The Black Crowes launched their highly anticipated 2026 tour in Melbourne, Australia last week, and the set list was full of unexpected picks.
As Ultimate Classic Rock reported, the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees got things started with “Profane Prophecy,” one of the two songs released in January from their upcoming album, A Pound of Feathers. While they played one other new tune, “Pharmacy Chronicles,” the set was otherwise made up mostly of popular Crowes standards like “Twice as Hard,” “Jealous Again,” “She Talks to Angels,” “Remedy” and “Sting Me.”
There were, however, a couple of rarities, including “Movin’ On Down the Line” from their 2008 Warpaint album (which they haven’t played live in over a decade), and a cover of Faces’ “Three Button Hand Me Down,” which they only played a few times during the ’90s and haven’t included in a concert for more than 35 years.
“Three Button Hand Me Down” is probably most famous song from Faces’ 1970 debut album, First Step, released just a few months after the band took shape, made up of former members of Small Faces and The Jeff Beck Group (Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan, Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood).
Though it’s a classic today, “Three Button Hand Me Down” wasn’t a huge success when it first came out. In the book Rock on Wood: Ronnie Wood — the Origin of a Rock & Roll Face, Lane said that the band “didn’t really want to put out a single” and “didn’t really care if it was a hit, but it would have been nice if it was.”
The Black Crowes are planning more surprises for their U.S. tour
The Australian concert was likely a preview of what American audiences can expect when the Crowes kick off their Summer Hospitality tour in May.
“For the American tour, we’re discussing bringing back some old things that we used to do, that people haven’t heard in a long time, which is exciting,” frontman Chris Robinson told UCR. “We love that people…that our music still means something [and] enough to people to come be a part of it and feel it — and jump up and down.”
“Hopefully there’s more jumping up and down than looking at phones,” the singer continued, adding, “But, you know, a Sagittarian can dream, can’t he?”
Related: ’90s Rock Legends Announce Sprawling 2026 Summer Tour Including Historic Career First
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