The Black CrowesThe Black Crowes reportedly found themselves dividing fans at a gig in the US state of Florida over the weekend, with sources reporting that comments from vocalist Chris Robinson inspired an audience walk-out.
The Georgia rock outfit were performing at Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on Sunday, June 1st as part of their Southern Hospitality tour, when the conclusion of their track Soul Singing gave way to chants of “U-S-A!” from the audience.
According to TMZ, the chant occurred when their Black Crowe mascot appeared on the screen behind the band, dressed in Uncle Sam garb.
A report from one member of audience explained that Robinson responded to the chanting by stating, “Thanks for the geography lesson,” adding, “I don’t know what you’re so proud of right now.”
It was at this point that members of the crowd began booing heavily, with some walking out. “Some of us have real faith,” Robinson continued to the crowd. “For those of you fucking booing us, some of us are not afraid. And we most assuredly are not fucking ignorant.”
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More fans continued to leave the venue as the band began to play She Talks To Angels, with comments on platforms such as Setlist.fm stating that apparently “over half the audience left,” though this has not been verified.
@lifeofbrett68 The Black Crowes frontman, Chris Robinson, got into a shouting match with Florida fans after they began chanting “USA, USA, USA” during a stop in Tampa on Sunday. #theblackcrowes #fyp #foryoupage #fypシ
♬ original sound - Brett
Notably, Robinson isn’t known for being particularly outspoken politically, stating in March that he is “not interested in politics.”
“I’m more interested in poetry and art and people and experience,” he told Mojo. “But a song doesn’t have to be like an overt political statement. I know what’s right and wrong – and this shit going on right now is wrong.
“Look man, I’m almost 60, all right. I don’t tell anyone what to do, because I don’t like to be told what to do. But I know right and wrong. The world’s teetering on the edge with all this bullshit, but if there’s a street fighting man out there, he’d got to be a young man, right? But these kids don’t seem to give a fuck.”
The Black Crowes recently performed in Australia in April, with the band having been scheduled to appear on the 2026 Bluesfest line-up ahead of its cancellation.
Guitarist Rich Robinson spoke to The Music about the group’s current performances at the time, explaining the current iteration has “been together for several years and we now are like a machine.”
"Everyone puts on a fucking great show,” he added. “Chris is singing better than ever, and the band's sounding better than ever, so it's great."
The Black Crowes have not yet made any statements in regard to the backlash received as a result of the weekend’s performance.
