Edmonton, Alberta, Edmonton Event Centre
Opening Band: The Cliks, Vela
The thing about life is, if you hang around long enough, you start getting a really weird crowd. And
The Cult, at some 25 years making music, attracted a most diverse crowd on Tuesday night: dads in
Sonic Temple t-shirts bringing their sons, sloshed office lady types, adorable baby dykes, a dreadlocked
rasta, goth chicks, a stately older gentleman who resembled Gandalf, and about a dozen of what appeared
to be exotic dancers.
It was prime time for people-watching, thanks to the three somewhat similar bands with with totally
different constituencies converging at the Edmonton Event Center. And though most were there to see the
Cult (fans could be heard discussing their past Cult experiences), the openers were stories in their own
right.
Vela is a hair-flippy group of young men who play keyboard rock, unless said keyboard player (who looked
a lot like Brian Krakow from My So-Called Life) picked up and slayed with a five-string bass. The singer,
at one point, asked for some water. Upon receipt, he poured some of it over his head. It was that kind
of a night. They were capable and well received, though urging the crowd to cheer louder met with mixed
results.
second, Toronto's The Cliks are ready to be headliners. Singer Lucas Silveira has pipes that rival Ian
Astbury's in intensity, performing songs that are complex yet unforgettably catchy, not to mention
oozing with genderqueer sex appeal. "I'm not even gay, but..." gasped one appreciative woman, eyeing
the bass player with more than a little admiration for her... chops? I figure more than a few people
in the audience found themselves a new favourite band that night.
The Cult had to follow that up, which was setting the bar high. Astbury, guitarist Billy Duffy and the
rest of the band (drummer John Tempesta, Chris Wyse on bass, and Mike Dimkich on the second guitar)
fought fire with fire with She Sells Sanctuary. And the band continued to deliver for the rest of the
set, playing 17 songs with brio. And while the older songs received the most recognition (much
air-guitaring and lip syncing from the audience), songs from the most recent record Born Into This fit
seamlessly amongst the classics. You'd never know Illuminated was from 2007 or 1987, and renewed
versions of The Witch, Fire Woman, and Horse Nation sounded as good as ever.
Mari Sasano
Setlist:
She Sells Sanctuary
Rain
Electric Ocean
...
Illuminated
...
The Witch
...
Fire Woman
...
Horse Nation
Spiritwalker
...
Encore:
...
Love Removal Machine