June 22, 2000 -

Reviews by...
Sara
Mike
kathy/modestk
Mark

Now that I've settled down from my trip and I've rested up I figured I would give my review of the show. You guys were right Asheville IS hippieville! I really wish it wasn't so far away though, they seemed to have a lot of really cool shops and things there. I got to the club pretty early and got to hear part of sound check - Shake Some Action. Kitty opened, and she was great as usual. She will be with them at the shows for the next week selling merchandise and things, and playing if possible. Then Cracker came on. I didn't think the crowd would be to responsive at first but they really loved the show. The set list went as follows:

      1.Mr. Wrong 
      2.7 Days (David broke 0 strings tonight but did pop of his strap off towards the end of the song... he
         caught the guitar in time) 
      3.Teen Angst 
      4.Euro-Trash Girl 
      5.Dr. Bernice 
      6.Lonesome Johnny Blues 
      7.Shake Some Action 
      8.Sweet Thistle Pie 
      9.Been Around The World 
     10.Loser 
     11.Take Me Down To The Infirmary (Misfire) 
     12.Take Me Down To The Infirmary 
     13.Get Off This 
     14.Wedding Day (The entire band joined in for it... David played bass) 
         (Request night began here. A bunch of people kept yelling out Camper songs so David replied "The name of
         the band is Cracker so that is what we are going to play") 
     15.Don't Fuck Me Up (This was my personal favorite of the night) =) 
     16.Pictures of Matchsickmen 
     17.100 Flower Power Maximum 
     18.Big Dipper 
     19.Another Song About the Rain 
     20.St. Cajetan 
     21.Be My Love 
     22.Low 
         ENCORE: 
     23.Trials and Tribulations (They had multiple tambourines out for this one) 
     24.How Can I Live Without You 
     25.Sweet Potato =) 
 

The show lasted about 2 hours and 15 minutes in all. I would definitely recommend everyone making the trek out to see them anytime they play this town. I also want to say HI to everyone I met the other night. I made the trip up there alone but had some cool people to hang out with during the show. I'll see everyone next week end in Morgantown and Kill Devil Hills.

Sara

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Just some random observations about Thursday's show at Be Here Now.

David didn't break any strings.

Johnny graciously allowed Sarah to play some of the solo on "Don't Fuck Me Up With Peace and Love". She acquitted herself very nicely.

Moshing was minimal, but there was lot's of pogoing.

For much of the evening, the odor of burning rope wafted through the crowd.

Brandy's got a great voice, and she really came through well on the PA. They should let her take lead on a tune or two. She vacillated between being extremely laid back and rocking out hard. I could not detect a pattern.

Johnny really worked the crowd, to the extent of being visibly winded after several numbers. My wife thought he must have been really hot in his striped flannel PJ's with T shirt underneath.

After about 8 numbers, David started asking for requests, but everyone yelled at once and it got a little testy. I just wished that when he first said it I'd have said "Yeah, I've got a request, GET A HAIRCUT!", because you see, David appeared to have recently gotten a rather close hair cut, and there we were in the freak capital of the U.S. and nearly every dude in the crowd had longer hair than him. Irony is the glue that something something....

I would have liked to have heard some songs that weren't played, like "Satisfy You", or "River Euphrates", so I was a little disappointed. My wife says I'm being too picky, and she rated it one of the best shows she's seen, and she's been to at least 20. Then again, I shot a 76 playing golf today and still wasn't happy, so consider the source....

My wife and I didn't chat up the folder folks in attendance, in retrospect we should have at least said hi to Sarah. You might say we have a little bit of a chaperone complex. We can see you kids are having a good time, so we just hang back. Being older than some of your parents is a little disconcerting sometimes, but's it's all good in cracker soul.

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i concur with all the comments on the asheville cracker show. it was truly a blessing. it has been so long since my last cracker show....and the show seemed to go on forever and ever, although it could have gone on forever and that would have been fine.

it was good to meet those of you that i got to...i wasn't sure where the rest of you were.

sara, was that you up front (in front of johnny) on the other side of the beer bottles? i was wondering cause i was on the other side in front of david and i kept thinking that you must be sara. you knew all the songs, any of the inside jokes, etc.

take care,
kathy/modestk

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HOWDEE: WHOO HOOOOOEY! What a difference four years make. When CRACKER last played 'Be Here Now' in Asheville, NC back in August of 1996, there were maybe 100 people at each of the two shows. Last night saw a packed house of crackersoulmates enjoy another awesome 2 hour+ high energy concert from CRACKER, one of the best goddamned bands ever! Got to meet Alan & Joy who drove up from Charleston,SC to see the show and do a little hiking in the blue ridge mountains. Briefly met Sara who [bless her heart] drove all the way from Richmond by herself, and me & my friend Mike brought Steve, who saw his first CRACKERSHOW last night & was thouroghly blown away, from Kingsport, TN over Sam's Gap to HIPPIEVILLE. David Lowery mentioned the fact that ROLLING STONE called Asheville 'the freak capitol of America' and how Johnny had described Asheville as SAN JOSE, CA in the 80's, except 'with banjoes'. Wonderful show, met new friends, turned on old friends to a great band, and made it back home by 2:30am! BOY HOWDEE! Hope to post pics from show on the CRACKER website if I can figure it all out. HAPPY CAMPER CottonMoe.

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