9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Opening bands: Bif Naked, New American Shame
The highights included an incredible version of Peace Dog that had the
crowd singing along. Before launching into She Sells Sancutary, Ian,
dressed in a black mesh shirt and black leather pants, reminded the crowd he
wasn't there for nostalgia but that the next song launched the whole
alternative music scene. A packed Wednesday night crowd did not look like the
traditional DC scene, much more goth and rocking, with great moshing and crowd
surfing. It almost felt like a reunion of friends who hadnt seen each other since the
early 90's. The best show I've seen in years. Please come back soon guys!
Jon Desenberg - JonDes@hotmail.com
I travelled 3 1/2 Hrs to see them from Reading, PA on this lovely wednesday
evening. This was kind of wierd for me, as I am a displaced Canadian, and the
other 2 times I've seen them were in Ontario. The extent of the "new" material
was In The Clouds off High Octane Cult, and The Witch. Perfect. Just
about everything else was off Love, Electric and Sonic Temple. The guys looked
happy to be doing what they were doing, and were very much into it. Billy looked
a little pissed at his guitar cord at times, but he lightened up. Did a ton of
windmills. Ian interacted with the crowd a lot. I caught Billy's guitar pick, and
retrieved part of Ian's smashed tambourine. The opener, New American Shame was
awesome too. They borrow a lot from AC/DC's style. Watch out for them! Conclusion:
It would have been worth driving 30 hours to see. This was the best concert of my life.
Todd Bainbridge - eyedoctodd@hotmail.com
The Cult went on an hour late. We stood packed in like sardines the whole time. It was
all worth it when Ian and Billy took the stage though. Unfortunately, the roadies were
screwing up something aweful and Billy got a seriously bad attitude. He would look over
at them and shout obscenities about every two or three minutes. The sound of his guitars
was pretty bad for some reason that wasn't his fault and he started playing so hard he
was breaking strings. This isn't a man to piss off in my estimation. I was a little
disappointed because the last time I saw the Cult on their Ceremony tour, Ian's voice was
totally gone and he couldn't sing worth a darn. Billy carried the show and was brilliant.
This time Ian was a total stud and Billy was completely distracted. Someday I'll get to
hear a perfect concert. Until then, I have to say that I consider myself lucky to have
seen them twice. It's like seeing Led Zepplin live or something.
Dave - hierge@ix.netcom.com
I just got online and didn't know I would find much info on my fav band the "CULT".
I saw them in DC last summer and was best show I have seen at the 9:30. This is
saying a lot cause I have seen a lot of high profile bands there such as Megadeath,
Ever Clear, Judas Priest etc. and the Cult had the crowd and the place rocking like
I've never seen, mabye close, but not "Cult" style. Especially when they ripped out
classics like She Sells Sanctuary and Rain to Fire Woman, and
all the other great ones. Ian and Billy still rocked "Cult" style after all the years!
Pete - KnightNwiteSatin@aol.com
It was such a wonderful surprise to see the Cult reform; I had not seen them since they
opened for Metallica ten years earlier. Ian grew his hair long again and it was just
like the old days. They ripped into Lil' Devil to open the show, and I can't
imagine a stronger opening. Highlights were throughout the evening, but it made my
night to hear them play New York City. This was probably the concert of the
year, I just can't express how much they really rocked. Ian didn't say too much, but
he did come off as a little pompous when he introduced She Sells Sanctuary as
the song that started the "modern rock idiom." Maybe he was right though. Opener
New American Shame impressed me with AC/DC style rock, which is a rare find in 1999.
Their downfall was they seemed to have trouble ending each song, they couldn't quite
figure out how to wrap them up. Still, I went out and bought their album as a result
of this show and found it was one of the best albums of the year. I would love to
hear them again live now that I know the songs so well. Bif Naked also opened and
she's certainly interesting, even if she does nothing for me musically (I had seen
her play before in Montreal a year earlier).
Hawknoah
Setlist
Lil' Devil
Sun King
Rain
In The Clouds
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Fire Woman
The Witch
Peace Dog
New York City
Revolution
Sweet Soul Sister
Wild Flower
She Sells Sanctuary
Encore
Phoenix
Love Removal Machine