Ariel Theatre at Bayou Place, Houston, Texas
Opening band: New American Shame
The Ariel Theater is a great place to see a show I must say. Quite a diverse crowd
and a PUMPED crowd at that. This was especially true for some of the female members
of the audience ( if you were there, you know what I'm talking about). Setlist was
the same as other shows posted and the performance, naturally, rocked.
Only downside to the things was people throwing beer cups all over the place. Ian
was hit with one about a minute into Lil' Devil, the first song, and then he
and Billy proceeded to stare the guy into the floor. Billy never took his eyes off
the asshole that threw the cup, even when he played the entire solo for the song.
Very impressive.
Charles Welhausen hookem_@swbell.net
The show was great! Lots of energy... Really, it was the best concert I've been to
in quite a while. I had a great time. Ian "fussed" at someone in the crowd for
throwing a cup of beer, and basically said don't be immature and throw beer or
cigarettes, etc. That pretty much nipped the beer-slinging in the bud! Right at
the start of the show a girl flashed the band and was informed by Ian that she
had nice boobs, but the show wasn't about her titties. I'm glad the juvenile behavior
was discouraged... Anyway, they really rocked - played all my favorite songs! The
opening band, New American Shame was really good, too, which was a treat because
I'd never heard of them. I'll have to make it a point to look into them a little further...
Kathy - ladyk@iname.com
I saw the CULT in Houston the other night. That was the second time I've
seen them on this tour. I also saw them in San Francisco. My wife came
with me this time and she saw them about 6 or 7 years back. She also could
not believe how much better this band has gotten with time (like a fine
wine). They were fantastic again. It took Ian some enticing to get the
entire crowd into the show. The Houston crowd was very lame compared to the
San Francisco crowd. Once Ian encouraged everybody to let loose of their
inhibitions and just dance, then the place really exploded with energy. I
cannot believe the talent that band possesses. Billy and Matt are
incredible. Their new bass player fits in perfectly. Ian made some
hilarious comments directed at a young lady who kept flashing him. He said
something like "Maam, I understand why you are proud of them and they are
beautiful, however, you may want to go home tonight and make an appointment
with your therapist". At the end of the show, Ian said that he will see us
next year. That was great news to my ears. Also, he and Billy hugged at
the end. They looked like they were having a blast. It is great to see
that they are ready to make music together again. From the selected songs
at the show it seems to me that they will go back to making songs in the
style that made them famous. I think so many bands get caught up in
themselves and forget what got them there. The Cult are lucky because they
cross so many musical boundaries. They can be considered Goth, Alternative,
and Rock all in one. The songs that they made then would be huge now as
well. Many other famous bands from the 80's would have trouble with their
same sound today. I cannot wait for the next album now. I have a feeling
it could very well be their best. If you haven't seen the show, go see it.
It is well worth the cost of a plane ticket, hotel, etc.
Mark
AWESOME! It's great to see and hear The Cult again. They were clean, sober
and happy to entertain. They sounded great. I look forward to the relaese
of new material. Set list included: Lil' Devil, Revolution,
In The Clouds, Sun King, She Sells Sanctuary, New
York City, Sweet Soul Sister, Peace Dog, Love Removal
Machine, Rain, Wild Flower, Edie (Ciao Baby) and
a couple of others. New American Shame open the show. They were good. They
rocked. Sound a little like LA Guns and AC/DC. Keep Rockin....
JM - jamrtm1@wt.net
Kickass show! Me and my buddy Kat drove in from San Antonio, and after a few
drinks went into the theater. Small place(2000 maybe?) with standing room on
the floor, and a balcony around the top. All the seats were great, and the
acoustics were pretty good. After New American Shame finished up their 45
minute set, which wasn't bad at all, the place really started to buzz in
anticipation for the Cult. For those of you who know nothing about New American
Shame (I was one), they are your basic straight ahead hard rock band. They sound a
lot like LA Guns or Buckcherry. Matt took his place behind the drums, a yellowish
red light came on from behind, and the rest of the band walked out to stand by their
instruments. The PA system was blaring some near operatic music, but I don't know
exactly what it was. Then Ian walked out and the crowd really got going. They launched
into Lil' Devila, but amazingly enough, the mic technician for Ian was asleep
at the wheel, and didn't turn the damn thing on til about the 4th line. How in the hell
do you miss a cue for the beginning of the show??? Ian seemed a little perturbed, and
didn't even sing for part of the song. He walked around in contemplative manner, but got
over it by the end of the tune. Ian really seemed to get into things for the 3rd song,
In The Clouds, and kept the energy up the rest of the way. It was great to see
him with his long hair again. It just looks so much more natural on him. Highlights
of the show for me were The Witch, Peace Dog and surprisingly enough,
Revolution. I thought that song would be a downer live, but it wasn't at all.
Throughout the show, Ian short-armed a lot of the notes, as he usually does. But when
he wanted to, his voice came through very clear and powerful. I loved the show, and am
so glad I got someone to go with me, cause I might not have driven from San Antonio to
Houston on my own. They sounded better here than the time I saw them on their last tour,
or the Holy Barbarians show I saw. If you're in the neighborhood, or don't mind a short
trek to get there, go see it. You won't be dissapointed!
Adam J. Cook - ajcook@flash.net
New American Shame opened and they really sucked. The Cult came on around 9:30 and played
the best show I've seen since the Electric tour when GnR opened. Despite a few technical
problems during the opening number, they put on a killer show, which lasted until around
11.
You - Bear13@flash.net
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