Anybody catch the Allentown "crocodile rock" show tonight?

I left in disgust after only 15 minutes :-(

I have seen MANY shows at that venue but tonight I was so pissed off at how they (the club? the cult's roadies?) ruined the venue I couldn't take it and walked out.

I was very much looking forward to seeing the CULT there, I love the band and had not been able to see them for a couple years, and to see them in a small club would have been a special treat.

But instead it was simply a major hassle!!! There was a barrier snaking through and around the floor which prevented people from getting down to the floor to enjoy the show!!!!! I spent 15 minutes just trying to figure out how to get from one place to another past everyone stuck needlessly like sardines.

When in the back/left I could see plenty of space available on the floor to stand where the sight/sound would have been fine but I could not get up there because of the barrier, unlike the way you can normally go wherever you want in that venue.

And when on the right side where you can usually walk down to the floor unimpeded, people were packed in tight near the bar and could not move at all or get down to the floor thx to a barrier fencing them off like cows.

After saying "excuse me", "pardon me", a hundred times and stepping on many toes I gave up trying to find where the supposed "gate" was that a bouncer told me would allow entry down to the floor.

It was a real shame that a great show was ruined by logistics like that...I only hope that nothing crazy happened like a fire or a fight 'cause people could've died in that ratrap if they stampeded.

I realize this sounds like needless bitching, but, man the Croc was a croc of SHIT tonight!! It is only because it did not have to be that way that I am so pissed off and disgusted.

sigh

Thank goodness The Cult are professionals who can handle adversity. The show on Monday night, November 5th, 2001, was not marred by major catastrophes, but certainly by little problems that would add up.

Luckily, getting to the venue and parking as a snap. Nothing like starting off on the right foot. Unfortunately, I planned for much more trouble, so I found myself with hours to kill before I could pick up my ticket and enter the main hall. There was an attached bar/restaurant were I could kill that time effectively drinking Yuengling Lager and watching the Simpsons. They had the local "classic and modern" rock station, WZZO, on the speakers and the station was promoting the concert. I know this because they ran a commercial for it. However, note to program director: when you promote a band, it's perfectly acceptable to play a song from that band in the three hours before the show.

There were to be two opening bands, but one canceled and the other never showed up. Probably no big loss. By that I mean that my experience with local, opening bands lately has been deplorable, so I am just going with the odds. But with no opening acts, the soundcheck would be the only run of the equipment the sound people would have, and it would not be enough.

The house DJ entertained the growing crowd instead with a good cross section of hard rock from Fear Factory and Type O Negative to your dime-a-dozen-one-hit-wonder detuned cookie-monster-singer hits of today. Eventually, the sound guy took over and was playing classic punk including Runaways and Adam and the Ants.

The Cult came out around 10 o'clock and the (now suddenly) packed venue goes bezerk. Rumor had it they hated the venue, so they didn't look too enthusiastic, and I can't say I blame them after all was said and done. The sound was TERRIBLE. All you could hear was rhythm guitar and bass. Ian and Billy were completely buried in the mix, not just for the audience, but their monitors were apparently very low, too.

Billy spent the evening looking at the sound guy off to the side with an expression of "you might notice me playing a solo, chap, and we can't hear anything". But hey, how many sound people these days are used to guitarists who can play solos?

Ian spent the evening in pure form, almost oblivious to the sound problems. This helped me get through my sound problem issues, except for when Ian would occasionally lose his place in a song. At that point, Billy would shrug his shoulders, snicker, and change the song around to fit. Billy Morrison, Matt, and cowboy hat dude (what's his name again) didn't miss a beat.

Ten or fifteen years ago, I'm sure this concert would have been a disaster. But these days, the Cult can take all their punches and then dish out a few kicks back.

The crowd, I would have to say, was full of pure Cult fans, most of them die-hard, like myself, who travelled from the major cities and other local smaller cities to Allentown for the time of their lives. I was astonished how many people knew the words to songs like The Witch and Peace Dog. After it was all over, I thought to myself that the building would need its structural integrity checked out.

