Reviews by...
John
Mango Mark
Chris
Jess
Veronica Hickman
um, but I'm getting ahead of myself.... Chris, mango, and I converged on Jessica's house (the one with the Cracker-mobile out front), and then things went south from there. They were supposed to though. I was given the honor of driving the Cracker-mobile, and except for that little scrape we all came out okay. : ) (Sorry again Jess! It wasn't me - it was everyone piled in the back seat!) : ) (The car bottomed out in a drive way..)
We ventured down to Raleigh and picked up Richard, a friend of mango's, and then we ventured off to Durham just in time to see one of the member of Trophy Wife, he was pretty cool, and we followed him and his girlfriend to some restaurant for dinner. (It's my cousin's band and I think that Jess is going to propel them into stardom.) : )
Then we zipped over to Winston-Salem to get to the show. I drove fast since I thought we were going to be late. Uh, then on the other side of Winston-Salem we stopped and asked for directions. : )
***************
Anyway, we finally got there, and we still managed to get our spots up as close as we could get without being in Woody's way. (Someone must have saved our spots....)
Once there, we ran into Matthew from New York City. He was surviving fairly well for being in a foreign country (the deep south) (someone else had a passport though ... ugh ...). Matthew had followed them up from Athens (where he didn't pick up that Om Eye cd .. the bum!). I hope he retells his stories of the previous night's show. I loved it. : )
The stage at Ziggy's is ... er, wait, Ziggy's is strange. It's like a semi permanent building with a circus tent on top. The inside was a little on the unique side too, but unique in a good way. First there was the stage, and then a barricade. Oh! Oh! Someone made it over the barricade! ugh, I'm getting ahead of myself again ...
Anyway the first floor section is nearly even with the stage - so we were looking right at eye level with Kitty, David, Johnny, Bob, Kenny, and Frank. After the first floor section there was a raised second section. They had a sign that got a few of us worried ... A sign is put there for a reason. You know those slippery when wet signs on the roads? Those end up there because too many cars slide in those areas... Well, there was a sign on the second level that prohibited jumping from the railing. Sorta makes you wonder ...
Then there are sections off to the left and the right of the two other areas. Like a mini amphitheater I guess. Oh, there were also TV sets on each side of the stage.
So ... Kitty Synder (Jill ?! Is she your sister ?!?) : ) opened for Cracker. It was just her and her guitar. She was great, and I hope I can find her album when it's released. I wanted to buy a cassette from her after her set - but she was out of them (or misplaced them). She was something like Jewel again (I think female alone on the stage with a guitar does though ...), but there was an edge that Kitty has that Jewel is missing. I think it might be something from her backup band on her cassette (some guy named David Lowery, and another guy named Bob Rupe). Maybe the thing that she has that Jewel doesn't have is what caught David's attention and the reason for her being on Pitch A Tent records. Anyway, since Matthew is on her email list (I hope he is ...) he had better pass into about her to the list ...
Cracker took the stage and the place was *packed*. They had tons of energy, even more than they had at the New York shows. After the first song they launched into the second .. but there was a weird reverb noise .. and David called it off. Then .. there was another funny misfire and Johnny and David were laughing because they were taking turns forgetting lyrics and rifts. They somehow found themselves in the middle of a Bob Marley tune, but didn't continue it. They were having a great time despite the misfires and the crowd loved it. During the rest of the show the crowd stayed with it and really had a good time. There was a beer shower a few bodies to my right (Chris could say more about this ...) but it wasn't even during Low. : )
The energy kept getting higher and higher and towards the end of the show the whole front area was bouncing with everyone jumping and dancing around. (The floor was like a deck .. and it may have had just a wee bit too much weight on it ...). During of all this excitement is when the crowd surfing incident happened. Johnny put down his guitar and some how managed to jump up over the barricade and into the crowd. So, there was Johnny, crowd surfing, and who freaks out? The security people of course. They did make a good catch when Johnny came back to the stage.
