Reviews by...
John
Tony
Shay
Dave C
Amber
Denise
Sara
I'll let Tony mention a few things about what he got signed ...
While standing around in the back of the club talking to most of the guys in the band I saw LP walk out in to the sunlight. Needless to say, I was very happy. Tony and I also got to see pics of Kenny's little baby, the kids a little over a year old and Kenny's got him dressing in a leather jacket already. : )
Since we were there we got to hear the sound check...
Been Around The World Satisfy You Cinderella Golden Age Wedding Day (JH + BW + Kenny on accordian)It sounded like Kenny surprised everyone with his accordian bit on Wedding Day (this must have been the first time they've tried it). Anyway, David and Kenny talked about it afterwards, and sounded like they were ironing it out for later.
We also got to see Woody do a little line dancing during Golden Age I think. Later in the night we talked to one of the waiters who hates all the country stuff and country music in general. This guy informed us that despite the name and the decor (very very western/texas theme, longhorns around the place, texas flags in neon, pistols room (boys), holsters (girls), etc...) they only have country music one night a week - Friday, and that is a low night for tips for him. Other nights during the week they do have line dancing, and it appears that many people are so bent on line dancing ... the dj plays 80's hair bands, and the people still line dance to it. Just picture a bunch of people in boots shuffling around to Poison. Scary.
Anyway, after all that we ran off to eat and came back to wait for the show to start.
They had a really annoying dj guy walking around with a wireless handles mic. "Who ever yells the loudest gets this xl102 tshirt!". "Who ever has a hole in their sock gets this copy of garage d'or!" He kept annoucing that Cracker was playing (like anyone there didnt know that....) and was making a general ass of himself. I really hope that he just worked at the club, I'd hate to have to hear that voice elsewhere.
Soon enough, the show nearly started ... there were some Virgin reps at the show, and thanks to them and the new album there is some cool new stuff for us rabid collectors. They had album flats for Garage d'Or, and also a cool poster of Johnny & David (in the sytle of the GD pics in the liner notes). The guy from Virgin was also tossing out the "Be My Love" promo single that is selling on ebay.
Cracker finally took the stage, and David mentioned that he was going to try to do the show chronilogically, and they nearly did...
set list:
1.This is Cracker Soul
2.Teen Angst
3.Mr Wrong
4.I See the Light (with LP doing backup)
5.Lonesome Johnny Blues
6.Dr. Bernice
7.EuroTrash Girl fake
8.EuroTrash Girl real (DL broke a sting)
9.Get Off This
10.Infirmary
11.Low
12.Big Dipper
13.100 Flower Power Maximum
14.Sweet Thistle Pie (with LP doing backup)
15.Wedding Day (Johnny, Brandy & Kenny)
16.Cinderella
17.Been Around The World
18.7 Days
19.Be My Love
*no encore*
19 songs ...
It was a decent, not huge, set, and it was the "hits", but then from what I've heard this show was organized as a favor to Circuit City for promoting GD, and many tickets were passed out to CC employees (since their corporate offices are in town). After a heard count the club & Virgin decided that a limited number of other tickets could be made available to "regular fans", and Cracker was allowed to sell them, but David decided against that ... he just let everyone have them for free.
Some odd highlights ...
I forget which song this was around, but David mentioned that this song had gotten really popular in Florida ... and the radio stations broadcasting actually reached down to Cuba. Eventually there was a big demand for Cracker to play Cuba (they were wildly popular of course), and so Cracker broke a few rules and got to Cuba to play a few shows and it was a great success. After Cracker returned to the states Cracker was called unamerican by some right wing people and a big stink was made. David then added that he loved the stink it created. The whole crowd was cheering the whole rebel thing (while a few serious fans were giving each other odd looks thinking "when did I miss this"). Then David said he just made all that up.
Then he was talking about the right wing nuts and mentioned Dick Army in particular ... after a brief pause Kenny asked if Dick Army was a band from New York City. Then David asked Frank if that was an offshoot of Frank's old abnd the Dictators. Frank muttered something and then they went into the next song. Tony's got the recording from the show so we might be able to figure out what Frank said later ....
Before they started ET Girl David introduced Kenny as the king of New York bluesgrass (they have grass there??) accordian. In honor of this they had a new arrangement of ET Girl ... and they started some odd sounds with the accordian ... but soon stopped, laughed, and restarted the standard version of the song. David mentioned that it was odd that an 8 minute song actually got airplay. With the stuff out there now days, he's really right.
At the end David announced to the crowd that it's been a great show and they've had a good time, but next time everyone has to pay to get in. : )
They didnt do any encores at all, they had to clear off the stage so that some 80s cover band could come in and play tunes. I guess they werent just an 80s cover band because I heard them playing Gin Blossums big radio hit. (I cringed because the first time I saw Cracker they were opening for the Gin nuts and I got so bored with the Gin Blossums set (it all sounded the same) that I walked out in the middle of it.)
