Night life spotlight -- Counting Crows (and Augustana)

When the Counting Crows play the Maryhill Winery Amphitheater tonight, they won't be lounging in the green room sipping syrah, checking out the view of Mount Hood and waiting for opening act Augustana to finish.

So be on time.

"There's no opening bands. This show starts with everyone on stage," Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz said earlier this week during a phone call in which he stressed tonight's mix-and-match lineup format.

The Counting Crows (best know for the 1990s hits "Mr. Jones," "Round Here" and "A Long December," and 2004's "Accidentally in Love" from the "Shrek 2" soundtrack) and San Diego band Augustana will play a couple of songs together to kick off the concert. Then the Crows may do a set, or maybe it'll be Augustana. And during those sets, members of the other band will jump on stage to play, too.

"We'll try to revamp each other's songs. It's very exciting," said Duritz.

"I don't know how it's going to work," he added, noting that this week the band members were figuring out how to just get on and off the stage quickly.

Dubbed The Saturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus & Medicine Show, the tour kicked off last month, but Thursday's show at Marymoor Park outside Seattle was the first for this format, which will get even more collaborative when Michael Franti & Spearhead join up with the tour Sunday.

The idea for the group jam began last summer and, Duritz admits, it's a bit of a selfish venture.

"I wasn't always getting out of it what I wanted to get out of it," he says about playing live.

"I want to play really cool, fresh songs every night. ... Not some record version I don't even remember."

-- Kim Nowacki

* The Counting Crows and Augustana take the stage at 8 tonight at the Maryhill Winery Amphitheater, off Washington Scenic Route 14, west of U.S. Highway 97 near Goldendale. Tickets cost $45 and $65 and are available through Ticketmaster, 509-453-7139, www.ticketmaster.com. To inquire about rail seats in the arbor overlooking the concert -- which include dinner -- and season box seats, call the winery at 877-627-9445.