After they did the last song of the set they all walked off stage with tons of cheering. Then for the encore they got Frank. : ) Someone gave the signal to go back out on stage, and Frank walked out first. The problem was .. no one else followed. Frank ended up behind his drum set as the only person on the stage, and he was hamming it up, soaking up all the cheering. He did show a hint of displeasure when everyone else finally came back on stage, but everyone was laughing about it (including him).
After the show they waited a bit, and actually came out to see us. Chris got her GB poster signed by everyone, and Matthew finally went five for five with autographs on his press kit picture. Matthew was also one of the lucky few with a Kitty cassette, which he of course got signed too. It's a shame there is no picture of him and Kitty with his mouth hanging open though ... : )
I'll let everyone else fill in some stories and pass along information that was gathered at and after the show. Jess of course has the set list too.
Oh .. but a preview of something I know is coming .. I think Frank was flirting with Jessica during the show. : )
Anyway ... the show was great, even after the New York shows with all the guests. I did miss hearing Cinderella though ... but my Lionfish cds are on their way, so I'll get over that.
Also ... thanks to Mark and Richard for having a great friend in Raleigh that let us crash at his place after the show.
... and, we've got to find a place less unique for breakfast after the next show guys. : )
John
Kitty Synder opened for Cracker. It was just her and her guitar. She was great, and I hope I can find her album when it's released. but there was an edge that Kitty has that Jewel is missing.
They had tons of energy (cubic metric tons by the train carload)
a marley moment....hahaha<
trials and tribulations, misfires and miscues, never have i seen david and the guys laugh it off like last night (this dude dumped a bud on his head, was shaking his hair out, didn't really bother me at all...
...even david was laughing (as he backed up towards kenny))<
got nancy's picture signed, you (and k) are committed to colorado now, they will be expecting you.<
Also ... thanks for having a great friend in Raleigh that let us crash at his place after the show.
no problem<
... and, we've got to find a place less unique for breakfast after the next show guys. : )
.......agreed<
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ONE REALLY KICK-ASS SHOW
shit goddamn doesn't even cover it now.
21 songs total......among them....
'how can i live without you'.......GodDasmn,
i waited a long time for that one, thanks
when they finally got going on 'Satisfy You', seemed like everyone was singing along.
marvelous, just f*cking marvelous
thanks to crkrsol mobile for getting us there and back cheers y'all
-mango-
* much different atmosphere from bowery ballroom. same level of intensity that we got in philly & NYC but at the same time it seemed more intimate to me. The crowd WAS more raucous, less sophisticated--except for Matthew from NY who had his pilot :) More 'frat boy' types this time...john i actually narrowly missed the beer shower you need to ask mango about that one :-) actually, i found the place enjoyable--more of a college hangout. One could be just a few feet from the performers, at eye level. There was just a barricade to separate the crowd from the stage.
* They played 'How can I live without you' much to our delight. been awhile for that one.
* Johnny was really connecting with the crowd, more than usual. He was really hamming it up. I witnessed my first stage dive...he was over and back on stage though, before one could say 'sweet thistle pie' thanks to security.
* errors: (this just wasn't the polished set we saw at bowery oh no...) these were made but the guys were quite laid-back about it and just kind of shrugged 'em off and joked about 'em. john went into this in detail already.
* If I had to compare her to someone, the opener Kitty Snyder reminded me more of an Ani DeFranco(sp?) than of Jewel. She was very intense both in her overall performance and lyrically. I think I overheard she was working on a CD. I definitely was impressed by her and think a lot of others on the list would enjoy her. The crowd reaction seemed favorable to me.
* The show was a lot of fun and I got a kick out of seeing the Lowery Street sign on the way back to Raleigh...we should have taken a picture for folks.
* Jess is really starting to get the recognition that she deserves...she's getting faces made at her by various band members ;-) A sure sign, indeed.
~Chris~
Well we got up bright and early (luckily I did cause when I awoke I had an e-mail telling me we were gonna leave a half hour before we had originally planned) and prepared for the road trip. Complete with Press Kit for Ziggy's and spare CD for David. (My new "job" with Abbott Promotions has me working with a band from Charlotte called Neglected Sheep and Keith asked me that I do so). Believe me, I was more than a little terrified about the prospects of becoming a schmoozer...
