By: Skip Daly
The members of Cloud Cult definitely brought their ‘A’ game to the Black Cat this past Saturday for a memorable, high-energy show. With a set list culled largely from their latest two releases, 2008’s Feel Good Ghosts and their most recent album, 2010’s Light Chasers, this is definitely a band that lives in the present.
Wilderness of Manitoba warmed up the crowd with a 45 minute opening set, but from the instant the lights went down for Cloud Cult’s intro tape, there was no question who owned this night. Even the sound quality jumped an order of magnitude, as Cloud Cult took the stage in dramatic fashion with the moody “Blessings (Invocation Part 2).” The song kicked off with band members beating out a tribal pattern on some drums at the front of the stage, and this was most apt as the enthusiastic audience made this show feel much like a tribal gathering.
The pace of the set worked perfectly, with songs like “No One Said It Would Be Easy,” “Forces Of The Unseen,” and “Running With The Wolves” channeling singer/songwriter Craig Minowa’s gift for reaching an audience via existential tales of hope and possibility. A strong highlight early on was the powerful “There’s So Much Energy In Us.”
The production for this show was top notch. Coupled with the immaculate sound quality, Cloud Cult was backed-up on stage by an entrancing video backdrop and live painter Scott West, who consistently picked the perfect moments for dramatically spinning his work-in-progress on its easel – right when the music’s intensity flared up.
Cloud Cult’s live show gets a ten out of ten in my book. Here’s hoping we seen them back on the east coast very soon.
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Cloud Cult Photo: David Arnold
Cloud Cult Photo: Cody York
