Reviews by...
Paul
Chad M.
peter
JimmyL
Claude
zbmcphee
ana
Lorri
Matthew
Lisa
Soraya
The Onion (sic)
Yoshu Poshu Jones
paul.gluck
What a disappointment!
Cracker played a couple of songs. Then the CVB boys came out and played some of less popular BRS songs mixed with a Keylime Pie song. The CVB boys left again then cracker continued to put the audience to sleep. I have never been to a concert where there was so much talking going on DURING a set. It was like CRACKER was the opening band!!! By the time the CVB boys came out again the audience was heckling Lowery. I could clearly hear people yelling "Where is Camper!" and "Play Some Real Camper" Also various CVB songs titles were being yelled "Skinheads" "Club Med" "Stallins Cadillac" "Jerrys Daughter". At this point Lowery decides to explain that we were, infact, at a Cracker show...and despite what the papers said it was not a CVB reunion.On a side note I could picture Paul McCartney doing the same thing if George, John and Ringo had decided to tour with Wings. Lowery was getting boo'ed and hissed and I could barely understand what he was saying, except that San Francisco was full of "drunk A*holes" And "Stupid Hippies". This reminded me of the last CVB show that I saw. Lowery was so pissed that "Physcofunkapus" was playing "loud" in the rehearsal, he threw a temper tantrum and CVB went on before them!! So after the tyrade Lowery decides to bring a particularly drunk and vocal fellow on stage to humiliate him..which he did. The drunk guy had been screaming "take the skinheads bowling" So Lowry said he'd sing it if the guy knew the lyrics, of course the guy didnt!! (PS. I know its Clocks,not Gods Lowery!!) This particular display by Lowry was well worth the admission price. So eventually the CVB boys came out and played some classic stuff..Chairman Mao, Take the Skinheads bowling and the Ambiguity Song.
Overall the CVB stuff was tight. The cracker stuff was repetitive and David Lowery was, is and always will be an Asshole!!
Chad M.
I'm new to the list, but at the now much-discussed Slims show I grabbed the Victor/Jonathon/Etc. opening act setlist, which I thought I'd post if anyone was interested:
1.Tear Stained Road
2.Nothing Outside
3.Bittersweet
4.Idiot
5.Dreams
6.Healer
7.Norton
8.Thunderhead
9.Little Blue Fish (what a great song, what's this on?)
10.St. John's
11.Long Way Home
As far as the Cracker Van Beethoven set, I thought it was great. The asshole who got
thrown out had slammed into me and almost knocked me over during the instrumental end
of "Tania." When he got tossed I and several other people yelled "thank you" to
David. I only wish they'd played "Never Go Back" for the irony.
-Chad
On Thursday David explained that he would be going off in a few different directions and some of those would be self indulgent. I was up for the expereince. Don't get me wrong, I saw the Fillmore and Slim's shows in Oct. 98 and thought they were great (I can still hear Joan Osborne's background vocals.) However, the past two nights included songs like "Take Me Down To The Infirmary," Lonesome Johnny Blues," "Dr. Bernice," "Big Dipper," "Seven Days" and the expected "Teen Angst" and "Low." Add in the CVB tunes and would could anyone else ask for.
A liitle personality? Absolutely and the band mates provided that with retelling of bizzarre tour events and kindling the fire under the "Cracker" vs. CVB fans. Don't you get it? These guys have worked together for years, respect and love one another in a way that apparently some people do not understand.
I felt honored to view this brand of fun and will look forward to many more shows in the future!
1.be my love
2.DL on camper fans vs. cracker fans
3.dr. bernice(JS) kenny on accordian !great!
4.tania(JS and GL)johnny on mandolin
5.payed vacation: greece(JS and GL)johnny on mandolin
6.WWF mockdown - david lowery vs. david immergluck
7.big dipper(immy on pedal steel and JS)
8.100FPM(JS)
9.pictures of matchstickmen(JS)
10.i ride my bike(JS) !unreal!
