I went to see the Cult play at a rock festiail in Johannesburg on the weekend. On the bill were Fetish - local, The Springbok Nude Girls - local, The Cult, The Goo Goo Dolls and Lenny Kravitz. Fetish were amazing, the Nude Girls and the Goo Goo Dolls sucked, Lenny was ok - but the Cult RULED the show. The crowd response to them was awesome. Ian worked the crowd the whole time and it was an absolute bonus that most of the set that they played were huge hits in South Africa. The whole band were on form, in particular Ian and Billy. I can't recall the set list, but they opened with Lil' Devil. They played Wild Flower, Edie (Ciao Baby), Peace Dog, The Witch, Sweet Soul Sister, one new song, Love Removal Machine and a few others. Oh yes, they also played She Sells Sanctuary. There was about 30 000 in the stadium (radio reported 50 000) I am still in awe of these men! I have been to many, many rock concerts in my life, but few have moved my like the Cult did. True Rock Stars!! Long live the Cult, and may they have wild success - AGAIN!

It was obvious that this band has been around because their show was slick, professional and they really know how to rock. The Goo-Goo dolls were disappointing compared to The Cult.

It is fantastic to know that they are not fading away. We in South Africa have had a few class acts lately...and this must rate as one of the best. It was just a pity that they did not ahave a full concert. Well maybe next time...

It took them 10 years to get down here. It was worth the wait. The Cult doing what they do best. A Sonic Blitz Trip !! Long live Rock n' Roll!!

The concert was brilliant, they opened for Lenny Kravitz. They also performed in Durban, 19th March and Cape Town, 21st March 2000. The guys are great, we managed to meet them - awesome!!

Wow, I'll say it again wow. I have never witnessed anything as mindblowing or seen so much raw energy on stage, the Rolling Stones nor Iron Maiden couldn't compare. The Goo Goo Dolls were insipid and boring, Lenny Kravitz' light show was the only thing that saved him from humiliation, and although the local bands deserve an honorable mention, not one band came close to matching the sheer power and on stage presense of The Cult! To prove i am unbiased: The Cult was the only band where people crowd surfed, where girls flashed there tits and where the security guards had to get violent (they stopped after Ian Astbury told them to!). I dont think i have ever witnessed a more intense display of enthusiasm from any other band ever. Ian Astbury threw his tambourine into the audience.....AND I GOT IT!!!! I can die happy now.

I have been waiting 10 years to see The Cult live! I really can't explain to you what it felt like hearing Fire Woman live. (My favorite Cult song!) I cried, laughed and chanted while Ian was going on as if a madman!! (too bad the rest of the people didn't seem to enjoy it nearly as much as me! Young crowd. They only knew a couple of the more commercial songs! Long live The Cult!!!

By now, if you don't know that Lenny Kravitz, The Cult and The Goo Goo Dolls have joined up with The Springbok Nude Girls and Fetish for the hottest rock roadshow in South Africa - you ought to stop spending so much time with your stamp collection.

The Big Nite Out, as the mega-bash has been billed, showcases the five bands in three venues, blasting off at the Johannesburg Stadium, Jo'burg on March 17, moving to the Absa Stadium in Durban on March 19, and climaxing at the Green Point Stadium, Cape Town on March 21. Musically, the repertoire ranges from the funky power-chops of Kravitz to the moody rock of The Cult, through the alternative pop offerings of The Goo Goo Dolls, on to the tough, raw bite of the Nude Girls and the ethereal, edgy sounds of Fetish. Eclectic? You betcha ...

Basically, it's the fattest ticket in town. Whichever town. But just in case you're still undecided whether it's worth the effort (yeah, yeah, so South Africans have learned how to be blasé), here's a handy prediction of what you'll miss:

Lenny Kravitz

Who he?

Only the most funkiest singer/composer/multi-instrumentalist since Hendrix had a bad choking fit. Also a Grammy-winner and major chart-topper (was the first musician to ever reach No. 1 on the Billboard Modern, Active and Album charts in the same week).

What we want him to play/what he's going to do:

Obviously, Fly Away and American Woman. Probably a fair amount of stuff off the 5 album, like It's Your Lifeand Take Time and Supersoulfighter. But it'll also be nice if he does the older stuff, like Are You Gonna Go My Way and Believe. And please God let him play Mama Said ...

The experience

Very sexy, very sweaty. And that'll just be the field tickets. On stage, Kravitz has a reputation for serious testosterone surges which are bound to get the stadium in a tizz. Expect the spirits of Jimi, Janis and Jim to be in the house.

The Cult

Who they?

