Ibirapuera Stadium, São Paulo, Brazil


The acoustic always miserable of the Ibirapuera Stadium, in São Paulo, Brazil, has done one more victim: The Cult. And we won’t even talk about the uncountable and inadmissible organization problems - nobody died stepped by the crowd for just pure luck -, what we saw it was a extremely professional group, that was fighting against the sound problems and against the tiredness - afterwards, the band has came from a tour of more than 30 shows around Europe.

In a few time, though, Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitars), Michael Lee (drums), John Sinclair (keyboards) and the animal Kinley Wolfe (basses) were relaxing and establishing a relationship of empathy with the public, which endure ‘till the end of the show. The integration started to work in the first notes of Rain, which received an additional choir of 12 thousand voices. To this moment, with the exception of one or other song of the last album, Ceremony, what we heard was an authentic greatest hits of the Cult, with a special mention to the acoustic version of Edie (Ciao Baby), executed only with voice and 2 acoustic guitars (Duffy and Wolfe).

If Michael Lee passed the entire show almost unheard, for incredible it’s seems, only the drum box had amplification, and if Duffy has broken through with ability the innumerable guitar changes and the irritant feedback that had emerged when the production pump up the volume, Ian shown why is one of the best singers of the actuality. Clear and nice timbre, a lot of potency, good technique and a contagion movimentation have done the tonic of his performance. With the right of ‘till headbanging in themes like Wild Flower and Lil’ Devil. But, the main show was for account of a coadjutant: Kinley Wolfe who had dissolve any doubt or Jamie Stewart missing from the part of the fans. Beyond take care of the basses with a lot of competence, during Duffy’s solos or guitar changes, and of to produce backing vocals much secure, Wolfe was demoniac in the solo which he had the right, finding timbres incredibly treble in the instruments and using with intelligence the effects produced by the hand stick. He’s the ideal partner to Duffy - while the egos allow it, of course.

In the final, the balance was positive. Discounted the problems, the public had adored from the beginning ‘till the end, with the right of two encores. It’s only terrible that this coming from the Cult had been surrounded of such incompetence: the dates were confirmed and unmarked some times, there were a invasion to the stadium, there were who had stayed outside with the tickets on the hand, the security proved the usual stupidity, the sound was dignified of a Venom Cover, etc., etc. But for luck, the professionalism of Astbury, Duffy & Cia. broke on through all this. It would be good if the Brazilians would learn a little bit with them.

Antonio Carlos Monteiro - Rock Brigade


Explications

The show of the Cult in the Ibirapuera Stadium had many problems of security, including a lot of notifications in the Brazilian press. The producer WTR, responsible for the event, sent a fax to the redaction of the Rock Brigade giving the official version of the happened. Observing the democratic spirit of this magazine, we had reproduce the WTR producer side, as follow:

Rock it Cargo, the company contract to liberate and transport all the equipment of the group (5.5 tons) delayed 3 days, so the equipment arrived in the show’s day, in Brazil. The normal term to liberate this cargo in the Custom is about 3-4 days, we get it in 5 hours, but the delay opening the gates of the stadium was inevitable, causing a big accumulation of people, mainly on the gate 9, where is the entrance to the grass street and to the numbered chairs.

The ‘clever people’ took this opportunity to invade the stadium for this gate, causing an lotation’s excess of approximately 2 thousand people. I would like to let it clear that the police was competent and had acted correctly in all decision. With the exception of the heat breakdowns, it wasn’t registered any emergency cases on the nursery.

It’s obvious that the occurred was away from the ideal, but it was better the invasion of 2 thousand people on gate 9 than to register deaths as in the shows of the AC/DC in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the famous case with many deaths in a tour of the Who.

Thanks.

William Crufli - (WTR Produções Artisticas)


I was there and the stadium was crowded. Actually I live in Rio de Janeiro and they were supposed to play here also, but their concert was cancelled. So I took a six-hour bus trip just to see them! And I wasn't the only one...

Adriana Gevaerd - dreeka@starmedia.com


The first concert from The Cult in my life, simple the best thing what i did, yeah because i putting my job on this, but i not feel miserable about this, because Ian and Billy they for real man, they kick ass, and I knew this, like the other brother wolf said a lot riot on this concert but the realive we're them, I live 800 miles from Sao Paulo but not could stop me to going there, and I made, for all people what I meeting there, keep the good vibe because they still doing so well, LOVE for all. Renato - renatobfskt@yahoo.com
THE first show of the cult is chaotic !!!! IAN and BILLY is wonderfull..........please send me emails. I have the biggest Cult collection in my country ok!!! IAN love RIO .......

Flavio Augusto