On Sunday, July 19, 2026 I headed to the Hopmonk Novato in Novato, California. The event was a KC Turner mainstay featuring David Lowery and friends and Cracker. This performance was awesome in its entirety and we all enjoyed it tremendously.
When David Lowery and friends hit the stage, it was announced that they were playing only Camper Van Beethoven songs. The set featured Greg Lishur, Megan Slankard, and Anne Harris in addition to Carlton “Coco” Owens from Cracker. They started with “O Death,” a traditional song that was right up our alley.
When they started “Mao Reminisces About His Days in Southern China”, Anne had a definite part in the song. Her playing in it was wonderful. The two next songs were just as fabulous. They played “Sweethearts” and “All Her Favorite Fruit,” and the crowd ate it up. It was splendid, as you could tell by the applause. The next song was Black Flag‘s “Wasted”. That song blew everyone’s mind as they laid into it hard, in their own way, of course. It was slower, but it still had that rocking feeling. “Shut Us Down” was next, and it was a fun song. The song had a terrific, memorable guitar riff.
From there they jumped right into “R ‘n R Uzbekistan” that had a fabulous fiddle part. That led us into “Tania,” followed by “One of These Days.” Following those two songs was the last one of the set, “ZZ Top Goes To Egypt”. A stunning song that they played the dickens out of. It was a fabulous set and a must-see for Camper fans. It was the last song, but Cracker was coming up!
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David Lowery – guitar, vocals
Carlton “Coco” Owens – drums
Greg Lishur – guitar
Megan Slankard – bass
Anne Harris – fiddle
Setlist
1). O Death (traditional)
2). Mao Reminisces About His Days in Southern China
3). Sweethearts
4). All Her Favorite Fruit
5). Wasted (Black Flag cover)
6). Shut Us Down
7). R ‘n R Uzbekistan
8). Tania
9). One of These Days
10). ZZ Top Goes To Egypt
When Cracker hit the stage, they announced that they were playing The Golden Age album in it entirety. They started the set off with “I Hate My Generation,” and that song hit home. It was exactly how most of us were feeling. From there, they played the song “I’m a Little Rocket Ship,” and that song was just fun. It bounced between the planets and stars, which gave it an awesome vibe. Between that last song and the next song, David said it was really cool alternating between acoustic and electric guitars on the album, but in real life, it was a big pain.
They slid into the next song, “Big Dipper,” that had a mellow tune but awesome lyrics. It was a special song. Following that song up was “Nothing To Believe In”and the title track of the album, “The Golden Age”. “The Golden Age” was a fabulous song as they worked through it, and the crowd was into it as well with a hearty round of applause when it came to an end. The next song was “100 Flower Power Maximum,” which was more upbeat and was just what the crowd needed. They also had the crowd singing along with them, and that was awesome.
With that song ending, they brought it down a bit with “Dixie Babylon”. That song was terrific in its mellowness, and the crowd loved it. “I Can’t Forget You” and “Sweet Thistle Pie” were next, followed by a memorable song, “Useless Stuff”. A song that, if I had a band, I would cover it because that song is me. It’s fantastic, and I love it so much. The next song was “How Can I Live Without You,,” an upbeat song with an amazing guitar riff. The final song off the album was “Bicycle Spaniard,” which started in an eerie fashion and kept it going throughout the entire song. It was a wonderful song with its lyrics and melodies; it was an awesome track indeed.
“Dr Bernice” was the first track not on that album, and it was stunning. A bit mellow, but the lyrics drew you in, and it satisfied all our needs. When that song ended, David asked everyone up on the lawn how they were doing. He said it was a different vibe up there. “St Cajetan” was next up and they rocked it, singing about a cool drink of water. Water was important that evening because of the heat. Johnny tore it up on that song with his guitar and a mean solo.
From there, they played probably their biggest hit. “Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now) was the title and the audience sang all the words along with them. It was awesome hearing the song like that. It was a classic! Following that song up was “Low”, another hit and they killed it. A little slower, they jammed along while everyone danced and sang along. The next song was a big one. “Euro-Trash Girls” was the title and you could tell, they enjoyed playing tremendously. The crowd sang the chorus, and they (as well as us) were having a ball with it. It’s fabulous to have a slightly mellower song with a killer chorus and guitar and fiddle solos. Speaking of fiddle solos, Anne played her song “Sparrows,” and it landed just right. It was a wonderful song with just her and her fiddle.
For the next song, Bryan took the mic and belted out a Bob Dylan song called “You Ain’t Goin Nowhere,” and he slayed that one. Totally breathtaking vocals. The next song began with Megan doing a verse from “Reading Rainbow,” and then they started “I See the Light.” That song was playful and happy, and the band was into it. They were jamming along when it was time for them to call it a night. When they ended the song, they introduced the band and bid us a good night. The crowd went wild!
They came back to play one more song, “Another Song About the Rain”. Johnny sang that song, and it was wonderful. He sang the lyrics as if they were the most important thing in the world, and to many of us, they were. Before we knew it, it was over, and it was time to leave, and we did. We left with our heads and hearts filled with joy and music. Until next year!
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David Lowery – guitar, vocals
Johnny Hickman – guitar, vocals
Bryan Howard – bass, vocals
Carlton “Coco” Owen – drums
Anne Harris – fiddle, vocals
Megan Slankard – keyboards
Setlist
The Golden Age
1). I Hate My Generation
2). I’m a Little Rocket Ship
3). Big Dipper
4). Nothing To Believe In
5). The Golden Age
6). 100 Flower Power Maximum
7). Dixie Babylon
8). I Can’t Forget You
9). Sweet Thistle Pie
10). Useless Stuff
11). How Can I Live Without You
12). Bicycle Spaniard
End The Golden Age
13). Dr. Bernice
14). St. Cajetan
15). Teen Angst (What The World Need Now)
16). Low
17). Euro-Trash Girls
18). Sparrows (Anne Harris cover)(with Anne Harris)(solo)
19). You Ain’t Goin Nowhere (Bob Dylan cover)(Bryan Howard cover)(on vocals)
20). I See The Light (with Megan Slankard “Reading Rainbow” snippet and band introductions)
Encore
21). Another Song About the Rain
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