April 25, 1998 -

Reviews by...
Zach Neumeyer
Brett
Matt Mikkelsen

okay. . . Here's a report from the metro tonight. Cracker played for about an hour and 40 minutes. . .they were the early show and had a time limit, so maybe they would've played some more otherwise. This being the first time they played the metro since the infamous melee, Johnny was sportin' his Cook County Jail shirt. David announced that it would be "silly" to do an encore and instead they would just keep playing until time was up.

Here's the set list in a rough order:

 Been Around the World 
 
 Seven Days 
 
 Euro-Trash Girl 
 
 100 FPM 
 
 Sweet Thistle Pie 
 
 Useless Stuff 
 
 Teen Angst 
 
 Get a hold of Myself 
 
 Lonesome Johnny Blues 
 
 St. Cajetan 
 
 I Ride My Bike 
 
 Pictures of Matchstick Men 
 
 The World is Mine 
 
 I Hate My Generation 
 
 Big Dipper 
 
 I See the Light 
 
 Mr. Wrong 
 
 Low 
 
 Shiner Song 
 
 Get off This 
 

During Get Off This David busted a string or two. . .while he was getting another guitar Johnny went into a sort of extended jam type thing. . .and when David got back to the mic, he couldn't remember where to start singing again. . .kinda funny. If I've missed anything, maybe the silty sandman can help out (where were you Silty???). Johnny said afterwards that we should be able to see Red River by the end of the summer and they're working on getting the soundtrack out. I'm going to Peoria tomorrow. . .perhaps I'll have something to say about that.

zach

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My concert experience--arrive with wife Angel about a half hour beforedoors open at Metro. Line of about five people. Watch Johnny and Bob and David walk in and out of venue. Determine that I don't want to sprint after David to blather something I'll regret (or not even understand myself), despite the fact that he forms THE songwriting triumvarate with David Byrne and Elvis Costello. We note David's hair length. Angel says she liked Johnny's hair better when he wasn't going for a Duran Duran look (her words, her teenage favorite band--she liked JH's hair so much touring Golden Age that she wanted me to duplicate his coif--not without requisite I liner, I say). We try to make out the book David's carrying with him, but cannot. Too chilly for shorts, I realize too late. Strike up conversation with law student who decided that morning to see the show. Congenial but not up-to-date on Cracker.

Front row center balcony, just as we hoped for. Snag a happening Cracker tour poster off the wall (it's now ready for display in the office). Stand next to aforementioned law student, an unwashed older lady who's a bit soused (and who proceeds to nod off during the show), and another couple who, like us, hadn't seen Cracker since, what May '95 at the Riv? I score major points (thanks, Crackerfans) for having all the up-to-date news like Bob playing on the tour, some new songs we'd hear. It took quite a while for the Metro to fill in, but by the time Cracker was on stage, it was packed pretty full.

Brought my camera--as I always do if there's nothing regarding cameras posted on the ticket. Get some sweet shots of the band as the show starts. Then a disgruntled frat boy security guy comes and takes my camera. I ask what gives, and he says to check my ticket. I do, but the camera's already gone, and nothing's posted at the Metro about cameras, as far as I can tell. So any photos that actually would have came off well and passed on to a Cracker web page or two were ripped out after the entire security staff commiserated over my camera to determine how to remove the film.

Great show. Terrific form. Best part to me is that they seem to be having so much fun. Johnny looks more and more comfortable, and we all agreed that he just keeps getting better and better. As we leave, decide to pass on the retread $10 tees, despite the nice price.

The new songs are dyn-o-mite. Johnny's "ballad," for lack of a better term, was particularly wonderful. If given anywhere near the promotion of _Kerosene Hat_, _Gentlemen's Blues_ ought to be another platinum release.

Peace,

Brett

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I'm writing this over a year after I saw the show, but I was so blown away by it that I still think back to it and definitely want to see them many more times. Too bad I missed them the next THREE times they were in Chicago before the end of '98 (thanks to my fiance's family). I had only seen Cracker once before (opening for Gin Blossoms and Spin Doctors in summer of '94!?!), but have told my fiance that we must drop all plans to see them next time they're in the area.

Anyway, after David saying they may be a bit rust or something because they hadn't played any shows in a while, they set opened with about six or seven songs in a row from the yet-to-be released Gentleman's Blues album. Even though these songs were unfamiliar to me, since they wouldn't be released for another four months, they rocked the audience as well as any of their familiar songs. Then of course was an onslaught of songs from their 3 previously released albums, including most of the better-known songs, much to the crowd's delight, plus "Pictures of Matchstick Men," which I didn't realize was such a rare treat live.

Unfortunately, it was such a long time ago that I can't recall all the specific songs they played, though Bob Rupe's backup vox on "Sweet Thistle Pie" still resonate within me noggin. But there were two other items of note from this show. First, the sight of Johnny Hickman in a Cook County Jail inmate shirt (for those who don't live here, Chicago is located in Cook Co.) was simply too much-- every time I looked at him I couldn't help but put on a huge-ass grin. Finally, I've been to a fair number of shows in my 24 years, but this is the first time I've ever seen a band tell the audience that they were going to stay onstage until the venue said they had to come off, rather than leaving and then coming back for encore, just so they could play more songs for their fans. As if I wasn't a big enough fan already, this impressive gesture gave me even more reasons to call Cracker MY favorite group, for whatever that is worth.

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