Electric Love at the Sonic Temple: The Cult at Raleigh's Lincoln Theatre

Even though November 13, 2009 fell on a Friday, I consider myself quite lucky as I able to catch a show from one of rock's most distinctive bands in last 25 years, The Cult. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the now classic Love album, frontman Ian Astbury and lead guitarist-extraordinaire Billy Duffy (backed by a trio of new musicians), have hit the road in 2009 to give their fans a taste of the past by performing Love in its glorious entirety. The show was simply spectacular: the amazing full sound, Duffy's riveting guitar work, Astbury's strong vocals, and an excellent song set made for a memorable experience. The Lincoln is a small venue, so we were fairly close to the stage which made the evening even more exciting. I must admit that I was a bit shocked when Astbury jumped on the stage: at first glance I swear it was Jim Morrison from his (LA Woman days) with the shaggy shoulder-length hair, full beard, and some extra flesh (I'm not throwing stones as I have lots of extra flesh these days). When the band tore into the first song of the first set (Nirvana), I was shuttled back to reality and was blown away. Astbury (having a bit of an ego) played up the fact that he was channeling Morrison so much that early in the set broke into The Doors' The End: "the killer woke before dawn he put his boots on he took a face from the ancient gallery and he walked on down the hall". This morsel of brilliance was something I shall savor for a very, very long time. The extra energy and heaviness that they infused into the Love tracks added another dimension to the set. Although I prefer the heavier tinge of Electric, Sonic Temple, and Beyond Good and Evil, this version of Love churned out renditions of Rain and She Sells Sanctuary that are superior to the recorded versions.

After taking us through the music of "Love" and a ten-minute intermission, the Cult launched into a perfect second set with other songs from their discography: Electric Ocean, Wildflower, Sun King, Rise, Dirty Little Rockstar, Fire Woman, and Love Removal Machine. I've seen several shows this year and this one is pretty high on my list. My good friend Jay saw the Cult twice before and proclaimed that this performance blew the other ones right out of water.

A kick-*** show indeed...

Below are some photos that my dear friend Joolzie (thanks for sharing!) took of the band. Enjoy...

Until next time, keep it on "11"....

Sweet Soul Sister (AKA the Suburban Rock Mom)