Good solid show.

No surprises in the setlist. Opened with Nirvana and all the usuals in between - closed the main set with LRM. Encore was Savages, Horse Nation, and Sanctuary

Couple of interesting things:

Billy used the White Falcon for both LIl Devil and Edie which are normally Les Paul numbers..

Mike's guitar was very good in the mix, he was really into it and throwing a few shapes.

Ian intro'd DLR with something to the affect of "We don't have any Dirty Little Rockstars here -except for Mr Chris Wyse" - then Chris immediately ripped into the opening, very cool.

Ian said something about how they're enjoying what they're doing and to expect new music, nothing specific just a general statement - take it for what it's worth I suppose. Billy didn't say much, intro'd "Illuminated" and played rather reserved for the most part, saw one big windmill and that was about it for guitar hero theatrics.

Ended with Ian introducing the band and Billy returning the favor with a an intro of Ian and hug, nice seeing the two getting along.

Personal highlight for me was "Horse Nation", seen the boys a ton over the years and that was a first for me.

Saw a few good friends as well, you know who you are and it was great catching up.

These days you can blame the economy for just about anything, even when it involves the casinos. That industry is feeling the hard pinch like everyone else. There was evidence of that, it seemed, Saturday night at Ameristar Casino.

The British band the Cult performed in the casino's Star Pavilion. The venue holds about 1,400 people. Saturday night it looked a little more than one-third full -- maybe 500. I've been to about 15 shows in the pavilion, and I've never seen such a small crowd. Last month Jackson Browne nearly filled the place, and good tickets to that show were significantly more expensive. (I got a great floor seat for the Cult show for $50.)

Like many bands of its era, the Cult these days is a reincarnation of itself. Ian Astbury is still the lead singer and Billy Duffy is still the lead guitarist. Both are beyond their mid-40s yet each has preserved his rock-starness. Astbury can still evoke the aura of Jim Morrison without really trying. The rest of the crew, which includes journeyman drummer John Tempesta (White Zombie, Helmet, Testament), filled in just fine. They are a tight, hard and precise band (although during "Lil' Devil," it looked like rhythm guitarist Mike Dimkich fell down trying to bust a rock-star move.)

Astbury seemed to be in less than a stellar mood when the show started. Chalk it up to the crowd size or the casino locale or a combination of the two. Whatever, the room didn't get percolating until several songs into the show. And it wasn't the sound. The acoustics here are great and they were good throughout most of this show. Oddly, the vocals seemed a little cloudy during the encore.

They played for about 80 minutes, and they pretty much stuck to songs that have been on their setlist for a while. It included the better-known material -- "Fire Woman," "Edie (Ciao Baby)," "Love Removal Machine" -- plus three songs off the latest album, "Born Into This."

Astbury looked very post-punk/goth/metal: dressed in black with some kind of furry tail -- silver fox? -- attached to the rear of his belt. He tossed several tambourines into the crowd, spit showering mouthfuls of water high into the air and lobbed half-empty bottles of water off-stage.

He got political for a moment, too, congratulating America on its new president and then chiding the old regime for the money it spent on the war. This crowd was in no mood for that, though, so he retreated: "Back to rock 'n' roll." Later, he permitted a female fan to jump on stage for a hug and a kiss.

He would reward the rest of his fans for their warm and lively response by calling an audible and playing three encores instead of one. (I missed most of the second but I think it was "Horse Nation"). The finale was a song that has become one of its most popular: "She Sells Sanctuary." During and after that one, the fans responded like customers who had gotten their money's worth, even during hard times.

I went to the Cult show in KC on November 15th at the Ameristar Casino. The show was not publicized at all in Kansas City, and as such the turnout was very low. That didn’t bother me at all because most seats were within 10 rows of the stage, and you could walk right up and lean on the stage. No barriers or anything! I have some great video clips from close range. Plus, the band (or the equipment and acoustics) sounded the best that I have ever heard at a Cult concert. And I’ve been to several in the last couple of years – KC, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and now KC again. Plus Toronto, the LA DVD shoot (which sounded horrible in my opinion, Ian didn’t seem to have his full voice), Long Island, and then KC, KC, and KC way back in the late 80’s. Needless to say I love the Cult and am very happy that they’re back out there touring on a semi-regular basis!

This show was different from others I’ve been to – Ian’s voice was right on and he didn’t have any trouble projecting. His vocals were awesome! Perhaps it’s because this KC gig appears to have materialized after a month hiatus from touring. That seemed strange to me in itself – a month long tour of South America, followed by a month off, and then a one-off weekend gig in KC and San Antonio? Why anyone would leave Los Angeles for Kansas City in November is beyond me. Oh, well, I’m not complaining. It was almost like a private concert. Plus the casino made it really nice and had a temporary bar setup just outside with nice restrooms etc.

And to top it all off, after the show the craps tables were hot and we managed to bring home some of that casino cash! I was hoping to see the Cult in the casino, but they either wanted to hang onto their money, or were not staying at the casino hotel. Oh well, thanks to your web site for alerting me that the Cult were coming to town. Otherwise I might not have even known!

Nirvana
Lil' Devil
Sweet Soul Sister
The Witch
Spiritwalker
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Illuminated
Fire Woman
Rise
The Phoenix
Dirty Little Rockstar
Wild Flower
Love Removal Machine
Savages
Horse Nation
She Sells Sanctuary