Probable line-up:

Ian Astbury: Vocals, percussion;

Billy Duffy: Guitars;

Mike Dimkich: Guitars (he toured with them in 92-93, so presumably will form part of the live line-up, Duffy usually does all the guitaring in studio, but they'll need an extra axeman for the live shows);

Martin Le Noble: Bass guitar (also constant change of line-up on bass, have had Jamie Stewart - who played bass in the studio, but guitar on tour - Haggis and a host of other guys. Le Noble is a former Porno for Pyros bassist and played the warm-up gigs, so he'll probably play the live gigs here);

Matt Sorum: Drums (Sorum was a former member, but was recruited by Guns 'n' Roses for the Use Your Illusion tour and album after Steven Adler was sacked).

What we want them to play/what they're going to do:

The songs that'd really work well are: Sun King, Electric Ocean, Rain, Heart Of Soul, Be Free, Black Sun, Sweet Soul Sister, Lil' Devil, Fire Woman, Love, Brother Wolf, Sister Moon, Zap City, Full Tilt, Horse Nation and maybe one or two Holy Barbarians tunes (Astbury's side-project after he left The Cult - if they do in fact play these live). They'll have to play She Sells Sanctuary and Love Removal Machine. But everything in their line-up is amazing. Hope they do the Born To Be Wild cover off Electric. Maybe Astbury will surprise and throw in some stuff from his Natural Born Guerilla (another) side-project, that'd be pretty good too.

The experience:

It'll probably be God-like. I think everyone wants it to be like the gigs they played at The Marquee in London, but whatever happens it'll be up there with any band, anywhere at any time.

The Goo Goo Dolls

Who they?

Three guys called Moe. Actually, their names are John, Robby and Mike. To be honest, the trio are not that well-known here despite a ten-year track record and several solid hits. But they will have their share of fans, so they won't feel lonely. Rolling Stone magazine described their sound as a mix of "thrash-packed pop and well-articulated rage". Whatever that means.

What we want them to play/what they're going to do:

Definitely Iris, their hit off the City of Angels soundtrack. And lots of songs from the Dizzy Up the Girl album.

The experience:

Quite frankly, we haven't a clue. But the "well-articulated rage" bit sounds alright.

The Springbok Nude Girls

Who they?

Arno "Screams Sex" Carstens: Vocals;

Arno "The Philosopher" Blumer: Bass;

Adriaan "I blow my own trumpet" Brand: Trumpet, synthesiser;

Theo "Grind and Grimace" Crous: Guitar;

Francois "Dynamite" Kruger: Drums.

What we want them to play/what they're going to do:

These guys are too "distant rock star" to play exactly what you want - no Bubble Gum on My Boots, I'm afraid. But Blue Eyes and Giant Love Affair will be there. So will Shot, their European single. Some thrashy tunes like Steel Man Soon and Kill the World will have sedate two-steppers wishing they'd forked out for seats. I imagine they'll have the balls to play at least one new song and it'll be hard.

The experience:

Reverb, reverb, reverb and chunky guitars. These guys have a really dense sound live - good engineering on the night will prevent it being reduced to tinny mush. Theo will flail about manically and Arno B won't. Arno C won't chat to the audience - he'll holler and let his voice bounce off the stadium walls ("Thank you-oo-oo-oo!").

Fetish

Who they?

Michelle Breeze: Vocals;

Dominic Forrest: Guitars, backing vocals;

Jeremy Daniel: Bass guitar;

Ross Campbell: Drums;

David Fiene: Keyboards.

What we want them to play/what they're going to do:

I think Fetish will aim to please, so you'll hear their first hit Never Enough, their latest hit, Permanent, and possibly even an appropriate cover version. Their latest album, So Many Prophets, is brilliant and its moody, edgy, trip-hop songs will make up the bulk of the set list.

The experience:

Fetish's performance will wash over you and leave you tingling. You'll be tenderly assaulted by waves of phat music and sinuous vocals with lyrics like "God I never felt so lost filling up my holes with holes". Michelle will look self-consciously nervous between numbers and will not shout "How're ya'awl doin' Cape TOWN!!". There'll be lots of ambient lighting - blue, mostly. It'll be insidiously intense. The crowd will take a little while to bounce back from the experience.

Well for starters, Ive also been waiting along long time for these great musicians, to be exact, 15 years, and boy ohhh boy, they can rock your world. I saw Ian, Billy, Matt and Martyn at the press confrence, I got their autographs and pictures, the day before the concert, they are gorgeous, especially Ian, I have adored him since the first time I heard and saw the group, he is sooooo mystical. I can't really say which songs I prefer, because they are all my favourite. They're an awesome group, and one last thing, it was a real an honour to be in their presence.