Reviews by...
Jess
Chris
Roy
Carol
first the set list, in order...
Been Around the World 7 Days The World Is Mine I Ride My Bike Big Dipper The Shiner Song Lonesome Johnny Blues Teen Angst Pictures of Matchstick Man 100 Flower Power Maximum Mr. Wrong Hold of Myself Eurotrash Girl Movie Star I Want Out of the Circus Sweet Thistle Pie This Is Cracker Soul Low *encore* St. Cajetan Get Off ThisOK now for some comments to let you know why it was such a super show.... I'll try to be chronological here... Well, we got there around when the doors opened and stood around a while before getting let in, and when we went in I tried to get them to let me keep my ticket but they took it and said I could get it back after the show (I did get A ticket back after the show but not #1...) and we went right up to the stage where the only available space was left on the front row, a prime spot between Dave and Johnny. We stood there a long time talking and whatnot...
During the pre-show time period they actually played a few songs over the system from the new Sparklehorse album (Pig, Sick of Goodbyes, Sunshine, Painbirds)... then around 9:45 Spike the Dog went on. They played well and I really enjoyed them. They had a lot of energy and just were overall pleasing. I really liked a song they did called Halloween that had a really strange guitar and violin solo in it... they didn't play for very long. Then there was a costume contest (a giant condom won.)
Then Cracker came on. I don't remember what time it was. They came out and Johnny said "It's good to be home." They were all smiles. The place was PACKED with dedicated Cracker fans and it was clear RIGHT AWAY that this show was going to kick last night's show's ass. That's when they started w/ Been Around the World. The guys were just really into the show and were having a good time up there. Everyone was smiling (even David). I got some really nice pictures (hopefully) with the flash on. Carol had talked to the security guys before the show and they told her pictures w/ flashes were perfectly allowable. Even so, in the middle of I Ride My Bike the bouncer guy came over and told me to stop w/ the flash because I was bothering the band. (which seemed strange to me because Johnny was posing for me actually... but I did not want to be bothering the band so I complied) And so I put away the flash camera, but I was prepared w/ a non-flash camera, and the bouncer guy said that was fine, but then he came back and said "No pictures at all" so Chris and I put away our cameras 4 songs into the show, Just after the Johnny/Bob "virtual sex" part of I Ride My Bike... I was kind of bummed for the rest of the song because I really felt bad that I was bothering the band... =(
But then they broke into Big Dipper and it all washed away. What a beautiful song. Not only that though, the whole audience was singing along. There was none of the annoying conversation you normally get during it at other shows... At the end of it David had a priceless look on his face that seemed to say something like, "these people know what great stuff really is" I don't know... it was a really proud, and gracious looking face... nice to see. (wish I had a pic of it ;-) not that I would have taken a flash photo in that perfect moment at the end of Big Dipper.)
Then he introduced the Shiner song as a Richmond tradition. Kenny got an accordion solo in it, just following the guitar lead solo, and that was nice. =)
other stuff... this was the best performance of Eurotrash Girl I've ever seen. As I've said the guys really looked like they were having fun... well in the song during the 2nd long solo a guy got up on stage. He was dressed for Halloween as a eurotrash girl and he ran up to David and made some suggestive movements (w/ the tongue and all...) and David was just cracked up. It was SO funny the guy was kind of rushed to the left side of the stage by a bouncer but David followed him and improved a pretty funny dirty dance w/ the guy... What a priceless moment. Everyone was laughing by then! Oh and then in the tattoo in Berlin thing David pointed out the palm for the tattoo, the arm for the plasma, and *attempted* to show his "bikini area" for the crabs part, but he was just wearing too many layers of clothes, or his belt was too tight one... not as much was revealed as there was that time in Greenville, NC... but it was still funny. =)
Before I Want Out of the Circus David introduced it saying "2000 years of waltzing down the drain with this generation." The audience tried to prove him wrong though by dancing in unison (ok swaying but that's about all you could do at a concert. It was really nice. Everyone was so together. I think the guys got a kick out of it too.
Overall it was a really nice performance, what made it so great was the enthusiasm with which the guys were playing. The sound was great the audience was SUPER great, mostly really die hard Cracker fans who knew every song by heart. Just a wonderful experience. =)
some other notes that made the show nice that don't have to do w/ the actual performance.... Before the show the management guy handed out a bunch of the coveted Cracker coasters from GB (like Roy described in Atlanta) and I got another one. And, at the end of the show, for those of us who hung around in front of the stage for a while, the guy came out with a bag of promo singles and passed them out, I got one w the 4 songs on it (Star, Been Around the World, The World is Mine, and 7 Days). I know Roy got a different one though.
now the BEST part....
