February 6, 2001 – For those who were lucky enough to be invited, it was a night that won't be forgotten anytime soon.

Mick Jagger, Goldie Hawn, Moby, and Howard Stern were among the bevy of celebrities and taste-makers who crowded into a vacant bank space transformed into a colorful rave setting in lower Manhattan Saturday night, February 3, to celebrate the Black Crowes' completion of their forthcoming Lions, due out in mid-May. The Don Was-produced album marks the band's debut for V2 Records, whose owner Richard Branson was on hand to host the exclusive bash. To quote one of the songs on the album, the whole experience was truly "Midnight From the Inside Out."

A little after 12:00 a.m., a 20-minute video retrospective of the Black Crowes – highlighting their success... and excess – was projected over the stage. Next, the Black Crowes – lead vocalist Chris Robinson; guitarists Rich Robinson and Audley Freed; drummer Steve Gorman; keyboardist Eddie Harsch; and new bassist Andy Hess – launched into what was a bracing set of favorites like "Wiser Time" and "Seeing Things For The First Time" and songs from Lions that included "Lickin'," "Greasy Grass River" and "Young Man, Old Man."

Cheering on the Crowes as they roared into their breakthrough 1990 hit "Twice As Hard" (with Kelly Jones of England's Stereophonics guesting on lead vocals) and Fleetwood Mac's early nugget "Oh Well" (with Big Sugar guitarist Gordie Johnson) were the aforementioned celebrities plus a host of other musicians: Peter Frampton, Don Was, Nona Hendryx, Stereophonics, Darius Rucker, Three Doors Down, Spacehog; and actors: Liv Tyler, Liev Schreiber, three cast members of "The Sopranos" (Drea de Matteo, Aida Turturro and Dominic Chianese, who plays the menacing "Junior" character) and five cast members from "Saturday Night Live" including Jimmy Fallon.

The Black Crowes, revered as the Most Rock 'n Roll Rock 'n Roll Band in the World, have achieved worldwide sales exceeding 15-million albums.

On Lions, the Crowes don't back down from their original mission: to create rock and roll that is fierce and genuine. The CD is heavy and raucous at times while expansive and tender at others.