The Cult Makes Electric 13 Pulse

Review by Johnny Zapp

PHOENIX, AZ, September 5, 2013—Remember when records were made with the musicians all in the same room, at the same time, playing together live in the studio?  The performances were captured on reel-to-reel, cut and paste meant scissors and Scotch tape, and said musicians had to be solid players? The Cult’s 1987 offering, Electric, is a fine example of this. 26 years later, the band is honoring this record by touring in its name, and performing Electric in its entirety. Having first heard The Cult in 1983, they’ve delivered a new and different vibe with each recording (nine so far). With their third, Electric, they ditched their Goth-rock motif and effects-laden sound in favor of loud, raw balls-out rock. What could possibly translate better live in concert?

Songwriting blood brothers and core of the band, guitarist Billy Duffy and frontman Ian Astbury have endured many line-up changes over the years. The “Electric 13” version consists of drummer John Tempesta who’s been with The Cult since 2006; Chris Wyse on bass, whom aside from some recording sessions in 2000, has also been with them since 2006; and returning Cult alumnus, touring guitarist James Stevenson, also of legendary bands Generation X and Chelsea.

The Celebrity Theater in Phoenix uses a theater-in-the-round, is an incredible place for a band to play, and with none of the 2650 seats further than 70 feet from the stage, there is literally not a bad seat in the house. On this particular night, the stage was fixed (not rotating, as it sometimes is) and seating was limited, providing an even more intimate experience.

When the house lights went out at 10:20 pm, a photo of the Electric Lady Studios entrance appeared on the screen, while a montage of 1987 media announcements regarding Electric flashed from the theater monitors. It was on. The first of two sets was comprised of the entire Electric album (with one minor, but appropriate, change). There had only been one cover song on all of the band’s albums: “Born to Be Wild,” track nine on Electric. The band decided to exclude it for this tour. Suitably in its place for the shows is “Zap City,” an original song from the first draft of Electric, Peace.

The band jumped in with both feet and didn’t let up, completely ripping through the album sequence, only coming up for air briefly after “Lil’ Devil” and right before “Zap City.” Billy Duffy nailed each and every solo from the record, even on tracks such as “Bad Fun” that have rarely, if ever, been played live. Ian Astbury, the ever-charismatic frontman, was well-rehearsed and delivered the goods, while occasionally playing with the timing on some of the lines, but making it work. This show was three away from the last of the American tour dates and the wheels were fully greased. Bassist Chris Wyse  alternated playing with a pick and using his fingers to lay it down, all the while kicking out spot-on supporting vocals all night. John Tempesta, a more killer drummer couldn’t be a better fit for this band. He serves up the perfect blend of intense power, dynamics and true Bronx attitude behind his bare-bones Bonham-style Tama kit. Highlights from the first set were “Peace Dog,” “Bad Fun” and “Zap City.”

After plowing through the first 40-minute set, the band took a surprisingly short intermission, five minutes maybe, before returning for round two.  Although the first set was a blistering homage to the record that taught me to play drums and lead guitar, the band really seemed to come alive for the second set, particularly Astbury. Kicking it off with “Rain” from 1985’s Love record, they served up a career-spanning 80-minute Cult retrospective that absolutely pummeled the audience. Highlights from the second set included “Nirvana,” “Sweet Soul Sister,” “Rise” and “She Sells Sanctuary.”

Although I’ve seen them perform “Nirvana” several times over the years, this night they completely killed it! Unbelievable. Equally powerful was watching Tempesta practically put his left hand through his JT Signature snare while his right hand annihilated his crash cymbal on the 2001 single “Rise.” The encore included “Spiritwalker” from their 1984 debut album, Dreamtime and a smokin’ rendition of Sonic Temple’s lead track “Sun King.”

This is a band and a tour that will show all the young cats out there just how it’s done. If there has ever been a concert that gives you your money’s worth, this one is it. Just over two hours of pure, raw unbridled rock and roll delivered by seasoned pioneers that not only wrote the book, but broke most of the rules along the way. CFFC. Cult Forever. Forever Cult.

SET ONE (all of Electric)

Wild Flower

Peace Dog

Lil’ Devil

Aphrodisiac Jacket

Electric Ocean

Bad Fun

King Contrary Man

Love Removal Machine

Zap City

Outlaw

Memphis Hip Shake

SET TWO

Rain

Honey from a Knife

Sweet Soul Sister

Lucifer

Embers

The Phoenix

Rise

Nirvana

She Sells Sanctuary

ENCORE

Spiritwalker

Sun King

THE CULT WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | ELECTRIC PEACE REVIEW

JOHNNY ZAPP | WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TheChivalrousLifeWebsite