Anyway, John arrived and got a glimpse at my "Cracker Collection" and then Mark and Chris showed up and on the road we were. Picked up Mark's friend, then stopped by to see John's cousin along the way. Nice guy, (I even got in a bonus solicitation seeing as how he's in a band!) They had a great dog, Pollux who was more than a little frightened of Mark's friend.
Then we were off for the show... Time table was looking a bit tight so John made like Mario Andretti, and luckily we weren't copped. But cruising along at 90, listening to Kerosene Hat we suddenly noticed WS had passed us by, so that's when we realized no one knew which exit we should have taken. So stopped for directions, and then made a U-turn and made it to the place just fine.
At the door I got my first wrist band! (as opposed to the stamp) Noticed somewhat disturbingly that Vanilla Ice seems to be hitting all the same clubs as Cracker. (get this, he's billed as "korn produced grunge"!!) Anyway, go inside to find, like John said, a 3 tiered deck covered by a circus tent. Very different. Stage was on the same level as the rest of the bottom level, separated by removable barriers that were between waist and armpit high. (perfect height for hip bruising as we'll see later...) We easily got our front row spots and took turns living large while we each wandered off to explore the place. They were selling t-shirts and CDs. After many angst ridden minutes I did find the owner and drop off the press kit, mission #1 complete, and big folder out of my hands. Bathroom was an experience... plywood doors and stalls... none too sturdy. Did lift a nifty Cracker @ Ziggy's flyer though, for posterity (John can vouch that I do enjoy collecting those).
Also, Matthew came up and joined us and told us how great the show was the night before (are you gonna post a review, you *have* to tell the story you told us!) and how great the opener was. He was definitely in swoon mode, a swoon like one I'd only seen once before. Read: John to Jenna in Philly and NYC ;-P
Anyway he showed us his pilot and his tape from Kitty...
Then the show starts. Kitty came on (just her and her guitar). She played a handful of songs and they were really good. Said she was going to be working on an album here at the studios in Richmond. I kinda think she's more like a toughened up version of Shannon Worrell (once of September 67) I have to say that cause I just don't like Jewel, and I do like Kitty and Shannon's solo album 3 Wishes is mostly acoustic... she's got this awesome totally acoustic song called Snakebite... anyway, the show. Kitty was great said she forgot to bring her tapes so we couldn't buy them =( Hope someone got on her mailing list...
Kitty went off and then Cracker came on.
set list in order:
1.Been Around the World
2.7 Days (only did like 1/2 of the 1st verse)
3.Satisfy You (a misfire, then an awesome rendition)
4.Eurotrash Girl
5.Teen Angst
6.Trials and Tribulations
7.Dr. Bernice
8.7 Days (complete this time)
9.Sweet Thistle Pie
10.100 Flower Power Maximum
11.Pictures of Matchstickmen
12.Lonesome Johnny Blues
13.Big Dipper
14.I See the Light (*1 string broken)
15.Get Off This
16.The Good Life
17.How Can I Live Without You
18.I Want Everything
19.Mr. Wrong
20.Low
*encore*
21.Movie Star
22.The World Is Mine(*one guitar broken--Johnny's)
OK now, for comments... Guys seemed *so* full of energy. Made it really
great. Every time I see a show I think that one's the best one so far...
and this one was no different. I suppose only time will tell. The mistakes
were so great cause the guys were being so funny about them. Almost makes
you wish they screwed up all the time. =) In the 1st attempt at 7 Days, a
huge roar came up and David just says, "What the fuck is that? Fuck it
let's do something else." So then they launched directly into Satisfy You
(which I haven't heard for quite a while live, so it was really cool since
I love the part at the end ...Satis fy y y y y y y y You) but David didn't
get in the first line and then tried to pick it up with the second but
couldn't. So they stopped. And he then appropriately exclaimed "Fuck!"
