Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven- Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA 12/29/14 (SHOW REVIEW)

Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker brought a loud, indie rock infused finale to the 2014 concert schedule at the historic Lobero Theater, in Santa Barbara December 29th. The Northern California (originally from Redlands) band Camper Van Beethoven opened the show with a spirited 75 minute set, showcasing new music, as well as their original classic punk infused rock hits from the 1980s. The band, one of the original post punk bands in the 1980s that helped launch indie music as a viable mainstream alternative to corporate record labels, played some of their most well known music. The songs included punky anthems like, “Take the Skinheads Bowling,” and the popular remake of the 1971 Status Quo classic, “Matchstick Man”. The latter featured the phenomenal skills of violinist Jonathan Segel, that became the trademark sound that separated the band from almost every other in their genre, sort of a classical and punk music mash up. The core band also featured original members, David Lowery (vocals, guitar), Victor Krummenacher (bass, vocals), Greg Lisher (guitar), and Chris Pedersen (drums). The quintet was joined by long time member, David Immergllick on a variety of stringed instruments, but most notable on pedal-steel guitar.

The band which took a 12 year hiatus, all through the 90’s, and into 2002, also played some of their newer material including tracks from their two most recent albums. The band played selections from 2013’s “La Costa Perdida”, including the first song from the album, “Northern California Girls,” which elicited an extensive sing along from the crowd. The band also played cuts from 2014’s “El Camino Real” as these back to back albums share a California theme, but while “La Costa Perdida” was a musical odyssey of northern California’s mysterious “Lost Coast,” El Camino Real explores southern California’s better-known regions.

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After a short break and a bit of imbibing at the venue bar, the audience returned for a powerful 90 minute set by Cracker. Cracker featured the core members of Camper Van Beethoven, including Lowery. Violinist Segel, and lead guitarist Lisher, sat out the Cracker set, which instead featured lead vocalist and guitarist extraordinaire, Johnny Hickman, who together with Lowery formed Cracker after the initial demise of Camper Van Beethoven, back in 1990. Like Camper, Cracker managed to produce some offbeat rock anthems that remain staples on pop radio to this day, even though many people who know and like their songs aren’t familiar with the bands that created them.

Hickman brought a whole new energy to the stage in the second half, with a more punkabilly Americana sound added to the mix. The crowd, which had been encouraged to remain stoic in the historic old theater, with stodgy rules like no seating between songs or standing/dancing in the aisles, and for the most part followed suit, came alive in the second half. Perhaps helped along by a bit of alcohol during the intermission, patrons began to more vociferously address the band and a few hardy souls began to head to the aisles to dance. Shortly into the second song, a particularly belligerent group of alcohol infused patrons, began attacking their neighbors over seating issues and an uncharacteristic cat fight broke out between two adult women. The mostly senior volunteer ushers looked on appalled at the spectacle and, luckily, were able to persuade the pugilists to exit the theater. The brief confrontation seemed to spark a wave of energy over the crowd, however, and people began to swell the aisles, dancing and clapping in glee to classic Cracker songs, like “Low,” “Euro-Trash Girl,” and the iconic “Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)”.

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Excitement in the venue grew and the rules went out the window with the crowd swarming the stage for the final few songs. While many shows at the Lobero (the oldest continuous running venue in California) are indeed stoic events by nature, the theater has a long and remarkable history of exciting and spontaneous events that would capture any passionate music fans imagination. In this tradition, Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven closed out the 2014 concert calendar with a thunderous climax on one of the last days of the year, with a near three hour set of original “Americana Indie.”

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