The show rocked! They opened with Rise however for the first 2 songs you couldn't hear the vocals. You could tell this was going to be the case because the guy doing the sound check on Billy's guitar was way too LOUD! Later on I was dissappointed because I brought my Fender electric guitar in hopes that I could get Ian and a few others to sign it. No such luck. The tour buses were in a gated area that fans could not get to. The show went balls to the wall from the first song all the way to the end. Ian commented on how hot Arizona was (100 degrees plus). He came out wearing a black bandana. The girl I went with thought he was hispanic (this was the first time she had ever heard of The Cult so don't be too harsh). The new songs were well received by the crowd. Just as a side note - Beyond Good and Evil has dropped something fierce on the Billboard top albums chart. Does anybody know if its Gold yet? Just curious. This is my 8th Cult show, and an interesting mix of stuff. I was very happy to see Stabbing Westward live, as I like them a lot too. Solid show with good crowd response for 7 pm. Not much variety, but hey nail what they're good at! Monster Magnet was next, and even though I don't care too much for them, they got great response and the singer certainly gives it his Ian-like all! A previous reviewer was right, his pants design was lifted right from the Fire Woman CD single. Again, with better songs they could be good, but nonetheless the two bands together were a pretty darned good warm up! In between MM and the Cult, Back on Earth from SLS was played - I thought that was unusual and a nice treat. Me and these 2 girls behind me were the only ones near us who knew what it was though. Our boys came on behind a flower-logo curtain which was droped after Rise kicked in. As usual, the opening two songs were a bit rough. This has been the case every time I've seen them. I think Ian always starts out nervous, and it seems like the mix is never set right - can somebody who knows more about this help explain this? The Wichita show and the Vegas HOB shows are the only two shows I've seen where the mix was good from the start... And I have nothing more negative to say! The Cult put on the usual rocking setfiring up the crowd , and letting everyone know when they weren't fired up enough. Billy worked his way through a busted pedal and was smiling and windmilling through the rest of the show. The crowd I thought was great - probably 90-95% filled, much younger courtesy of the two other bands, and a LOT of new Cult fans were made. I think it's pretty obvious that the boys read this message board occassionally,just from comments they make. I used to agree that Fire Woman sounded thin and tired live and it was time for it to retire - but the last 2 shows it has been the tightest song, and most energetic. I think they bore down and worked hard to make this song pump, and now I say keep it! The new stuff sounds great live. Breathe is my fave studio track from the new one that they play live, and it was here too. "I shot the SUN" live gives anyone chills. Rise was great but the mix wasn't right yet damnit, Take The Power live sounds WAY better than the album, and The Saint was faster and almost moshy - very cool. War, which opens the encore- was INTENSE. My 2nd fave live and in studio - maybe tied for first. Ian was into this one the most, crashing around the stage, belting out the lines. What a performer. Yes, it would be great to see Coming Down, Star, or SOMETHING else dropped in there, but I get it why not. What I would LOVE to see is a repeat of the 91 Marquee show idea, a fans-only post-tour gig that plays mostly unusual stuff. Now THAT would be awesome! What they could do more easily is switch the new stuff around - rotate in Bridges Burn or Shape The Sky every night. Almost any track on BG&E will play well live. All to soon it was over, and the end of Love Removal Machine was pounding through the place. The usual mind-blowing end to another great experience. Ian was very grateful, the fans were great, everybody knew it was hot as,well, Phoenix, and we all came together. Live in the moment and know that you are witnessing greatness of a kind you don't see too often, with a uniqueness that makes it only - CULT! From The Black Sheep of the (Cult) Family

The Black Sheep - JBTSouthwest@aol.com

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The place was filled, many people were there for Monster Magnet. (They are like gods in AZ) Happily, the majority stayed to watch the Cult blow them away. They were in great form. Ian and Billy were really on--although Ian was disappointed in the laid back crowd. The surprise for me was Matt Sorum----I have been upset by him rejoining from the start. I believed him to be a studio man and boring. Tonight he brought quite a bit of needed swing and creative beats. He pounded with flair rather than his normal "by the numbers". I was so impressed. I think the crowd felt the same way. The Cult made a lot of people really happy.

I think that the show will improve once they embrace the new album more. The entire second side was made to be played live. My Bridges Burn may remind all 200 of us that bought Cult of BE, but it is dying to blow everyone away live. That song will be a show stopper in the same way Wild Flower is. American Gothic is one I hope they play next time in AZ not only because it rules but because it sounds a bit like the Sisters, which-as an import buyer for an indie record store, I find the kids really love.

To tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind if they pulled a Husker DU and played nothing but the new album from start to finish and left it at that!

Rise
In The Clouds
Lil' Devil
Peace Dog
Rain
Edie (Ciao Baby)
The Witch
Breathe
The Saint
Fire Woman
Sweet Soul Sister
Wild Flower
She Sells Sanctuary
War
Nirvana
Love Removal Machine