The Cult rocked "Crocodile Rock" in Allentown, PA last night 2001-11-05. The venue itself is a little bizarre; as you walk in the front door, there's a guy there on a stool with a makeshift ticket stand consisting of a cash register on a small table. No manner of security or pat-down to enter. Beyond this is a quiet bar-type room about 30 feet by 20 feet that looks like the kind of place "locals" hang out in. At the end of that are double doors.. Through these, we are told, is where the concert will be. So we break on through to the other side and it is like a much smaller version of Philly's Electric Factory, with a bar area at the front side, and the stage straight ahead at the back. The "pit" area was enclosed with a plywood wall, to separate the all-ages from the drinking area. (Though you HAD to go through the drinking area to get to the non-drinking - I could not understand the logic.)

The stage was about 20 feet wide and 15 feet deep, with about a 7 foot ceiling. Claustrophobic musicians, beware.

The opening bands, "Boy Hits Car" and "Project 67" both bailed (the merch man told me so) and therefore at 10pm, The Cult took the stage to the familiar (if you've been to other shows on this tour) beats of "Stop the Rock" and then the guttural sounds of god knows what before launching into Rise.

The band's performance was very tight overall. I thought the sound could have been better but was not terrible considering the close quarters. They managed well given they had virtually no room to manoeuvre. Billy Morrison and Mike Dimkitch stayed put. Billy Duffy stayed within a 5-foot radius. Ian basically could only dance back and forward on the stage. All the band save for Duffy seemed really into it. As before, Billy Duffy just seemed totally into his own thing - which is fine by since he performs so technically well. A couple of times (most notably in War) Ian Screwed up the lyrics and you could see Billy looking back at Matt as if to ask "What the hell is he doing?" and shaking his head. On one verse he skipped the "out of control" pre-chorus part and you could just read Billy's expression. Ian also messed up the lyrics to Take The Power but who wouldn't? Ian was totally into it and fed off the rowdy, loud crowd. At no point to he launch into a tirade about the audience getting more into it, which suits me. Basically it's the performer's job to whip the crowd into a frenzy, should that be what he desires. You can't command people to get excited and have it be genuine. Ian commented, "This is a lot more fun than playing with Aerosmith." No tambourine souvenirs tonight. Pretty standard setlist. Contrary to recent comments, I thought American Gothic was awesome live. No, it did not elicit the same crowd response as Lil' Devil or Wild Flower, but neither did any song from the new album (besides Rise), which I presume is due to less familiarity with the newer songs. I thought overall the delivery was excellent. I noticed Ian hit a lot more high notes than I recall from recent shows. There was also a *lot* less of this business where the real lyrics are swapped for something easier.

I would have to say the crowd was less than 1000 though it was fairly full. Just a small venue in a smaller locale I suppose.

The only thing that would have been better is some surprises in the setlist but I'm not holding my breath on that one. If I don't expect it I can only be pleasantly surprised if something else like Earth Mofo or Zap City finds its way in.

Afterwards we staked out the buses but Ian and Billy were already inside with "friends". We caught Matt coming over and he stood in the near-freezing weather signing autographs, posing for pics, and then hung around for 45 minutes more talking about anything and everything with the dozen or so fans outside. He was very curious about people's occupations, and seemed particulary impressed with me, the optometrist (swelling head...), and this other girl, a corporate trainer. He talked about the old days in GNR and Axl's egomania. About piles of naked chicks and then going to rehab. All around a very congenial guy who seems to have his feet firmly planted at this point in his life. Nice to see that with a big rock star.

I managed to bring in a minidisc recorder and got the whole show but my levels were *one* agonizing step too high and the recording is distorted on the really loud parts (IE most songs once they've kicked in). When I checked the VU meter it looked good so I can't help but wonder if it was the PA speakers distorting the sound. It was so damn loud in this small place it would be hard to tell. I still think that in parts it is not unlistenable and therefore I will encode it and offer it for sharing on my opennap server. The first song, Rise, is probably the worst as far as the distortion goes.

I'm very pissed at myself that I did not capture a better representation of the excellent performance. However I will try for redemption tomorrow in Baltimore. I am going to stand a bit back as I originally was planning to do for this show.

Talk to you soon with a Baltimore report!

Rise
Lil' Devil
Peace Dog
Rain
American Gothic
Take The Power
Edie (Ciao Baby)
The Witch
Sweet Soul Sister
Ashes and Ghosts
True Believers
Wild Flower
Fire Woman
She Sells Sanctuary
War
Sun King
Love Removal Machine