After the show we hung around outside the door waiting for the guys to come out. We got to say hi to Johnny and Bob but chickened out on asking for a picture... But David was still inside so we decided to hang around... after a long time David came out and was opening the bus door (of course I was just frozen) but luckily Chris took the initiative and went up and grabbed his left elbow and said "Can we get a picture please?" and he thought about it a moment and turned and with a smile said "Sure." So then he came over and Mark offered to take the camera to take the picture and David like grabbed me and put his right arm around me and his left around Chris and we all smiled for the camera. It was so neat. And then I remember saying "That was a great show" and then he said "Thanks" and we thanked him for allowing the picture and then he got on the bus.
Swoon....
He was so darned friendly.
OK on that perfect note I'll stop.
Jess
Going ahead with the costume gave me an opportunity to go up on stage (during the contest) to get judged. When I walked off on the other side (mine wasn't that great, but you should have seen some of the others!), I noticed Johnny and David hanging out by one of the side doors. They were just getting the biggest kick out of watching everyone who had dressed up walk off stage...they were smiling and clapping. Just that fact made dressing up worth while! Oh, and I saw one of my professors (my adviser actually) at the show in costume--too cool.
Like Jess mentioned we got our desired positions. David commented, revealing frustration with the total snub from the local radio folks as far as getting air play. He made this early on (2nd or 3rd song I think as it was during the new stuff). and toward the end of the show it was classic Dave as he dedicated 'Low' saying "this ones for the University of Richmond frat boys" That was pretty funny. Also, after reading about this in various postings for sometime it was great for my ears to actually hear David's voice proclaim that the music was "100% alternative free." It made me smile. This came right before the final song of the evening: Get off this, one of a two song encore (the other being St. Cajetan, yes!). Oh, and I have to mention my wink I got from Johnny for my enthusiasm at 'Sweet Thistle Pie'. They didn't play it at the JMU show and I was sorta disappointed so it was kind of special when they played it last night and I got the wink.
And of course afterwards outside... how special!
--Chris
My take on the Halloween show. I have to concur with Jessica, THE
GREATEST show, but I say that about all of 'em, lol. No, seriously, really, really excellent. It was nice to meet everyone from the list. & good to put a face on the words.
Jess did a wonderful report of the evening, so I only have a few things to add. If you can base a good show on the # of times David breaks a guitar string......then this was 3 times as good, cause that's how many he broke! I believe during ET GIRL, & TEEN ANGST, & another one. They really mixed it up & played a great set. I'd a moved around more, but I was stuck to the floor, literally. Broken bottles & dried liquor, dried liquor had me standing like a monument. I had to scrape my shoes against a curb for a min to get some of it off.
ABSOLUTELY!!!! The best ETGIRL ever. It still cracks me up thinking about it. Priceless moments. DL as dropped his pick after this "meeting" & didn't play the guitar for the rest of the song.
>The audience tried to prove him wrong though by dancing in unison (ok >swaying but that's about all you could do at a concert. It was really >nice. Everyone was so together. I think the guys got a kick out of >it too.
I looked back & THE ENTIRE club was swaying, & were weren't bad for a buncha crackers. & they say white people don't have rhythm.
>know Roy got a different one though.
It had the single of THE GOOD LIFE, the other track is 12 sec. long, called OUTAKE. It is the chorus from the song.
I would also like to say that Spike The Dog was good too. I had seen them before in Norfolk, & they were much better in Ric. Very good band.
Roy
It was really great to meet the folks from the list and talk Cracker with some other fans. Sorry I didn't hang with you guys during the show, but I was vying for a good camera angle. I ended up standing next to a girl I met once at a friend's party who just happens to be Johnny's neighbor! They've been taking in his mail and watching his truck while he's been on the road. It was great to talk with them and hear some fun stories about living in Johnny's building.
Yeah, I was bummed about the picture thing too. And I was all to happy to stop when they said that the band had requested it. Actually, it was probably for the best...then I could really enjoy the show without thinking about getting good pics. Besides, I'll always have the "still frames in my mind."
On an insider note, the guy who ran up on stage during Euro-Trash girl was Ricky Tubb from Waking Hours (I think he used to guitar tech for Cracker). I don't think David recognized him at first. Then after security wisked him off stage, the light bulb went off and he went over and got him from side stage. I wish Johnny had seen it but he was busy playing his guitar solo. He probably would have gotten a real kick out of it.
The guys definitely seemed to be having a great time and I don't think any other show could top it. I was pleased to get a couple of the coasters, but was upset that they weren't selling any t-shirts. Maybe somebody can pick one up for me at a future show? I'll reimburse you.
I stuck around inside the Zone after the show hoping to say goodbye to Johnny and maybe get a pic with him, but he seemed to be in a hurry to leave with his girlfriend so I decided not to go chasing after him. Oh well, maybe next time.
Anyway, those are my thoughts.
Later *** Carol