Last night (April 2), The Black Crowes kicked off their Happiness Bastards Tour at the Opry House in Nashville. The set included songs from the new album as well as an appearance from Lainey Wilson. She joined them on “She Talks to Angels” and “Wilted Rose.”
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“If you’re going to play the Grand Ole Opry, you have to bring out a bona fide country superstar,” Chris Robinson said before introducing Wilson. Then, they kicked into “Wilted Rose” from the band’s latest album Happiness Bastards. It wasn’t a one-and-done appearance, though. The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year stayed on the stage to perform “She Talks to Angels” as well. Watch both killer performances below.
Wilson sang harmony on “Wilted Rose” as she did on the album cut. She did the same on “She Talks to Angels,” belting along with Robinson during the chorus and adding vocal runs during the bridge. More importantly, watching the country superstar share the stage with rock legends stands as a reminder that sometimes genre labels don’t matter. Great music is great music.
Lainey Wilson Was the Black Crowes’ First Guest Singer
The Black Crowes released their debut full-length Shake Your Money Maker in 1990. Since then, they’ve released a total of 10 studio albums. They’ve never had a guest vocalist on an album until Wilson joined them for “Wilted Rose” on Happiness Bastards. After growing up listening to the band, the “Heart Like a Truck” singer was more than happy to get on the track with them.
Chris Robinson met Lainey Wilson on the red carpet at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. They were there that night to perform “She Talks to Angels” with Darius Rucker. “She was such a sweetheart and she was like, ‘Oh my God, I grew up listening to the Black Crowes,’” Robinson recalled in an interview. “We just had a little moment between interviews and whatever,” he added.
He went on to say that Jay Joyce, who produced Happiness Bastards for the Crowes as well as Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’ and Bell Bottom Country for Wilson, made the connection. He invited her to sing on the track and she agreed. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Black Crowes and Lainey Wilson both have packed tour schedules this year. Tickets to their upcoming shows are available on StubHub.
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