelings to everyone. True, to some degree all his songs do this, but Round Here simply takes it all to another level.

People would probably wonder if I ever get sick of the song since I have all these different versions some even existing on the same tape, well, my answer? no. Like I said, each one is different, all you have to do is listen, just really listen to what Adam is saying. It's like asking if I ever get sick of someone I see every day. If that person is important to you, you don't. Simply because each day spent with that person brings forth a new experiences and thoughts. Each version is different, I can't seem to express that enough.