Indianapolis, Indiana, Murat Egyptian Room
Headlining, opening bands: Action Action, Niki Barr, Rumor Factor
The first band to play was actually Niki Barr, who, to my surprise, is a totally
rocking chick. They were a great, tight, straight rock'n'roll band. I truly
hope to hear more from her in the future as she has an incredible voice. Action
Action kind of grew on me as they played a few songs. They use a lot more
keyboard/synthesizer sound, but they know what they're doing nonetheless. My
boyfriend and I laughed as they finished the set and the scantily clad Jagermeister
girls stood waiting in the wings with shots of the drink...surely the members of
Action Action are not old enough to drink yet! They looked so YOUNG!
The Cult finally came on around 10:15 or so,and, as they can do no wrong to me, I
loved every second of every minute of every song. I was so happy that after six
years, they came to Indy again, giving their all, always rockin'. Ian looks great
and sounds the same, and Billy's playing is so dead-on with every song. The songs
from Born Into This sounded awesome. I Assassin was especially good. They treated
us to the other most popular stuff, too: Nirvana, Edie (Ciao Baby), The Phoenix,
Lil' Devil, and ended the main show with She Sells Sanctuary. Ian chastised the
crowd occasionally for their lack of enthusiasm (not I, though!), and encouraged
everyone to read more, turn off their TVs, be happy we'll have a new president soon!
But the coolest interaction Ian had with the crowd was during Sanctuary. He started
yelling at some guy in the crowd to "Stop it" and motioned to security to get over
there. When security DID NOT react, Ian himself jumped into the crowd and pulled out
two young, petite girls who, I assume, were being pushed around or crushed by the
object of Ian's anger. It was great! The band just kept on playing, and by the time
the melee ended, Ian picked up the words where they were in the song.
I hope the Cult doesn't give up any of their music and live shows anytime in the near
or distant future. They only get better over time and always manage to find good
musicians to fill in the gaps. Long live The Cult!
Jenny C.
When I found out The Cult would be playing in Indianapolis close to my 19 year-old
cousin's college, I bought tickets for the both of us. This is the first time he
would see them. He was very excited to see the show, as I have bragged them up over
the years.
The Murat Egyptian Room looks like what would be a conference room at the Luxor in
Las Vegas. Gaudy but upscale. There was plenty of room; no fan could complain for
lack of movement.
The Cult did not disappoint a first time concert goer, and certainly not us veterans
show-goers. While their setlists remain relatively frigid, beloved closet classics
Nirvana and Electric Ocean kicked off the show. I have noticed that Horse Nation and
Holy Mountain are reserved for the larger cities, or cities with more exposure. I
expect these songs to be played at the Cleveland show, though my request will probably
fall on deaf ears.
The vibe of the show was positive, except for some sort of assault up in the front of
the crowd. Ian missed a whole verse of She Sells Sanctuary lyrics just to help out what
I believed to be the altercation victim. Once notified, the security promptly escorted
the alleged asshole out of the hall. There were also the usual assortment of
bothersome, but benign, creatures in the crowd, who were clearly enjoying themselves
during their stay on our planet.
As far as opening bands, they fared slightly better than average. While Rumor Factor
was a pathetic, ass-metal disaster, Niki Barr Band and Action Action seemed to draw
the concert goers away from the concession stands and towards the stage. While the Niki
Barr Band's music seemed to coalesce into one solid wall of sound, Action Action had a
very discernible output.
I would like to thank Jagermeister for supporting one of thee greatest rock groups. To
show my gratitude, and that your sponsorship ploy actually pays off, I will, for the
first time, buy a bottle of Jager and keep it handy for my family during the holidays.
No, I am not underage. Viva la Cult.
JJS
Setlist
Nirvana
Electric Ocean
...
She Sells Sanctuary
Encore
Dirty Little Rockstar
Love Removal Machine