After the show Cracker did something they've rarely done .. they signed autographs. Sure that might not sound so odd, but it was announced and the club people made everyone form a line. It was quite weird having to wait for them like that. : ) It seemed that at least half the people in the club stuck around to get something signed. Very cool for them to do. Especially considering how long it took them to do that.
I ran into a bunch of C2K people last night too ... Tony, Shay, Anne, Taylor, Sara, Denise, Chris, Karen, Dave Cox & friend, and Jessica made it in to the club by the 6th song I think. I am sure that I missed a few people .. I know I didnt run into Amber, I looked around at a few boots though...
My sister, Rabia, was able to make it to this show and she was really happy. The last time she saw Cracker she was sitting way back in a huge basketball arena watching little tiny figures dance around on stage. This time around she was close enough to reach out and touch Johnny's guitar. I think she liked this show better. She wanted to meet the band afterwards, so she stuck around with the rest of the C2k people and got some things signed. I introduced her to Frank as my little sister, and he signed her GD flat "to John's little sister, Frank". I didnt see Frank sign that, but I got it stuck in my face later "look what Frank wrote to me" (in a sarcastic voice).
In the news front ...
LP *may* make it to the TownPoint show ... she's in Richmond doing stuff with David for her record. After all the autographs David dragged LP back to the studio so they could finish working on stuff. Heck it was only 11pm, there were still several good hours left to work on stuff. About LP's upcoming album ... the album is signed with an almost major label, I forget the name of it, but it's one of the largest indepentant labels (not one of the big 4 left). It's expected release date is in the fall, but that may get moved back again.
Johnny has been working on stuff for a few movies. The new Eric Drilling movie is on hold or going slow at the moment, but Johnny's working on more stuff ... a movie called The Tunnel (or Tunnels?). It's about Vietnam during the war (er, I mean police action), and it's supposed to be as clausterphobic as das Boot (a german sub movie). This movie's got a real budget and schedule, so it looks like this one might make it out of Hollywood's pipeline before Eric Drilling's Wasteland.
About a UK/Europe tour ... David and Johnny are very very very interested in doing this, but the people in suits keep telling them that they will lose money doing it. D & J are trying to figure out a way to pull the tour off though. (Make some noise in the UK & Europe!) Johnny sounded especially interested in placing Greece too... he mentioned that several years ago Cracker was as big as the Rolling Stones there and they were voted the most popular band in the country by some mag over there. Cracker has never even set foot in Greece... despite what you may think about fountains...
I'm sure that I missed some news or something during the show, but there are enough other people that went to the show to fill in whatever gaps there are ...
Oh, a little extra note ... Cracker's set may be "standard", but at least it's good standard music. The radio stations these days seem to be playing the same 5 records on repeat. I've nearly given up on radio these days. I also think that at least half the fun of the shows is running into the other C2K people, and the little funny things that happen before/during/after the shows. One Cracker fan after the show saw my Camper tshirt and we got talking about Cracker ... he said he thought it was a really great show and laughed about David Lowery mentioning that next time the crowd has to pay to get in. I corrected him and told him about the TownPoint show on Friday ... another free show. He didnt know about the web site, so I told him about it. He seemed really excited to learn about it and I'd make a little bet that he makes a serious effort to make it out to the TownPoint show.
um, I'll stop rambling now, but Jessica and Sara have to tell their car story soon. : )
John
Everybody got a chuckle of the photo and Johnny got alot of ribbing. He signed the cover "welcome to my strange 80's world, Kiss meets Clint"! I also had an old press photo of David & Johnny and he put "Hall & Oates" on it, then crossed it out and called it "Beers 4 Fears".
One slight correction, I think what John meant to say regarding a conversation with Johnny, was that there was a "Rolling Stone" type magazine in Greece that had a poll, '96 I think, and the poll picked Cracker as best group. I think "The Golden Age" was a big hit in Greece and I think that was the case, not that Cracker was bigger than the Rolling Stones......I could be wrong. Then again, maybe not. Looking forward to tomorrow, hope the weather holds out.
Tony
This Is Cracker Soul Teen Angst Mr. Wrong Dr. Bernice Low Get Off This Lonesome Johnny Blues Euro Trash Girl Big Dipper (My current favorite Cracker song!) 100 Flower Power Maximum Sweet Thistle Pie Seven Days Been Around the World Wedding Day Cinderella (LP on lead) Be My LoveI think that's right. LP also sang back-up on a few. What a voice that girl has!
No encore, they had to make way for some 80s cover band.
BTW anyone looking for some great food in Richmond, I have only three words for you, The White Dog! Ample veggie/vegan food for those among us of that persuasion.
Take care all,
Shay
Um, I got some really good pictures from my 1-foot-from-the-stage vantage point.
I was really glad to hear "Big Dipper"
First time I've seen Brandy play...I thought she played a little sloppy at times. Her backing vocals were excellent.
I only drank one beer last night (a new personal Cracker show record).
Nice to see so many folks from the C2K list.