(with a huge smile on his face, however.) Then said something about once
you don't get the first line in it's hard to get it. And he said they
hadn't played it for like 3 years too. Johnny then said he forgot the riff
too. It was hilarious. A priceless moment. =) Anyway, then they started it
over and did an excellent job and it was great!
The rest of the songs were great as well, standouts for me were Trials and Tribulations (as always =) Dr. Bernice (the cool bridge with the accordion etc.) Big Dipper (absolutely beautiful. it is such a great song, and live... just beautiful) I Want Everything (also pretty dasmn beautiful) and of course How Can I Live Without You. I love that song! I believe I've heard it live before (a Trax show perhaps??? maybe not though) but if so only once. It's such a great song. =) My roommate even likes it. I was so glad for Mark and Matt since both had previously expressed a wish to hear it live. That's always cool.
The crowd was pretty wild towards the end, but that made it better. I suppose being in the front with a barrier to hold onto makes a difference. =) I did get a painful bruise on my left hip from the crush that started with Low and continued to the end. But I didn't notice it at the time. =) Movie Star was great (such a great live song!) and then in the final song, the crowd was so into it and the guys were so into it that right during the point of Johnny's "2-note guitar solo" instead of him doing the solo he threw his guitar to the stage and dove into the crowd. A pretty athletic feat considering that the stage was on the same level as the crown and that the barrier was so high, but I suppose the front rowers gave him a little boost. =) David deftly picked up and played Johnny's solo while he was absent from the stage. The anxious security guys helped Johnny make it back to the stage safely. Got a pretty good belly view when they were setting him down though. ;-) It was cool seeing David play the lead. Reminds me that the last time I saw them at Trax they played 2 GB songs (pre GB) and David played lead on one... never did figure out which songs those were since I didn't know them at the time and the sown was awful that night... anyway back to *this* show...
other random comments. During my customary look at each of the band members (I generally practice a panning type concert viewing so as to take in each of the guys, adjusting for when one is doing something extra cool)and during the pan, Frank stuck his tongue out at me. I wasn't sure of the appropriate response, so I just smiled back. After the show we let Woody know we had the extra CDs for the guys (way to go mango-Mark!) and so we waited around them for them to come out. David was out first and he was, of course, really nice. Upon eaves dropping etc. I heard him say the official Cracker site would be up in about 7-10 days, and he said more mp3s would go up then. I asked about the Mosque (symphony) show and he said his DAT was messed up but that he was getting one from John (I guess Morand?), anyway, so it'll be cool if he puts some stuff up from there. Also, was really cool that when I went up to introduce myself to him, he said he knew who I was. =) (cue my swooning I suppose, I'm surprised John didn't have to collect me into a cup after this show too;-) And I was able to mumble something incoherently about how because of Cracker I got interested in being a music promoter. Then I believe I crammed a Neglected Sheep CD into his (somewhat unwilling?) hands and asked him to consider them as an opening act. I think I need to work on my schmoozing technique! =) Don't remember what all else was said. It was just really cool. Oh and a guy asked David when they were coming back to Norfolk and he said mid May for an outdoor show. (mark your calendar!) ROAD TRIP! Same guy asked Frank about the Fan club and Frank pointed at me and said "Ask her." So I suppose now I need to work on that... We need some organization. How about if I collect addresses and put then in a database? That's a start anyway. Everyone, please privately send me your full name, address and e-mail for the Fan Club Database. Also, I gather Johnny's leaving Richmond for CA. well, I think that's all I can remember...
We drove back to Mark's friend's and I got to sleep on a water bed. Then John drove us on home. =) Though we did cap off the trip with an excursion to Plan 9 (who are out of Lauren Hoffman's "The Chemist Said..." EPs now, so if you want one, she said, contact Pitch-a-Tent) where I just picked up free stuff (poi dog pondering promo tape for an album due in April... not too great to tell the truth) and John dropped about $10,000...
All in all a great experience and hope we can do it again next time. =)
--Jess
SEE THEM EVERY CHANCE YOU GET!!!