11.mao reminisces about his day in so. china(JS and GL)johnny on mandolin
12.eye of fatima pt.1(JS and GL)johnny on mandolin
13.eye of fatima pt.2(JS and GL)johnny on mandolin
14.i'm a little rocketship(DL solo)
15.euro-trash girl(kenny on accordian)
16.lonsome johnny 'liturgy'
17.mr. wrong
18.low(immy on lead guitar)
19.'phone call from brendan fraser'
20.crackersoul
21.one of these days(JS and GL)
22.WWF mockdown - david lowery vs. jackson haring
23.turquoise jewelry(JS and GL)
24.been around the world
25.she thinks i still care(george jones) bugs and colin in-drag, bugs on vocals,
colin juggling, JS, immy outro
encore:
26.take the skinheads bowling (JS,GL and colin vocals on the chorus)
27.i want out of the circus (colin on juggling)
I went to santa cruz (2/9/00) and both SF shows. Too many highlights to list them
all. Victor did a great job on bass as usual. Great to see victor, jonathan and greg
playing with david again (hopefully one of the videos will get tree'd). they looked
like they were having a great time playing again. Other surprises incl. 'father
johnny' on mandolin for most of the camper tracks , frank's excellent backing vocals
(especially on the golden age in SC) and special guest in SF, david immergluck (pedal
steel and guitar on 'low').
Song-wise highlights included, 'dr. bernice' with kenny on accordian JS on violin (all 3 nights), 'nostalgia' (santa cruz), best version of 'i ride my bike'(SF friday) i've heard, she thinks i still care (george jones) w/bugs on vocals and of course the camper tracks.
Crowd-wise the SF shows pretty much sucked. Friday's crowd (2/11/00) was a little better. Lots of talking during the cracker songs and even some of the cvb songs!?!?!?! The pro-camper/anti-cracker faction was baiting the band, especially david, with cries for cvb tunes and 'sell out' both nights. Thursday's crowd (2/10/00) was a nightmare, david got pissed and the show was short compared to the other two shows. the band took the initiative on Friday show antagonizing the crowd throughout the night about how jaded SF has become, .com insults and the mock WWF antics. oh! and brendan fraser on the cellphone. what kind of idiot calls their buddies during a concert? as others have mentioned, SF were the most bizarre shows i've ever seen. all in all not what i expected. but musically the shows were amazing. easily the best shows i've seen/heard cracker play.
regretfully due to work commitments, bad weather and horrendous bay area traffic. i arrived late(9pm) to all shows. missing the opening sets (saw part of Thursday), the BACH gatherings and meeting the east coast C2K'ers. apologies to all, next time i'll have to take the day off.
zbmcphee
'we still like you...but as a friend.'-jonathan to some cvb fans on friday night
we got david immergluck!
we got colin juggling!
we got bugs in drag singing george jones' "she thinks i don't care"!
we got wwf wrestling!
oh yeah, and like a two and a half hour set.
(and i got a hug and a kiss from jonathan)
soraya will have to tell you abt the guy w/ the cell who called brendan fraser and gave david the phone.
the camper songs were beautiful.
greg lisher is a much better guitarist than i remember.
--ana m.
Colin rules! He rocks! He juggles! He juggles in a red dress standing beside Bugs in drag! He sings "Skinheads" all by himself! A star is born!
Was that the real Brendon Frasier on the phone? Dave and Johnny were taking calls on cell phones, poking fun at S.F.'s "dot.com" culture.
The music, of course, was superb. Seeing them all together was magical.
Thursday's show was strange. David was on some kind of mission to attack the audience, Camper fans, and the S.F. media. I got the feeling he was having second thought about this whole "reunion" thing. Not a happy camper. Then last night, his mood changed considerably. Maybe he got it all that anger of his system.
Did I say Colin rocks?
Lorri
Highlights: Be My Love, which they opened with and have got totally nailed down. Also, a 10-minute version of I Ride My Bike which is really incredible.
Yours, mjr
Here are my thoughts on the past 2 nights.
First of all I woke up with 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men' playing in my head, slightly husky sounding from screaming ;) and with a slight headache from beer, music, and an overload of energy (not to mention I was up way past my bedtime). Delightful.
