KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Summer Wildcat Dave Bryson, guitarist for Counting Crows, plays a show at Centennial Hall in May 2001.

The morning after the Crows' kicked off their tour, guitarist Dave Bryson revealed the band's

committment to touring while "wheelin' and dealin'" in a Salt Lake City guitar shop

WILDCAT: How's the current tour going?

BRYSON: It's great. (The tour) started last night, and was a blast. We sold out. It was a great night.

WILDCAT: The Counting Crows have been out promoting Hard Candy for quite some time, and that's not unusual for the band. You guys usually have long tours. How do you find the energy to give the audience a great show every night for such an extended period of time?

BRYSON: It is a challenge. After 200 something shows, it becomes a little difficult. But one thing that's unusual about this band is that we play different shows and different songs every night. We have a lot of material to choose from, so we can go back to the first album, second album or third album. We just try to do something different.

WILDCAT: Do you guys enjoy touring? If so, why?

BRYSON: You'd get a different answer from each guy in the band. We tour because we have to. We enjoy it, and it's what we do. A lot of the guys in the band would like to tour a lot less. The tour's going to last about 20 months, so you're not home too much for a year and a half. But it's part of it, because we decided a long time ago to establish ourselves as a live band. I think it's really a big part of who we are and what we do.

Low Down Counting Crows and John Mayer Monday, 7:30 p.m. Cricket Pavillion 2121 N. 83rd Ave. Phoenix Tickets $30.50 ÷ $40.50 ticketmaster.com

WILDCAT: What can you promise fans who show up to see the Counting Crows?

BRYSON: Can't promise anything, Īcause it's different every night. You might see a show that one time is acoustic, and you might see us the next night and it's loud and electric. We really vary it a lot.

WILDCAT: How was opening night with John Mayer?

BRYSON: It was great. Our two bands are really different, yet I think people who like John, like us, and people who like us, like John. It's really a healthy thing for both bands.

WILDCAT: What do you think of John Mayer as an artist?

BRYSON: He's a great musician. I like him, but to be honest, he's not my favorite. He's a little soft for me.

WILDCAT: In September, it will have been 10 years since the release of August and Everything After. What is the Counting Crows secret to success?

BRYSON: I think the reason we make good records is because we don't go into the studio with expectations about what the record should or shouldn't be. We just try to write great songs and make it what it is. It's all about the songs. Our records are full of good songs, and I think that's why people keep coming back to us.

WILDCAT: Can you talk about the evolution of your music and the difference between albums like Hard Candy and Recovering the Satellites?

BRYSON: All the lyrics are written by Adam, and Adam writes about what's happening in his life at the moment. There are women that come and go in the records. You could probably create a little chart of Adam's life if you really sat down and figured out what all the songs are about.

WILDCAT: Do you have a favorite Counting Crows song?

BRYSON: It varies a lot. I suppose "Sullivan Street" has kind of been a perennial favorite for me. I really like "Holiday in Spain" on the new record, and "Miami". Those are some of the funnier songs to play live for me.

WILDCAT: What's in your CD player right now?

BRYSON: I just bought Fleetwood Mac's Rumors this morning. That will be in my CD player later on today.

WILDCAT: Where are you guys off to tonight?

BRYSON: We're playing Salt Lake tonight, and we play Portland on Thursday.

WILDCAT: What does the future hold for Counting Crows after this tour?

BRYSON: Don't know. Typically we finish the tour and head right to the studio. I kind of have this funny feeling we might shake the tree a little bit and do something different. I don't know what that means exactly, but we might do something different.