The Black Crowes filed a lawsuit against one of the biggest international insurance companies, Lloyd's of London, the underwriter of last year's Black Crowes tour with Jimmy Page. Before the tour began, both Page and the Crowes purchased a policy from Lloyd's insuring against loss in case the tour, or any portion of it, was canceled. Following Page's back injury, a portion of the second leg of the tour and the entire third leg were cancelled.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on March 1st, Lloyd's has refused to compensate the Black Crowes for the loss. The suit states that Lloyd's placed "their own self-interest ahead of the rights and needs of their customers" and "Lloyd's has embarked on a malicious course of conduct that threatens the interests, rights and livelihood of the Black Crowes." The suit demands Lloyd's of London to pay compensatory and punitive damages.

Meanwhile the live album that resulted from the Page Crowes tour is doing well. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Live at the Greek has gone gold (sales of 500,000). The album and the individual tracks were first released over the Internet via Musicmaker.com and finally compiled onto the live recording Live at the Greek and distributed to retail through TVT records. The album was recorded over two shows at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles in October, 1999.

CHRISTINA SARACENO
(March 2, 2001)