"CFFC" (Cult forever, forever Cult) rang out on The Cult's T-shirts and
ads for the show, performed an a perfect autumn night under the
illuminescence of a full moon.
I arrived alone in downtown St. Petersburg relatively early, about
7:30pm, only to find out the band was taking the stage at 10, and I'd
have to suffer through two opening acts. When will I learn? I've been
going to shows at Jannus since 1984!
Anyway, I was thankful for the extra time, as it took me about half an
hour to park. Coincidentally, it was "First Friday" at downtown St.
Pete., when the fuzz closes down Central Ave. for the latte' sippers and
bestotted buffoons. Traffic was a frightmare. I couldn't help but
recall how utterly dead downtown was back in the mid '80s. Not so
today; the area's now a mini-Ybor city with Tampa Bay's prettiest boys
and girls gliding down concrete sidewalks.
At first I parked by The Pier(!) but figured (free) three hour parking
wasn't going to see me through the whole show. Luckily, my premonition
served me well as I didn't leave the concert until about 12:30am. I
proceeded to move my car to one of those city-sponsored parking garages.
In case you wan to know, I really loathe parking fees (don't we all?),
and would only do it in exceptional situations, like a concert, so I
begrudgingly sacrificed five bucks to the attendant. Let me get this
straight; if one wants to see a movie at Baywalk, do you have to pay $5
for the privilege of parking downtown? What a scam.
After parking, I trotted over to Jannus, only to find a huge line for
people purchasing tickets (I was one) and Will Call. My first thought
was: this is going to sell out before I can get a ticket. As luck would
have it, the waiting in line wasn't that bad, and I was able to purchase
one. While in queue, I chatted with a few people, some of who were New
Wave fans. I talked to one guy, obviously from Europe due to his
accent, who was into vintage heavy metal (Iron Maiden, etc.). He had
some funny stories to tell, but I found it amazing when I told him that
I saw my first New Wave/Punk show at Jannus Landing back in 1984 - The
Psychedelic Furs - and he didn't know who they were! That kind of
baffled me, as the band is well-known for hits like "Pretty in Pink" and
"Love My Way". My dilemma now was killing time until 10pm when The Cult
took stage. I grinned and bared it as my ticket was torn and I entered
through the gates. To re-admittance was allowed, so there was no
turning back.
Happily, I did manage to miss the first of two opening bands. As I
walked through the gates I immediately ran into a friend I made while on
the set of "Belly of the Beast", a horror movie I worked on last year:
actor Davd Gail, who is best-known for playing Shannon Dougherty's
boyfriend in "Beverly Hills 90210". Gail's a big Cult fan as well, and
was introducing his girlfriend Kendra, an actress, to their material.
The second of two opening bands took the stage called *something* cock
five. I can't say they were the worst band I've ever seen, but
seriously; how can you trust a band with no synthesizer? Guess I can't
talk; The Cult didn't have one either.
Finally, after waiting what seemed like forever, The Cult took stage
about 10:20pm, appearing to the welcome strains of Wendy Carlos' A
Clockwork Orange theme. I believe the opener was "Lil' Devil", followed
by a rousing "Sweet Soul Sister". The first third of the show, I
thought Ian Astbury's vocals were not mixed high enough over Billy
Duffy's screaming guitar (doesn't that always happen at a concert?).
They seemed to mend the issue, which made for a better experience later on.
When Ian and Billy took the stage, it was plain to see that The Cult's
glam days are history; both looked like they just woke up from a heavy
night of partying. They were scruffy, grungy, and their clothes simply
didn't impress, though Billy at least made an effort to dress larger
than life. Being that I'm almost 40, I had to move away from the stage
(I was pretty close!) to give the aging eardrums some relief.
When I moved away from the stage, I met an old friend who I hadn't seen
since the early '90s. He even recalled the last time he saw me: at a
Flock of Seagulls concert at the old Masquerade night club back when it
was where Empire is now. Actually, there never was a Flock concert -
that was the night Masquerade got busted for employees dealing drugs. I
recall people getting put in paddy wagons! It was cool, because Flock
singer Mike Score came out Masquerade's main doors and talked to us. He
was bummed about the no-show, but said these things do happen.
Performance highlights include: "Fire Woman" (a crowd favorite), "Rain",
an acoustic version of "Edie (Cio Baby)", "Love Removal Machine", and an
encore of "She Sells Sanctuary". Astbury was very chatty with the
crowd, at one time reminding everyone that the Tampa Bay area is
"Morrison country".
The crowd was an interesting mix of rockers and Wavers. Old timers will
recall The Cult began as a psychedelic alternative group back in '84,
when the gloom and doom era of the late '80s hadn't quite taken over
yet. In 1986 they turned more toward hard rock as they tried to widen
their appeal. As expected, Jannus Landing was the perfect host space
for the show; as a matter of fact it almost seemed too small for the
oversized crowd. Some were watching from the sparse amount of trees
growing in the middle of the courtyard, which Asbury referred to as
"Tree People".
All-in-all one of the more disappointing shows I've been to, in which a
little more glam could have added to the experience.
"Oddservations" is ©2006 by Andy Lalino. The Oddservations banner is a creation of Andy Lalino. All other graphics are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2006 by Nolan B. Canova.
