Before I begin the Cracker review I wanted to give everyone an updated status on the Bonnaroo 2009 death pool. Apparently Rob got bit by a tick at the 'roo and has since gotten sick & tested positive for Lyme's Disease. Since he returned from Bonnaroo 2009 slightly closer to death than most of us, I am declaring victory in our death pool.
Now. Cracker. Wait, before I get to Cracker, let me 'splain that Thursday 6/25 I met up with some of my buddies in the middle of the day for liquid lunch- that's cuz none of us are currently working. So we hit up Blockheads in mid-town for $3 margaritas. We were pretty shitfaced when news came soaring through the air in millions of little pieces and then got back together in Ximena's cell-phone. Michael Jackson was dead. Could this be true? Very soon the entire patio was aflutter with gossip, people comparing CNN reports to TMZ reports, who do you trust more? Typey typey typey SEND. Cardiac arrest? Death? I laughed and wondered aloud if something that is mostly plastic can actually die? At the next table a girl's jaw dropped with an OHNOSHEDI-INT. Oh yes, I did. Sure, he wrote Thriller- but more recently than that, he was a child-rapist. He RAPED CHILDREN.
Anyways, apparently this will be the new "Where were you when JFK was shot" moment ("I was getting shitty on cheap tequila"). Except a lot creepier, way less important, and with many more secret out-of-court settlements.
Cracker. I was gonna grab dinner and pick up some produce at Chelsea Market, but by the time I got down there I had to pee soooo badly (thanks, Blockheads) that I settled for Park NYC (cuz I was already standing there). The place is pretty cool and if you get there early enough, the douchebag factor is toned down to minimal. I went with the margarita pizza cuz it's awesome and a mojito, because they serve them.
By the time I had to walk around the corner to the perfectly lovely Highline Ballroom, I was faced. The venue wasn't too crowded, so I went right up front, at the stage, between where Johnny Hickman and David Lowery were setting up their own equipment. No roadies? It's the new black.
Lo-fi setup, house drum kit, what gives? Cracker's van broke down in PA earlier in the day, they took what equipment they could (instruments, amps, pedals) and got to the Highline as soon as possible. That's okay though because they were there and ready to rock NYC.
They played a lot off their new album, "Sunrise In the Land of Milk & Honey" (buy it- it's really good) and a variety of the older tunes (would have liked to hear a couple more- Don't Fuck Me Up w/ Peace & Love, Take Me (back) To You, Let's Go For a Ride). Cracker were tight, focused, loud, abrasive, and balls out- they pretty much rocked the fuck out for a couple of hours in NYC. There was a guest accordian & keyboard player (Kenny Margolis- AWESOME) who added a layer to the sweetness. The crowd was digging it (it had filled in), singing along, screaming in-between songs (bands love that), the energy was great. They might have had a shitty morning but they had a great night. 8.75 HUZZAHS!
NYC Taper taped- DOWNLOAD IT- flac & mp3 available.
Cracker, 6/25/09, Highline Ballroom, NYC
SETLIST
Hey Bret (You Know What Time It Is)
Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey
Show Me How This Thing Works
Hand Me My Inhaler
Teen Angst
100 Flower Power Maximum
The World Is Mine
Time Machine
I See The Light
Shake Some Action
Take Me Down To The Infirmary
St. Cajetan
Turn On, Tune In Drop Out With Me
One Fine Day
Gimme One More Chance
The Riverside
Sweet Thistle Pie
Happy Birthday To Me
Eurotrash Girl
Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right
Get Off This
Encore:
Friends
Seven Days
Low
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