Reviews by...
Dave C.
Tony
Ashley
1) Cracker ruled - of course! The rain stopped just in time, and despite some early technical difficulties (lighting and a buzzing sound in DL's guitar) the show was great. I finally got to hear "Dr. Bernice" live!!!
2) A group of high school age girls approached my wife and I about 4 songs into the set. One of the girls tapped my wife on the shoulder, saying "Excuse me maam, have they played "Low" yet?" While my wife was still stunned from being called "maam", and I was laughing uncontrollably because they asked about "Low". This appeared to frighten the girls and they promptly moved several feet away from us.
3) Kids were slam dancing to "Sweet Thistle Pie". I never expected to see slam dancing during "Sweet Thistle Pie". I'm still in shock.
4) My wife and I drifted over to Johnny's side of the stage and noticed the little private party area beside the stage. We made a bold maneuver and walked into the party, grabbed a beer, fixed a sandwitch and began to mingle. One guy came up to us and started a conversation. I'm not sure if we were being tested, but he was talking about the guest of honor's birthday, mentioning that he also was friends with Cracker's tour manager. I quickly said, "Yea, Willis". The guy seemed very pleased that I "knew" Willis and he left us alone. The free beer ran out and we had to move on to free Bacardi Breezers. They don't mix well with Molsen Red Jack and Bud Light - but they were free. We later bumped into the birthday boy and wished him well, thanking him for such a great party. He looked rather confused, wondering who we were, but too polite to ask. (Sorry, Willis, but this is Cracker we're talking about - we had no choice!)
5) We lingered around the party area after the show and got a good glimpse of David, Johnny and Frank. They were on the other side of the fence and I didn't really want to shout over to them and look like a moron. Instead, my wife and I just stared at them from about 40 feet away - for a really, really long time - looking like morons.
Overall, it was a great time. I now wish I had called over to DL and Johnny when I had the chance, but what the heck, maybe next time.
Three cheers for Cracker!!!!
Dave C
There were alot of 'sailing' beer cans, but for the most part, I didn't see any problems. The park was very easy to find and parking was close. I really didn't pay much attention to the opening act and sought out a few list members who also made the trip.
I've seen the band do several of these type shows and I guess it's pretty normal for them to pull out the rockin' stuff. Having said that, I was pleased to hear 'Trials & Tribulations' and 'Dr. Bernice'. 'Bernice' wasn't really done in the same waltzy fashion, but I still enjoyed it. David remarked how great it was for so many people to show up on such a cold/rainy night, thanked everyone a lot and joked about relocating from Richmond to Norfolk. I'm glad I made the 4 hour trip and hope other list members all around has the chance to check this band out. If you've never seen this band perform live, they sound a lot better live than on record and I mean that as a huge compliment. Until the next time, Thank you.
Tony
1) arrived at the exact same time as DL (watched him drive to the back with his wife(?) , we were walking on the same road that he was driving on) got to the stage and reserved spots right up on the cold metal barrier on the johnny side(naturally). saw kitty on stage, then saw her leave, then saw her come back and play.very impressed w/kitty! happy and surprised to finally see her.my bud zoe was even more impressed 'cause she was from her home town(athens,ga). anyway, after kitty's set we cheerfully awaited cracker. (by the way, i had forgotten my hatred of barriers....oh well)
2) here comes the best part of the night! cracker comes on and opens w/one of my favorite ...........oh hell, i'll just give the setlist. here it is, but not quite in order:
1.Been Around the World!!!!!
2.Eurotrash Girl
3.Lonesome Johnny Blues!!!!!
4.This is Crackersoul (w/really cool intro)
5.The Good Life!!!
6.Teen Angst
7.Pictures of Matchstick Men
8.Mr. Wrong!!!
9.100 Flower Power Maximum
10.Low
11.Trials and Tribulations!!!!
12.7 Days
13.I Ride My Bike *encore*
14.Dr. Bernice!!!!! (also w/kick-ass intro)
15.Sweet Thistle Pie!!!
pretty long set considering the weather. did i forget anything.........?
3)was great to see how fast the place filled up! good thing i got there incredibly early.also cool to see how much fun the guys were having.it's so cool that they do stuff like this......
4) david seems like a great dancer...but i think it threw johnny a little bit when the crowd went even more wild in the middle of his solo. oh, and johnny and david looked quite comfy in their adidas pants (an observation made by my mother!).
5) who said something about that private party going on? do you have any idea whose kids those were? they were so freakin' adorable! that one girl was really groovin'!!
6) i think i'm officially addicted to cracker now. this was my 5th show. zoe's on her way. this was her 2nd and now she's obsessed w/frank.
well i better go, that was the longest damn post i've ever written!
ashley (who had a damn good time yesterday)