The Black Crowes perform at Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles on May 4, 2022. Photos: Chas Alm.

LOS ANGELES — The Black Crowes played a short but triumphant set to mark the release of new EP 1972 at the Whisky a Go Go Wednesday. The show at the famed L.A. club, sponsored by Amazon Music, was livestreamed on Twitch. The Crowes played the songs from the EP, all covers of classic songs from the year 1972, followed by a blistering six-song set of their own hits.

The line to buy tickets started forming early outside the Whisky, with eager fans who’d read about the show earlier in the day on social media. The announcement said only the first 100 people would be admitted, for the cost of $19.72.

The Black Crowes perform at Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles on May 4, 2022.

The Black Crowes, perhaps best known for their cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle” in the ’90s, showed respect and reverence in their performances of the songs they’d chosen for 1972, having declared it “a watershed year in music.” Singer Chris Robinson, whose onstage presence has often been compared to Mick Jagger’s, started the show with the Rolling Stones’ “Rocks Off,” gleaming under the stage lights in a silver suit.

After noting that May 4 was also the 50th anniversary of a renowned Little Feat performance on the very same stage they were standing on, the singer ceded the spotlight to his brother, Rich Robinson, who sang lead while playing acoustic guitar on Little Feat’s “Easy To Slip.” The Black Crowes also played Rod Stewart’s “You Wear It Well,” T-Rex’s “The Slider,” David Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” and The Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone.” The song choices served not only as tributes, but also as a proud declaration of the band’s influences. After hearing the Black Crowes play “The Slider,” one could not help but draw a direct line between Marc Bolan and the Robinsons.

The Black Crowes perform at Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles on May 4, 2022.

“Hard to have a bad gig with these great fucking songs,” Chris Robinson declared between tunes. Robinson was in fine voice and even managed to do some of his signature dancing and mic stand twirling on the Whisky’s small stage. The band sounded energized and excited to play the material from the EP, which had just been released on Amazon Music earlier that day.

The only hitch in the anything-can-happen live show was when the band transitioned to its own songs. After the 1972 songs, the Crowes had a false start with “Thorn in My Pride,” when Rich Robinson realized his Telecaster was in the wrong tuning for the song. The band stopped and waited while his guitar tech tuned a different Tele to the open tuning he needed, and then they began again. It was the only hiccup in an otherwise smooth and polished show. The Crowes thrilled the crowd in the packed club with rousing renditions of “By Your Side,” “She Talks to Angels,” “Ballad in Urgency” and “Wiser Time” before finishing with a blockbuster version of “Remedy” before departing the stage.

Amazing to see @theblackcrowes in such an intimate setting as @TheWhiskyAGoGo! Thanks @amazonmusic! #PapaWasARollinStone pic.twitter.com/H0Zra9kTiE

— Rachel Alm (@thouzenfold) May 5, 2022

The heart of the Black Crowes has always been the brothers Robinson. The siblings, who were once famous for their public spats with each other, patched things up in 2020. The current lineup also includes bassist Sven Pipien, who previously played with the band from 1997 to 2015. The band was augmented by Bay Area native Joel Robinow on keyboard (Chris Robinson referred to him as a “unicorn” in his introduction) and Brian Griffin on drums, as well as Mackenzie Adams and Leslie Grant on backing vocals. Charlie Starr of Southern rock band Blackberry Smoke guested on guitar.

“We got a real rock star here,” Chris Robinson said of Starr, who was filling in for Isaiah Mitchell.

There may have been some disappointment among the fans in attendance that the band didn’t play “Hard to Handle,” but the Black Crowes will likely play that at BottleRock Napa on May 27.

Follow Rachel Alm at Twitter.com/thouzenfold and Instagram.com/thousandfold.