A Black Crowes show is the kind of scruffy, skanky, rock'n'roll concert that makes you want to shower immediately.

And, undoubtedly, that's how their fans want to feel.

Even though the sound was overly loud and muffled at the start -- and Chris Robinson's vocals were unintelligible most of the set -- the packed audience of 1,000 was exuberant regardless.

Actually, more than a few in the crowd looked as if they wished the venue had abolished its no-smoking policy for the night, as they swayed along with the spindly Robinson. The singer presented his usual disheveled appearance in patched bell bottoms and a shabby T-shirt but also inserted an easygoing energy into his performance.

The six-piece Crowes were aided by a pair of female backup singers -- also drowned out throughout the set -- but the focal point of the night was new guitarist Luther Dickinson from North Mississippi All Stars.

Though not quite Duane Allman incarnate, he's pretty close, even inserting riffs from the Allman Brothers' "Blue Sky" into a song and blazing through Bob Dylan's "Girl From the North Country."

Dickinson served as an ideal accomplice to the other Robinson in the band -- guitarist Rich.

While the first hour-plus of the show avoided anything resembling a radio hit, the band impressively wound through "Oh Josephine," a song that was grungy in the truest sense. It also allowed Dickinson to unleash another beautiful solo, his clean lines running opposite everything else in a Crowes tune.

Throughout the set, Chris Robinson wiggled around a stage decorated with scattered Chinese rugs, pumping his microphone stand as his nasal bray filled the theater with "(Only) Halfway to Everywhere." That song also allowed the lighting person to shine, as effectively hyperactive lights blinked in harmony with the song's tempo shifts.

A highlight of the two-hour set was its stripped-down performance of "Miracle to Me," which fluttered with a vague Middle-Eastern vibe. But the addition of Chris Robinson's harmonica wailing made it unmistakably Crowes.

Those attending tonight's encore performance will very likely see a completely different gig. Even with a set list, this is a band that thrives on being unstructured -- exactly what their fans love about them.Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or mruggieri@timesdispatch.com.