House Of Blues, Chicago, Illinois
Pictures - Jason Nichols, Durham, NC
Opening bands: Bif Naked, New American Shame
The Cult was the first band I had ever seen (about 15 years ago) so I was really
excited to get to see them again. The first opening band was Bif Naked. At first
it was just her singing with recorded music, and I thought, "Oh God". But then
her band came out and they played for about 30 minutes, and weren't too bad. New
American Shame then came out; they sounded pretty good at first, with a late 80's
type hard rock sound. But as they continued, most of their songs sounded similar.
But they did their job of warming up the crowd for The Cult. The Cult finally
came on shortly before 11:00. Ian was dressed in a black pajama-type outfit;
Billy had on jeans and a jean jacket; the second guitarist was kind of goofy
looking, with glasses and a cowboy hat. Everyone looked really good; Matt Sorum
took off his shirt and was totally ripped. I was amazed at how tight they sounded;
there were no screwups, except when Ian slipped on the stage, landing on his butt,
and then proceeded to moon the crowd. The set list was pretty much the same as the
previous shows, all material from Love, Electric, and Sonic Temple. Before the
encore, Ian made some comment about fighting going on backstage, and then Billy
said something about one of their crew being arrested by undercover cops backstage.
All in all, it was a great show; it was the fourth time I had seen them, and
probably the best.
Joe - jayosick@yahoo.com
The show was FANTASTIC !!! The band really had a great time and so did the fans.
Billy's Playing kicked everyones butt. The energy these guys had, they were in
constant motion. Ian even lost his pants partially while he sang his heart out.
They have been REBORN and I'm very happy to see this band taking the stage by
storm again. If your a Cult fan travel if you have to, THE CULT are back and
you should see them,hear them and experience them live!!!
Bruce MacGregor - MacGrgor@aol.com
Anyone wondering about The Cult's energy and vitality should
rest assured that these guys are as good as ever! Chicago was totally
rocked this night!
Bif Naked and New American Shame warmed us up sufficiently, but were
quickly forgotten when The Cult took the stage. As a front row fan, I
saw the band's energy and excitement up close. Ian was manic in black
nylon sweatpants, a sleeveless shirt and running shoes. His long hair
was drenched by mid-set and he writhed on the floor, baring his
ass-bruise. Later he got into mike-twirling and flat-out boogieing!!!
His energy was boundless and I was happy to see him rock!
Billy was five feet in front of us the whole night, and I could see him
smiling as he ripped through some of his solos. He interacted with us
all night long, feeding off our energy and listening to our comments and
cheers! I asked him if his guitar was on fire after a particularly
wicked solo and he laughed at the compliment. Later, during the encore,
I yelled to him to play all night and he gave a grin back like he wanted
to.
Matt is simply an animal on stage, and we met him late after the show
and found him to be a true gentleman, shaking our hands, talking and
signing autographs. My appreciation for him only increased.
Martyn is great - the first time I saw him smile onstage, he had about
three teeth missing, and his shit-eating grin was infectious. Later,
after the set finished and we cheered for the encore, we could see a
scuffle going on off the stage. Martyn was looking pissed and shouting
at someone. A moment later, Martyn stomped out on stage and turned his
scowl into a smile as The Cult came on stage for the encore. Billy told
us one of their roadies ("He's like family to us!" said Billy) was
arrested for allegedly doing something, and I got the feeling the band
might not continue in protest, but then Billy said "But, we're going to
play for YOU," launching into The Phoenix. It was great to see Martyn so
intense about defending his mates and crew - he is definitely one of the
band!
After a blistering Love Removal Machine closed the show, Billy came up and
handed me his pick and flung some extras into the crowd, then slapped
our hands. He was totally into the crowd's vibe and seemed thrilled to
be "on top of the world" again. The Cult gave as much energy as they
got, turning in the best of the seven shows I have seen over the years.
All of the "old" stuff sounded as fresh and vital as it did the first
time around. During the show Ian even said, "I love saying this line -
'This song invented alternative music!'" then The Cult kicked into
She Sells Sanctuary!
Don't be upset that they're not playing anything from Ceremony or The
Cult. I was disappointed before hand, but that all changed with the
show. You'll be having so much fun, you'll never notice! Just in case,
take solace in the fact that In The Clouds highlighted Billy's crunch
and The Witch featured Martyn's heavy bass line and a wildly concise
solo from Billy - terrific! All in all, a superior show. Cheers to
Bruce, Heather and the guy from Lake Geneva - all great Cult fans who
rocked along side me!!!
Jason Smith
I seen the Cult this past Monday in Chicago at the House of Blues. And I have
to say they kicked Ass !!! Bif Naked opened first , they were followed by New
American Shame I didn't really care for Bif, but new American Shame rocked. Then the
Cult came out and just Kicked ASS. Forgive me but I forget what song they opened
with, I was just in awe of how good they sounded. I was also amazed that Matt
Sorum dyed his hair black and cut it short. At one point in the show IAN slipped on
stage and fell, then mooned the people in the front row, while lying on the stage.
He got up and said "The house of blues stage was not ready for the intergalactic
soals on his shoes" It was pretty funny! They played all their best shit, then
ended with Love Removal Machine. Between the last song and the encore song,
there was a fight back stage between the Cult members and some undercover police,
apparently from what IAN said onstage, the police were trying to arrest one of their
roadies for something and they were sticking up for him. This show kicked butt,
they sounded great!! The place was sold out, and you could tell it was all devoted
Cult Fans from way back, everyone sang along, and rocked along ! If you get a chance,
go see a show while they are on this tour!! CIAO Baby!!
Allen Tunget - cult@prostart.com
Cruised over from the Minneapolis (The QUEST) show and headed into Chicago for
Monday nite's show. Bif Naked was the opening act and were really quite good and
they played tight together. The lead singer reminded me of the group "NO DOUBT".
Then it was New American Shame's turn. These cats did not miss a beat and no
equipment foul-ups from the previous two shows (UPTOWN & QUEST ). Some slight
variations in the presentations of songs, but all in all, these cats do some
major rock'n' rollin and really get the crowd motivated for THE CULT. Quick
note here, if you've never been to The House of Blues in Chicago, you really
should check it out, the place really plays to the audience. Time for the main
event, THE CULT came out looking refreshed and energized probably due to a day-off
on Sunday. They shot off the first song with Lil' Devil and it mass hysteria
of humanity from then on. The place was packed and if "The house is a rock'in,
don't bother knock'in!" Ian seemed to be having a great time, and even showed his
bum for the crowd claiming that the bruises were from all the hard work from the
tour. I looked over at Billy and actually saw him smile and shake his head and
thinking "Ian, I can't believe your actually doing that!". The band played hard and
the floor (located on the second floor) started to bounce from the crowd having
a wonderful time. Ian shook my hand (I was stage front, right of center, wearing
a Native American bone choker, dressed in black), and came away with one-half of
Ian's tambourine that he broke while throwing it up in the air during Fire
Woman. I know everyone had a good time and wanted them to play on, but after
Love Removal Machine it was lights up, and good night. What a weekend for
me; Kansas City 7/23, Minneapolis 7/24 (Thanks Jammer!), and Chicago 7/26. It
truly is "CULT RISING".
Chuck Adachi - adachi@networksplus.net