Cracker Rocks the Wisconsin State Fair
State fairs are not usually hot beds for new music; food on a stick, prize cows and cheesy rides usually come to mind. Alternative rockers Cracker attempted to break that stereotype at the Wisconsin State Fair by playing a healthy dose of new material from their latest album "Sunrise in the Land of Milk and Honey." David Lowery put it all into perspective. "You know, we were walking around the state fair today and must of heard 'Sweet Home Alabama' at least four times," said David, "I told Johnny (Hickman) that we would have to take it out of the set tonight."
Opening with "Friends", David Lowery and Johnny Hickman delivered a punchy set to about 800 fans on the Cousins Amphitheater stage at the fairgrounds in Milwaukee. Backed by bassist Sal Maida and drummer Frank Funaro, the focus was decidedly on the future, while keeping the state fair crowd happy with Cracker chestnuts like "Low" and "Teen Angst". I especially enjoyed the song Sweet Thistle Pie and Cracker's version of the classic "Shake Some Action" by the Flamin' Groovies.
I also had a rare opportunity to see David & Johnny at a small gathering at a Madison radio station the day before. They played a short acoustic set along with interview breaks, afterward sharing random thoughts about deep fried, chocolate covered stuff on a stick and bringing a hipper image to hog judging at the fair.
It was a great weekend with some of my favorite music, looking forward to having them back again, hopefully in Madison.