Sheryl Crow at the Bowery Ballroom

Born in Kennett, Missouri, Sheryl Crow attended university in nearby Columbia and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music composition, performance, and education. While at the university, she sang in a local band, Cashmere, and after graduating worked as a music teacher at an elementary school in Fenton, Missouri. Teaching during the day granted her the opportunity to sing in bands on the weekends and record advertising jingles. After years of singing backup and writing songs for others, her debut album won three Grammy Awards in 1995 and sold more than 7 million copies. Crow's ninth and most recent studio album, Be Myself, will be released on April 21, 2017. Crow currently lives on farmland near Nashville, Tennessee.

Perhaps as a warm-up to a tour of much larger venues, Sheryl Crow performed a two-and-a-half-hour set tonight at the Bowery Ballroom. The lengthy show allowed her to introduce a few new songs and play all the hits. The concert began with "Every Day Is a Winding Road," with Crow on acoustic guitar and crystal clear vocals while the band played a driving rock; Crow spent more time dancing than strumming on this energetic opener. Crow later rocked the bass and eventually the keyboards. For the most part, Crow eschewed her recent country music excursion for her signature energetic pop rock that was nevertheless tinged often with country melodies and hooks. Even the uninformed in the audience knew which songs were the hits; those were the songs with the very repetitive choruses that the audience chanted with her. The live arrangements were largely up-tempo, all propelled by crisp and fluid guitar leads and an undercurrent of honky-tonk piano. Ever personable, Crow chatted with the audience and offered anecdotes for many songs, particularly her newer songs. All in all, Crow performed a highly enjoyable concert that gave the fans everything they wanted.

Sheryl Crow will bring her "Be Myself Tour" to the Beacon Theatre on June 28.

Visit Sheryl Crow at www.sherylcrow.com.

Setlist

1. Everyday Is a Winding Road
2. A Change Would Do You Good / All I Wanna Do
3. My Favorite Mistake
4. Be Myself
5. Long Way Back
6. Alone In The Dark
7. Can't Cry Anymore
8. The First Cut Is the Deepest (Cat Stevens cover)
9. Grow Up
10. Heartbeat Away
11. There Goes the Neighborhood/Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo ( Heartbreaker) (The Rolling Stones cover)
12. Leaving Las Vegas
13. Strong Enough
14. Rest Of Me
15. The Difficult Kind
16. Roller Skate
17. Halfway There
18. Best of Times
19. Picture/If It Makes You Happy
20. Soak Up the Sun

Encore:

1. Run, Baby, Run
2. Real Gone
3. I Shall Believe