Just got home from Vegas and seeing the Cult at the House of Blues. What can I say? Wow! Do yourself a favor and get to see these guys play live. As good as their records are, it just doesn't do them justice until you see their live show. I talked to a few people in the crowd before the show, most of which had not heard the new album. They started off with Rise and In The Clouds, both absolutely rocked! The crowd really didn't get into it until they pulled out Lil' Devil and Peace Dog. That's when the show really got going for both the crowd and the band. Someone threw a huge pair of white underpants on stage with "Viva Las Vegas" and "King" sequined on the front and back. Ian seemed to really appreciate the effort someone obviously went through to make them and decided to put them on for a song or two. All five songs from BG&E they played sounded tight with Take The Power being a really nice surprise. I have a new appreciation for that track (that goes right back to seeing these guys play live). One thing that I really noticed was the presence of Mike on rythym guitar. The sound was mixed really well since you could hear him play without taking anything away from Billy's incredible guitar work. It added to the "layering" of the sound in the music. And the set had a really good balance of old and new to it. One more thing, Fire Woman was another standout. I’ve heard people talk about them dropping that from the setlist and when I’ve heard it live, it lacked the "crunch" that I like in the song. Well, they aced it tonight! One question, who’s supplying Ian with all those tambourines? He must have tossed three out into the crowd during the show. What a show, can’t wait ‘til I see them again!

The show was pretty good, the crowd was really lame though. I went up with Nancy, Peggy, and Stacey to the aftershow party which was nice. Anyway, no more shows until LA on August 3rd. Here is something on Vegas.. A packed crowd pushed on up to the stage Friday night at the Las Vegas House of Blues to see The Cult thunder through their set. Despite a rather lethargic crowd and some sound problems, the boys gave a stellar performance, which was recorded for a webcast. Billy Duffy was especially animated for the cameras as he pulled out every axe man pose in his repertoire. Although Ian’s energy did not transfer to the crowd, he danced and sang his heart out. As for those of us who were waiting for Ian to do his Elvis poses, we were not disappointed. After someone threw a rather large pair of men’s jewel embroidered briefs onto the stage that said "King" on the back and "Viva Las Vegas" on the front, Ian put them on and transformed himself into the King. He later said he would wear them "in his private chambers" following with a chorus of "Viva Las Vegas".

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