The Cult

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Pandemonium
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Re: The Cult

#76 Post by Pandemonium » Sat Nov 21, 2015 11:57 am

Went to the show last night. My 4th Palladium gig seeing the band ('85, '95, '12 and last night) and I think my 16th or 17th Cult show altogether. I probably wouldn't have done this show if Primal Scream wasn't the support.

First off, I'm glad I left for Hollywood from Huntington Beach early, it was an epic slow drive, took me over 2 hours to get there. Parked in a lot a couple blocks away and got in the Palladium about 7:30 and there was maybe just a couple hundred people inside. I had heard Primal Scream had been starting at 7:30 sharp but fortunately that wasn't the case, they started around 8:30 and the placed had filled up nicely by that time. I had about an hour to craft my buzz but the shitty alcohol they serve (no Bacardi? no Kahlua?) kept it to a few JD and Cokes.

Honestly, I was really disappointed in Primal Scream this show. This tour, it's just the five guys and a lot of backing samples (the keyboard guy is almost hidden behind the guitar rig). I saw them almost exactly 2 years ago at the smaller, nearby Fonda Theater and they blew me away. This show, I think the crummy sound mix did them no favors. 2nd song "Accelerator" sounded positively weak. The first few songs of the set, it was all bass and vocals, the drums sounded like a kid hitting a tissue box and the guitar was really low in the mix under much of the samples they use. They played about a dozen plus songs, highlights being Jailbird, Swastika Eyes and set closer "Rocks." I was bummed they didn't play Higher Than The Sun which can be a big highlight of their set.

The Cult came on about 10:15 opening with a kind of screwy version of Horse Nation that took a bit to take flight. The sound mix was nice and ear-splittingly loud, with Billy's guitar right up front. As almost par for the course, what's a Cult show without tech problems - the first few songs, Billy and Ian kept yelling at the offstage sound guy to adjust the stage monitor sound. 2nd song Rain was where things really took off and they kept the momentum going with Nirvana. New song Dark Energy was played mid-set and while the pounding drumbeat works well live, the song kinda needs work live to completely come together. The new arrangement of The Witch is... different... but with all the flowery theremin effects from new keyboard/2nd guitar guy Damon Fox and stop/start pacing of the song, it's not the best live version. Honey From A Knife and Gone kind of dragged the show down but the crowd loved Wild Flower although things kind of slowed again for Wonderland and the reworked version of SSS. But the main set ended with full crowd energy for Fire Woman and Sanctuary. The encore was cool with Jerry Cantrell joining for The Phoenix and a tubby Steve Jones (who looked like he was going to burst out of his ill-fitting clothes!) for LRM complete with old school mosh pit up front.

Overall, a much better show than the 2012 Palladium show where the band was at the end of a tour and looked beat. Ian is putting on the pounds but still has plenty of energy and when he gets into it and not a cranky whiner like some shows I've seen in the past, he's still a great frontman. Yes, he's not the singer he was in the 80's and he kind of barks the songs these days but he still has much of his trademark distinctive voice and has a long way to go before he's in say, David Lee Roth, Geddy Lee or Perry territory. The new lineup opens up a lot of potential. Damon Fox as the all-around utility guy handling 2nd guitar and keys adds a lot of dimension to the live sound, I think they need to better work him into the old songs - his role in The Witch doesn't work for that song. I thought it was kind of funny how new bass player Grant Fitzpatrick dresses and looks a *lot* like 2015 Billy Duffy onstage. The crowd was pretty well behaved, into the bands and they place looked pretty filled by the time The Cult came on. There was a few knuckleheads, early on during The Cult's set a fight broke out in the middle of the floor and I saw more than a few trashed glazed-eyed guys stumbling out who hopefully didn't drive home. But overall, the asshole factor was low. The Palladium is still a great place to see a show even if all the towering new buildings being built around it make parking a PITA.

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Pandemonium
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Re: The Cult

#77 Post by Pandemonium » Thu Mar 03, 2016 8:45 pm

The Cult covered Bowie's "Moonage Daydream" last week in Nottingham:


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Artemis
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Re: The Cult

#78 Post by Artemis » Sun Jan 15, 2017 7:30 am

I enjoyed watching this. If you have an hour to spare, check out the vid..
Guitar Pr0n: The Sound and Style of the Cult’s Billy Duffy
How does Billy Duffy get those guitar noises for songs like “She Sells Sanctuary,” “Rain” and “Fire Woman?” This Ernie Ball/DirecTv special (via Michael) seeks to find out.


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