I have been reflecting on David's attitude/temper/reaction to the past 2 nights.
I must say, I DO understand his sense of frustration. I always approach a show, or a new CD with as few preconceptions as I can. I prefer the attitude "I wonder where they are going to take me this time?" But I was approaching these shows with a new found admiration for the kind of man each of them are. Not many ... no make that NO band that I know of who went through the kind acrimonious split that CVB did find it within themselves, years later, to remember the friendship and enjoyment in making music that brought them together in the first place. That they were letting bygones be bygones to enjoy making music together again, and most importantly to me, to go on stage and share it with me (oh, and a few of my friends) speaks volumes. Just as it does for Johnny, Frank and Kenny to be gracious enough to join them. That is why I can sympathize with David. I was more than willing to follow where they lead me. Was it a CVB reunion absolutely not. Was it a Cracker show, well, not really. Was Friday night wholly enjoyable, to quote David, "Shit Goddamn" you betcha.
That is was absurdist, (unprofessional was the way I heard Johnny describe it after the show --although I don't agree with him on that one) playfully pitting the boys of cracker against the boys of CVB as twisted, erzots WWF wrestling grudge match hit the mark exactly. As did Bugs singing in drag. As did Colin's juggling and singing the chorus to 'Take the Skinheads Bowling' with the mic lowered for him so that Victor had to sit on his knees to join him. Rarely do I find preconceptions challenged so deftly. Still some folks just didn't get it. As I am more or less the same vintage as the musicians, the notion that I would still enjoy a good rave up and rock out some ...... years after the first time I heard them play some of the songs would have been as silly back then as as the thought that I will enjoy it as much some years ...... in the future is today, although, somehow I'm sure I will. If the guys will be still up to play it I can sure as hell get my sorry old butt up to be there and join in.
The point is that I was made to feel compelled to check all the silly things I think of myself (ummmm yes I work for a dot com start up, yes I've got stock options, YOU gonna make sonthin' of it Sparky? (--- one of the things that David gleefully enjoyed picking on last night)) at the door. And isn't that part of the reason we all love the band so much? (Not to mention Soraya's Johnny bliss) I need to be, and want to be challenged like that from time to time. It makes all the difference in my sense of perspective.
And Dasmn it just felt great! It rocked!!
I'm sure others will chime in with more traditional reviews of the show, but I learned long ago the real meaning of music is what it means to you, the listener.
This is what it meant to me.
Tootles --- Lisa
I realized just how defensive we get of our very much loved band when I almost started yelling back at some heckling moron on Friday night...the LAST thing I wanted was for David to get pissed off again! my friend steve had to remind me that there are idiot hecklers at EVERY show. While I thoroughly enjoyed the Thursday night virtual-stockade treatment of that moron, Friday was much better because the band was HAPPIER. actually though as weird as things got on thursday, i guess what i love about cracker shows is that they are NEVER the same. the fact that the band can be kind of moody keeps the shows interesting and honest.
All I know is that I'm glad I made it to SF, I think the shows have been adequately described--two nights with very very different vibes. Thanks to everyone who was a part. Getting to see the CVB people together was my motivation for going, but of course seeing Cracker, doing my requisite share of swooning and stammering (hey, i've progressed to being able to formulate sentences around johnny--although apparently my enthusiasm is somewhat evident? ;) ), seeing WWF wrestling, and getting to meet Bugs--all very cool! I think Bugs needs to be part of the circus caravan to Colorado! Whoever has been putting off buying his CD, you might just have to get it. A great range from ethereal to silly. I am also interested in checking out the newer work of the former camper members...the first set didn't grab me the first night, but it really did the second.
Since Bob has been part of all my Cracker shows until now, it was strange not to see him there. I will miss that.
Oh yeah...well, the guy behind me at the show swore up and down that the person he had on the phone was brendan frasier. i do NOT think he was happy when i said "really! he's an actor, right?" i am so unhip.
--Soraya
Bay Area CVB Fans Issue Fatwa Against Cracker.
