Call it dread head redemption.
Adam Duritz is rocking out without his locks out. Counting Crows’ lead singer is making headlines again after appearing on Australian TV sans his trademark dreadlocks — even though he got rid of them four years ago.
The buzz began after the 58-year-old showed up on Today Extra with the alt-rock group’s guitarist, David Immergluck, to promote their new Butter Miracle Tour, the Daily Mail reported.
“The dreads are gone, but the boys are back for their first national tour in seven years,” announced show co-host Sylvia Jeffries.
She and co-host David Campbell then questioned the bandmates on how it felt to do a comeback tour after a seven-year hiatus from performing Down Under.
“Everything back on the road is great,” replied Duritz, who — jarringly — was seen rocking a beard and mustache but no dreads.
Adam Durtiz, the 58-year-old lead singer of Counting Crows, appeared on Australian TV’s “Today Extra” to discuss the group’s upcoming tour.NineNeedless to say, viewers were flabbergasted by the vocalist’s uncharacteristically square-haired countenance. Indeed, it marked a cosmetic 180° for Duritz, who famously rocked the untamed mane throughout the 90s, when his band dominated the charts. Formed in 1991, the Crows signed to Geffen records, whereupon they broke into the international scene with the release of the hit single “Mr. Jones” in 1993.
The unlikely heartthrob notoriously dated some of the 90s biggest stars, including Wynona Ryder and Courteney Cox.
Perhaps most infamously, the “Hanginaround” singer also enjoyed a brief fling with Cox’s “Friends” costar Jennifer Aniston in 1995, although he claims the two “never even slept together.”
Lead singer/songwriter of rock group Counting Crows Adam Duritz performs at the Greek Theatre September 25, 2000 in Los Angeles, CA. Getty Images
Duritz announced his new look on social media in 2019.Twitter/, Counting Crows“She was really nice, really funny, really pretty, those were pretty good requirements for me, and also she liked me,” said Duritz while describing his alleged past “Friends”-ship in 2021. “It didn’t last very long, but she’s a nice girl.”
Duritz rocked the ropey ‘doo up until 2019 when he decided to free himself from “lockdown,” much to the chagrin of many fans. “Oh yeah, I flew to London and shaved my head! Anarchy In The UK indeed motherf- -kers!!!” the rock icon wrote in an Instagram post along with a selfie of himself with a fresh buzzcut.
However, the singer had previously admitted his luscious locks were in fact extensions, later telling Billboard he was “getting tired” of the dreads and had been thinking of sporting a new hairstyle for a while now.
Adam Duritz poses at the opening night of the play “Pictures From Home” on Broadway at The Studio 54 Theater on February 9, 2023 in New York City.Bruce Glikas/WireImage“I’m getting used to it,” he said. “It’s weird because I have accomplished a lot in my life, and every single bit of it was done with those on my head.”
Thankfully, unlike the Biblical Samson, cutting his hair didn’t appear to sap his powers. In the aforementioned interview, Duritz and bandmate Immergluck said they boast a wide demographic of fans who attend their concerts, a phenomenon they attribute to the “Shrek effect.”
Duritz recalled how their 2004 hit “Accidentally In Love” came about when DreamWorks asked Counting Crows to pen a song for “Shrek 2’s” opening scene.
Adam Duritz performs on stage in Hyde Park.Redferns“I went to Amblin [studios] and I sat with the director and one of the producers and they showed me almost all the movie, about seven-eighths of the movie, and a few scenes that are storyboarded,” he described. “And they told me what they were looking for and sent me home with a new DVD of that scene and I worked on it and some of the guys in the band helped out.”
The duo, who have been collaborating for 40 years, hope to extend their appeal with the aforementioned Australian tour, which kicks off in Adelaide on March 30. Later, the Crows will perform stateside in 56 cities for their Banshee Season tour, starting June 13.
And now, their Top 40-friendly sound has a “mane-steam” frontman to match.
