Rock icon Sheryl Crow played a set of her greatest hits at Langford Auditorium for the Shade Tree Clinic’s “Concert for a Cause” benefit show.
Established in 2004, the Shade Tree Clinic is a student-run medical clinic that provides free health care for Nashville residents. The clinic offers Vanderbilt medical students a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge while giving back to Nashville’s uninsured and underprivileged community members. The clinic has two main fundraising events: the Shade Tree Trot and the Benefit concert and silent auction.
Crow is no stranger to the benefit concert stage, often performing to support causes she believes in. Crow sang, joked and told stories from her past, receiving laughs and applause from an energetic crowd.
For this set, Crow performed without her band but was accompanied by Tim Smith. Crow and Smith alternated between the guitar and bass while also filling in with pedals. This dynamic made it feel like a whole band was performing alongside her.
The message for the evening was the importance of giving back.
“It’s always the giving back that comes back to you and blesses you,” Crow said during the concert. “It will create wings, I promise you.”
She had nothing but praise for the clinic’s mission and the students.
“I feel like you guys are the angels in the room, the people that write the checks and show up and support these wonderful young people who are driving humanity forward,” Crow said.
Performing her greatest hits like “Soak Up the Sun” and “All I Wanna Do,” Crow was met with deafening applause and cheering from the crowd after every song. She kept the evening light, joking and telling stories from her career and personal life. Crow is an intimate performer, often making each member of the audience feel like she’s singing only for them. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing her in concert four times now, and each time I leave with my head held high.
