Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven Keep It Stripped Down & Revved Up in Charlotte (SHOW REVIEW)

David Lowery may be several decades removed from the agony of teen angst, but when he takes the stage with Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, the emotion that fueled early fan favorites like “Get Off This” and “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)” is as real and raw as it was a quarter century ago.

Lowery is the common founding member of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven, two California bands with distinctly different sounds, connected by the thread of Lowery’s trademark nasal snarl and unmatched lyrical style. Camper Van first made waves on college radio in the mid-1980s with their debut album Telephone Free Landslide Victory, a patchwork of upbeat melodies and unexpected influences infused with the kind of clever, irreverent, ridiculous brilliance that put them on par with bands like the Dead Milkmen.

When Camper Van splintered in 1990, Lowery went on to create Cracker with guitarist, vocalist, and co-songwriter Johnny Hickman. Driven by their country-tinged garage sound, Cracker found a home on the alt-rock charts while mocking everything about the collective attitude of the grunge generation. The band remains one of the few heavy-hitters from that era that continues to make music together, while Camper Van took roughly a decade off before returning in 1999, stronger than ever.

25 years after Cracker’s first album was released, a small not-quite dive bar (The Neighborhood Theatre), in a trendy section of the Queen City (Charlotte), seems like the perfect place for fans to gather to see whether these guys still have what it takes. The audience is as eclectic as the music they’ve come to hear, from well-dressed middle-aged couples to country boys in ball caps and flannel, barely drinking age. The room is dim and the floors are sticky and the sound system is almost loud enough to overcome the shouted conversation of the selfie queens who have stationed themselves front row, center.

Camper Van Beethoven takes off like a shot with the instrumental “Waka,” fueled by powerful performances from bassist Victor Krummenacher and violinist Jonathan Segel. There aren’t many people who can wield a violin with the elegance of a classically trained concert musician while shredding hard enough to embarrass most wanna-be thrashers into giving up and going home, but Segal has mastered the art. The band barely seems to have time to take a breath between songs, running full-speed ahead from instrumental classics like “R ‘n R Uzbekistan” through the Black Flag cover “Wasted,” proving that punk rock is all about attitude and has nothing to do with how high your mohawk is spiked or how many safety pins are holding your leather jacket together. The highlight of Camper Van’s set is the aching melancholy of “All Her Favorite Fruit,” Lowery’s crescendo toward desperation rising over the sweet melody of some half-remembered ‘70s ballad and then backing off, falling away as he draws the audience into contemplation of what might have been, and questions never answered.

Camper Van Beethoven are a hell of a tough act to follow, but if anyone can pull it off, it’s Cracker. Lowery, Hickman, and pedal steel guitarist Matt “Pistol” Stoesser start things off with the darkly inspirational “Dr. Bernice” and a rendition of the Grateful Dead’s “Loser” that makes you wonder if Cracker missed their calling as a legit jam band. The rest of the set is a spectacular mix of radio hits, obscure tracks, and material from their latest album, a double composition entitled Berkeley to Bakersfield, an homage to two California towns that influenced the band’s unique style.

Lowery’s gruff stage presence and occasional scowl aren’t enough to hide the clear passion he has for his art, and he absolutely destroys any idea that he might be burned out when he launches into the intense and blues-infused “One Fine Day.” Johnny Hickman is a born showman, and his exuberance is infectious as he connects with the audience, propping one foot up on a stage monitor and smiling for the cameras. Every bit of the band’s early attitude is present when they belt out the chorus of “Low,” Hickman proves his musical and storytelling prowess on the somber “Another Song About the Rain,” and they bring the whole thing to a close with the raucous and rowdy “King of Bakersfield,” led by a smiling Lowery and leaving the audience spent and satisfied.

If there were ever any questions about whether Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven could still hold their own with the next generation nipping at their heels to get out of the way, this performance stops them in their tracks. Experience has only made both bands tighter and more cohesive, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be ready to stop anytime soon. Let’s hope not.

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