David Lowery opened up for Cracker at the Hopmonk Novato in Novato California on July 14, 2024. David Lowery is a musician and songwriter known for his work with bands such as Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, and has been active in the music industry since the 1980s. While he’s associated with these bands, he’s also pursued solo projects and has been involved in various music-related ventures. During his performance, he shared some interesting stories about the songs he played. He started with “(I Don’t Want To Go To The) Lincoln Shrine,” explaining that it was written for Camper Van Beethoven. The second song, “Super Bloom, 1973,” was a hit among the audiences out West as he didn’t have to explain its significance. The third song, “Disneyland Jail, 1977,” struck a chord with many listeners. “It Don’t Last Long” was a song about Cracker, encapsulated in just three lines. In a lighthearted moment, he mentioned Jackson, his manager, and his humorous encounter with Michael Milligan in serving legal documents. The penultimate song was “I Wrote a Song Called Take the Skinheads Bowling,” co-written by David McDaniel. The final song of the set, “Giving Tree Father,” was about the prodigal son with a little help from Shel Silverstein. With that, his performance came to an end, for now.
Setlist:
1). (I Don’t Wanna Go to the) Lincoln Shrine (Camper Van Beethoven song)
2). Super Bloom, 1973
3). Disneyland Jail, 1977
4). It Don’t Last Long
5). I Wrote a Song Called Take the Skinheads Bowling
6). Giving Tree Father
Cracker, the band formed by David Lowery and Johnny Hickman, has a strong connection to Marin County, California, where they were based for a significant part of their career. Beginning with “Bicycle Spaniard”, Cracker had the whole crowd invested from the start. They held the audience’s attention with unfettering desire as they rambled through their songs. With tracks like “Friends”, “St. Cajetan”, and “Someday”, they had fans dancing in their seats. “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)” ignited the crowd with unmatched fire, and they kept up the pace with songs like “Wedding Day”, “Euro-Trash Girl”, and “Get Down On the Road” before hitting “Low”, a song that just makes you want to move. The band also delivered an amazing rendition of “Loser”, a Jerry Garcia cover. The rest of the songs, including “Movie Star”, “The World is Mine”, and “The San Bernardino Boy”, was powerful and stoic. The band finished up this part of the set with “Get Off This” and killed it. Their soft but powerful set which has defined their career to this point and did everything to solidify it. The encore was a Bob Dylan cover of “The Man in Me” and a stirring version of “El Cerrito” that brought it all home. This was an amazing show for an amazing crowd.
David Lowery – vocals, guitar
Johnny Hickman – lead guitar, vocals
Bryan Howard – bass guitar
Carlton “Coco” Owens – drums
Setlist:
1). Bicycle Spaniard (with Megan Slankard) (on strings; first time played since 2013)
2). Friends (Johnny Hickman song)
3). King of Bakersfield
4). St. Cajetan
5). Someday
6). Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now)
7). Wedding Day
8). Euro-Trash Girl (with band introductions)
9). California Country Boy
10). Get on Down the Road
11). Low
12). Loser (Jerry Garcia cover)
13). Movie Star
14). The World Is Mine
15) The San Bernardino Boy
16). Get Off This
Encore:
17). The Man in Me (Bob Dylan cover)
18). El Cerrito
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Photographer of about 10 years, I have been shooting concerts for about 8 of those years. I started to get serious about concert photography about 6 or 7 years ago and now try to shoot as many as I can. I shoot mostly rock but, have done some country and big band stuff. I love music and since I am nowhere close to being a musician, this is a way I can be a small part of what, in the words of Henry Rollins, “gets me through the highs, the lows and everything in between”.
