MJ Lenderman and Carly Hartzman from Wednesday Each Deliver Their Own Cover of Counting Crows’ “A Long October.”

Mj Lenderman Covers Counting Crows

MJ Lenderman delighted his audience with a cover of Counting Crows’ “A Long October” during his show last week.

• READ MORE: MJ Lenderman – Manning’s Fireworks Review: Literary Magic from America’s Golden Boy

Concert Details and Performance

The musician performed at The Orange Peel concert in Asheville, North Carolina, on Friday (December 20), as part of his rescheduled shows due to Hurricane Helen’s impact in October.

This performance supported his latest album, Manning Fireworks, featuring tracks such as “Joker Lips” and “Rudolph,” among others. He was accompanied by his band, The Wind, which includes Xandi Chelmis, his bandmate from Wednesday.

To conclude the concert, Lenderman presented the crowd with a heartfelt rendition of the Counting Crows’ 1996 song “A Long October,” a fitting choice considering the recent natural disaster that North Carolina endured.

As reported by Stereogum, Lenderman’s cover followed a performance by Carly Hartzman, his Wednesday bandmate, who presented her acoustic take on “A Long October” during a show at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, North Carolina, on December 17, alongside bassist Ethan Becktold.

While Lenderman’s version stayed true to the original, Hartzman’s interpretation was more stripped down, offering a deeper emotional resonance.

Song Background and Recent Achievements

The track originally debuted on December 2, 1996, as the second single from Counting Crows’ second album, Recovering the Satellites. It reached number five on the US Billboard modern rock tracks chart and topped the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. The song was re-released in the UK the following year, where it achieved a chart position of number 68.

In other news, Lenderman has joined the 2025 ØYA festival lineup, alongside artists like Chappell Roan, Khruangbin, and Wet Leg.

This year, Lenderman released Manning Fireworks, which NME praised with four stars. Mia Hughes remarked: “‘Manning Fireworks’ is an album that suffers from its freaks and misfits, and its success in achieving this goal is a sign of MJ Lenderman’s richly evolving voice.”

Additionally, his track “She’s Leaving You” reached No. 15 on NME’s list of the 50 Best Songs of 2024. Daniel Peters highlighted: “Breakup songs can embody a variety of emotions: desperation, uncertainty, and full-throated resentment. In contrast, M. J. Lenderman’s ‘She’s Leaving You’ conveys a shrugging, clear sadness, leaning toward the pathetic silence of grief in its chorus: ‘It’s getting dark, we all have work to do.‘ Slacker rock melancholy at its finest.”

“Manning Fireworks” also secured the 14th spot on NME’s list of the 50 best albums of 2024. Editor Karen Gwee noted: “‘Kahlua shooter, drunk scooter, MJ Lenderman draws the words ‘Joker Lips.’ ‘Economy’ is the motto for Wednesday’s guitarist on his solo album, Manning Fireworks. This striking precision allows his portrayals of misfits and selfish individuals to offer either an edge or an empathetic perspective—sometimes both within the same song. An underrated triumph.’