With no opener, this night was devoted specifically to the band, and after such a long wait between shows, it seemed fitting there would be no opening noise to distract away from the focus of this night, seeing the Cult. As 9:00 came and went, the house became tense. Any time the lights shifted or the volume of the house music dropped, the audience exploded into applause and screams, only to quiet when no one came out.

Finally, around 9:30, the lights dropped and the intro music began. The band hadn’t even hit the stage and fists were in the air, chants being yelling into the darkness and hearts beating through their chests. Standing in this sea of people, it was impossible not to look around and see the anticipation of seeing one of rock’s greatest treasures on the stage.

From early days of surf trips with my older brother to teenage acts of vandalism, The Cult was a band that always seemed to make their way into the soundtrack of the day. A band very prolific with their creation of killer rock music, they never seemed to go away, even when they broke up.

From the darkness, a spotlight shined down on Duffy as he kicked into the opening riff of Lil’ Devil and from there, the night never slowed down. The band rocked the Warehouse and the fans like there was no tomorrow. Astbury, with bandana over eyes, rocked around the stage while the rest of the band kept the charge moving forward.

With so many thin sounding rock bands in the world today or bands who tune down 4-steps to get some feeling of balls to their music, it was great to see a band with such a huge, powerful sound. The Cult had no need for gimmicks or stage show, they blew the audience away with classic songs and pure rock n’ roll power. Yeah, it sounds cheesy as hell, but if these phrases every applied to anyone, this would be where they did.

Sure, they did a stripped down acoustic version of Edie that mellowed the night air down nicely to open the encore, but it wasn’t long before the band was tearing back through the end of the set with the same power and huge sound they brought for the songs leading up to the end.

When the wail of the guitar ended and the doors opened into the humid night air, there could not have been anyone in the building who wanted more. If anyone was unhappy with after this show, they are fundamentally flawed as a human being. This was the rock show of the year so far and the place to be on this night.
The Cult’s Setlist:

Lil’ Devil
Sweet Soul Sister
The Witch
Wild Flower
Revolution
Spirit Walker
In The Clouds
Wonderland
Brother Wolf; Sister Moon
Rise
Rain
Fire Woman
Peace Dog
War

Encore 1:
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Electric Ocean
She Sells Sanctuary

Encore 2:
Love Removal Machine