Pala, California, Pala Casino

Headlining, opening bands: Action Action, Smile Empty Soul


For a fan, this show did not disappoint. Essentially the first of the tour, is was not a bad show. The Pala venue was basically a large banquet hall filled with chairs. Not conducive for a Cult show in my opinion. Pink Jagermeister Cult posters were tape everywhere, easy to take as others and I did. The stage setup was rudimentary, though you could see Billy Duffy?s guitar tech from the audience as he tuned during the show. The difference was projected images behind the drum riser from the BIT instead of the Wolf drape backdrop.

The show started off with BIT which sounded a little slow in beat. Probably needs work to get the kinks out. Nice to hear the new tunes. Savages sounded great, as well as, I Assassin and DLR. The setlist was typical with a few standouts: Electric Ocean, The Phoenix (turning into a real classic Live!), Rise. Wildflower, The Witch and LRM were somewhat off this night. What was disappointing was the crowd. It looked as if there were a lot of "comps" given out. Being this was on a Res w/ gaming, some of the faces did not fit. Not high Rollers, just regulars of the Casino - maybe. Biggest response was for Fire Woman and Edie. Virtually no response for the new tunes. Technically listed as a San Diego gig. Pala rests just a few miles from Temecula. You might consider it no-mans land.

Comparing the most recent shows in Anaheim and at the Del Mar Racetrack, this show lacked enthusiasm. Not from the band. The crowd. If it was in San Diego "proper", this show would have rocked more. It would bode well if the band rotates a few of the new songs in during the tour. Looking forward to seeing them in L.A. in December. By then the boys will be at full throttle!

Trebor Reklaw

Setlist

Born Into This
Wild Flower
Revolution
The Witch
I Assassin
Lil' Devil
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Savages
Fire Woman
Nirvana
The Phoenix
Rise
Love Removal Machine

Encore

Dirty Little Rockstar
She Sells Sanctuary