A radical underground group of Camper Van Beethoven militants has issued a fatwa or religious edict against the members of Cracker and former Camper Van Beethoven bassist Victor Krummenacher. In a statement posted to several CVB and Star Trek newsgroups, the group known as O.R.C.A called for a jihad or holy war "against the members of cracker for blaspheming the Five Holy Albums and for repeatedly invoking the satanic heresies of key lime pie and cracker." the spokesperson, identified only as CinQ, also singled out Victor Krummenacher for "collaboration with the heretics" and directed the faithful to "hang a dead waterfowl from his neck and shun him until such a time as the flesh of the waterfowl has rotted and fallen away, and the putrid stench has cleared."
Religious scholars had expected some sort of statement from ORCA after the announcement of the unprecedented Cracker/Victor Krummenacher/Jonathan Segel/Greg Lisher live collaborations Feb 3-feb 12. What was unexpected was the extent to which the ex-Campers participated in the Cracker songs, and that Crackers participated in the CVB songs. Krummenacher, Funaro and Lowery played the entire set, Segel played on numerous cracker songs, Hickman, Margolis on many CVB songs. "This was a direct challenge to the religious conservatives" noted Stanford professor Joel Stauffer. "The fact that they performed this show twice in San Francisco is very significant."
Indeed jailed ORCA member Jill Kline predicted that ORCA will upgrade the Fatwa to "double secret jihad for committing such an abomination in the Holy City."
San Francisco City officials and local Internet business leaders had tried to stop the show on the grounds that the show could inflame tensions in the city and distract them from spending their shareholders money on lavish parties and south-of-market lofts. "I mean we in San Francisco have always tolerated different lifestyles and supported artistic expression ...and then you have these sell-out cracker guys coming in and playing their rock music alongside the Holy Camper Van Beethoven works. "It makes me sick. We should lock them up in reeducation camps and burn their records" stated Chris Whitebred CEO of InternetBubble.com. "At the very least" added San Francisco City Council member Nancy Barbaria before pausing to snort pure Bolivian cocaine off the naked back of one of Mr. Whitebred's teenage Salvadoran sex slaves, "we should outfit them with electronic collars so we can shock them if they play any un-approved songs."
Not all San Franciscans were outraged by the shows, in fact Iman Alex Havarty of the Liberal-Reformed Church Of Camper Van Beethoven called the concerts " a revelation" and Rev. Paul Justice of the Church Of Latter Day Camper Van Beethoven Offshoots reported "a good time". No more detailed comment was available from either clergymen as they have been in hiding since 1996 when ORCA issued a Fatwa against both men for suggesting that the Cracker album The Golden Age was very much like a Camper Van Beethoven album and that in fact the earth is round and rotates about the sun.
As David Lowery said last night, in an amusing tantrum that involved a drunk CvB fan from fresno, this is a Cracker show. And as a Cracker show, I assume it is good. The Cracker fans all seemed mightily please, as well they should. The addition of Krummenacher, Segal, and on occasion, Dave Immergluck of Monks of Doom) made the band sound good and clean. I personally find the guitarist's style obnoxious and the drumming merely competent. It was clear to me that an certain energy developed whenever Greg Lisher appeared on Stage. The Camper Song mostly got really good reactions, better than most of the Cracker Songs. At one point, in the middle of the show, Cracker played three very slow songs consecutively and by the end of the third, Cracker was competing for the crowd's attention.
As I said, there was also an amusing incident in which Lowery berated all the CvB fans and San Franciscans in general for their bad, disrespectful behavior (as some of us were drunk and demanding Camper). Funny though, he didn't seem to realize that he wouldn't even have sold out Slim's if it hadn't been for the hint of a Camper Reunion.
Though ultimately, the boys ended up playing "Skinheads", which for me was the highlight of the show, the lackluster drumming in the song did spoil it a bit for me.
CvB songs that were performed
Tania
Eye of Fatima (I know it's in two parts. They played both)
Pictures of MatchStick Men
Sweethearts
Chairman Mao Reminisces About His Days In Southern China
Paid Vacation: Greece
Take The Skinheads Bowling
Ambiguity Song
All in all, I guess I had an okay time, but I'm not a Cracker fan and wasn't converted