I wish they had strayed more from the "old standards" setlist too, but I think it's hard to dig too deep into their catalog with a new bass player (that struggled with some of the "old standards").
Did I mention "Cinderella" gave me chills?...amazing!
The men's room at Little Texas was called "Pistols"
The women's room at Little Texas was called "Holsters"
I think I was too tall to be standing in the front.
I'll see some of you at TPP.
I wonder if LP will be there?
Okay,
Dave C
> Since we were there we got to hear the sound check...
I was there then too. Unfortunately, I didn't make it inside as my friend and I were waiting on two others and were afraid that we may have problems getting them in if we went it early. It sounded great even from outside though!
> They had a really annoying dj guy walking around with a wireless > handles mic. "Who ever yells the loudest gets this xl102 tshirt!". > "Who ever has a hole in their sock gets this copy of garage d'or!" > He kept annoucing that Cracker was playing (like anyone there didnt > know that....) and was making a general ass of himself. I really > hope that he just worked at the club, I'd hate to have to hear > that voice elsewhere.
Okay, I was personally about to beat that man senselessly. What a fuck.
> They didnt do any encores at all, they had to clear off the stage > so that some 80s cover band could come in and play tunes. > I guess they werent just an 80s cover band because I heard them > playing Gin Blossums big radio hit. (I cringed because the > first time I saw Cracker they were opening for the Gin nuts > and I got so bored with the Gin Blossums set (it all sounded the > same) that I walked out in the middle of it.)
I let my friend talk me into leaving after we got our autographs since we did have a long drive ahead of us. I guess it turns out that I didn't miss much...
> After the show Cracker did something they've rarely done .. they > signed autographs.
That was actually the first time that I had ever met any of them. VERY cool of them to do that. I'm not sure what Whit was talking about; I found them to be awesome. One of my friends explained to them that the first time he had ever really heard them (other than Low and Get Off This on mtv.) was that very day. Johnny talked to him for a few minutes, and proceded to draw some crazy picture on the piece of paper that he was having signed. (I think I've successfully recruited another...) What a nice guy.
> The radio stations these > days seem to be playing the same 5 records on repeat. I've nearly > given up on radio these days.
You have an excellent point regarding the radio. I get excited every time I hear anything with a guitar that isn't country here. I thought that maybe it was just my location, but its not much better anywhere else. Amazingly enough though, I did hear "Be My Love" on a rock station near Lexington, VA on my way home last night. I was so excited that I neglected to take my exit. (It was actually the first time I had EVER heard any cracker on the radio...I told you my radio stations sucked.) It was worth the 10 extra minutes of driving though... :)
General notes from my vantage point: Last night was only the 4th time that I had seen them (the first two being
relatively short sets as they were opening for the Cranberries and DMB), so even if it was a pretty standard set
list, it was beautiful for me. There are a couple of tunes that I've never heard live, and would very much like
to, but there are no complaints here. 100FPM absolutely kicked my ass, and I don't even want to talk about
Cinderella. (LP was not in attendance at the 3 previous shows I'd been to...she's AMAZING i must say) Everything
sounded great, and I had a wonderful time. Quite possibly the most fun I've ever had at any show, in fact. Very
much so looking forward to Ziggys now!
AMBER
I dragged my cousin to the show (as I usually do) and I think I'm getting her hooked. I met great Cracker fans and had the best time screaming and singing my lungs out and probably annoying a few people (such as when I had to go pee and pushed my way back to the front). It was great meeting the band and getting autographs. I even found out that David lives in my hometown now, which blew me away. My cousin tried to share the french fries we were eating with Frank, but he didn't go for it. Too greasy I guess.
I did bring a camera and took some pics, but my camera was one of the Kodak disposables and not near as nice as the camera the guy had in front of me. Also I'm so damn short that I probably got people's heads in the pics too, but hopefully I got some good ones.
It was totally worth the hangover I had at work today.
Denise
After the concert a few of us decided to go get something to eat. Brandy, her mother, Johnny, Shay, Karen, Tony, John, Jess, Rabia, and the guy Rabia was with (sorry I didn't catch the name), and myself found ourselves at The White Dog. They had just stopped serving diner when we arrived. With a little sweet talking from Brandy they told us we could stay.
The food was excellent, and I highly recommend it. Afterward we said our good-byes and we each made our way to our cars. Jess and I had parked in a lot down the street where we hoped we would not be towed. When we approached our cars John pointed out the license plates to Johnny. "CRKR SOL" and "CRKR FAN" were parked right next to each other. Johnny thought it was really cool and wanted a picture to show his grandchildren one day. (or something to that effect) None of us happened to have a camera with us, so we made our way to a local 7-11 to buy a disposable one. We concluded our evening sitting on the ground in the parking lot of a 7-11 in front of our cars with Johnny. Hopefully the pictures will turn out OK, we didn't have a flash ... and the lighting was only OK. But, it is amazing what we can do with photographs today.
I'm not very good at telling stories.. But I hope you enjoyed that one.
Sara