The Cult – Support your Local Cult Live in Chicago

By: Rob Cavuoto

All the Chicago hipsters were in attendance at the Congress Theater this past Friday night to see The Cult who are out in support of their long awaited new CD, Choice of Weapon. It’s been five years since we heard new music from the band and this CD is truly worth the wait.

Choice of Weapon strikes a perfect balance of the band signature rock sound coupled with a raw, honest, and gritty view of the world and the state of affairs that we are currently living in. It’s the band at its best and the perfect follow-up to their 2007 release, Born into This.

Being only four shows deep into their US tour, the band performed like a well oiled machine opening the set with “Lil’ Devil,” a perfect song to put the crowd into frenzy and prepare them for the assault that lay ahead.

In this old semi-abandon, stripped down, concrete structure, they call the Congress Theater; the band destroyed the crowd with a 90 minute set and managed to weave a nice mix of hits, classics, and new songs.

The band included the heaviest tunes off Choice of Weapon to perform live like “Honey from the Knife,” “Lucifer,” “For the Animals” and “The Wolf.” These songs provided an air of familiarity yet didn’t change the mood or flow of the show as sometimes new songs do.

I was surprised to see that most fans were singing along to them, considering the CD has only been out about 10 days! As far as the hits go, “Fire Woman,” “She Sells Sanctuary,” “Wild Flower” and the encore “Love Remove Machine” were the stand out songs of the evening and brought down the house multiple times.

Being a powerhouse vocalist, Ian Astbury managed to push thought the walls of this old concrete palace and overcome its vast echo to deliver a stellar performance while entertained the crowd with anecdotes about life and its hidden secrets.  All along, dancing and shuffling to the rhythmic pulses of the song’s tribal beat.

Guitarist Billy Duffy was flawless and a show on to himself, giving us his rockstar poses and teasing us with his vast arsenal of weapons like his trademark Gretsch White Falcon (which he used for most of the show) along with his blue Fender Telecaster, and his unfinished Gibson Les Paul.

These were the weapons that contribute to The Cult’s signature sound live and in the studio. Even before Ian sings a note and you hear Billy’s guitar you know its The Cult. Most guitarists in the audience also got schooled on how an expert musician navigates his pedal board and Cry Baby Wah Wah effortlessly and with surgical precision.

Support your local Cult while they are out touring the US this summer, you won’t be disappointed.