I love the venue...really old theater...very intimate...i think Ian even commented about that. The band's performance was flawless...unfortunately it seemed a bit mechanical but considering the band...that is not a negative...i was impressed with the music...LOVE is an outstanding recording and to see it live was a treat. My favorite was Revolution..i have heard that song a million times but live tonight it seemed to take on a new meaning. The second set was nice but predictable...nothing different...You guys in London are so lucky!!! The stadium rock sound did not translate that well to the smaller venue but it was a thrill to be there...all in all it was a good night out...thanks for taking the time to play in Raleigh...
This was my 3rd time seeing the Cult. The first being in 1990 at Radford Virginia College when "Sonic Temple" was breaking big. The second was in 2001 at Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues when "Beyond Good & Evil" came out.
As I hoped I was the first one into the venue & picked my spot in front of the barrier between Ian & Billy. What really surprised my was how much heavier the songs were live, even the slower songs like Brother Wolf & Black Angel. I love being up front because you can really feel the bass ripping right thru you. Highlights of the show were "Rain" "Sanctuary" & "The Pheonix" which Billy absolutely shredded on- I couldn't believe how heavy that song was live! On the youtube videos Ian appears to just stand there most of the show, but he was much more energetic than I thought -he was dancing around doing his foot stomp all nite. I think he appreciated & fed off the crowd which was very enthusiastic. Vocally on the other hand, Ian is nothing like he used to be. It's kinda sad to watch the Old videos like "Firewoman" where he Vocals were so powerful they could rip a whole thru the wall. Whereas nowadays he's voice often gets lost in the mix & he skips lyrics all over the place.
Also, other than a few head nods & points there was very little in the way on band interaction with the Crowd. Billy especially was very focused on his playing, But was just staring at the ground or off into the space most of the nite. And there was zero chemistry with Billy & Ian. I dont think they looked at eachother once - it was like they were at separate shows. With that said, wacthing Billy rip through these classic songs with "military" precision just a few feet in front me was simply AWESOME!! I believe he is 1 of the most underated lead gutarists out there.
Being up front usually has it's perks & I did get a nice "fist Slap" with Ian as did a couple other fans up front & I managed to get 1 of the 2 Setlists taped to the stage in front of Ian (to my surprise Billy seemed to be checking the Set list frequently). But I was surprised that Billy didn't even throw 1 pick into the Audience- 1st time I've seen that. At other shows I had heard Ian had tossed out some Tambourines into the audience so I made up my mind that I would try as hard as i could to get one. Well, no tambourines we're tossed to to the audience so at the end of the last song "Love Romoval Machine" I pleaded with Ian to give me his at the end of the song, especially since there were like 5 more just laying on the ground, but but he just taunted me with it for about 30 seconds & never gave it to me. I then begged one of the roadies to give me 1 of the 5 just laying on the ground, but it was no use. At the end of the show though the rest of the band & some roadies h
The crowd was mostly middle- aged & pretty mellow except for some Girls/women right behind me that we're arguing all nite about "encroaching" on each other's space in front of the stage. I thought it was gonna come to blows several times, but mostly they just pushed & screamed at each other all nite- it was pretty funny actually. I was constantly trying to calm them down. All the people I met were really nice & I'll be emailing them photos as i got some awesome shots of Billy/Ian. I was hoping maybe to get my setlist signed after the show, but Ian, who I heard was with his kids & Billy quickly scurried past some waiting fans & on to their tour bus.
Overall another killer show with THE CULT- See ya next time boys!!!