The Cult
State Theatre, Detroit, MI USA
August 21, 1987
A Doodee Music Master Recording
Here it is kiddies - the greatest show ever performed by The Cult in the "Electric" era, or maybe ever.
This show was the centerpiece of a music filled trip to see a fine friend of mine in the Motor City. I had turned him on to The Cult in '85 and he had the chance to catch them a couple times in the Michigan area in '86. At the time they weren't really gigging near me so when this show was announced he rang me up. He didn't have to try very hard to get me on a plane. For the wrong reasons, it was one of my most memorable flights. I flew into Detroit 3 days after NWA Flight 255 had crashed just after takeoff killing 156 people. The only survivor was a 4 year old girl. Made our final approach right over the burned out overpass the plane had crashed into on I-95. Looking at that will tend to put things in perspective.
This ends the philosophical portion of our program.
The State Theatre was nestled in downtown Detroit in a not so upper crust neck of the woods. I won't say it was the slums, but I will say it was icing on the cake to see the car intact when we stumbled out of the show. The State was a nondescript brick office building on the outside and a classically designed, ornate theatre with beautiful architecture on the inside. The only external hint it was a theatre was the marquee. It's still there today but now called The Fillmore Detroit. The lobby had been turned into a big bar area. We camped here during the opening set by G 'N R fueling up for The Cult. The Gunners didn't get the warmest of welcomes. During the show when Ian thanks them you hear a few boos. He goes on to say "You'll dig 'em, you'll dig 'em." If Ian would have known they'd become the biggest band on earth and steal his drummer a few short years later he probably wouldn't have been quite so cordial.
On to the main event. The Cult had the classic stage setup seen in the "Love Removal Machine" video at this show. They came out to the "Flight Of The Valkyries" portion of "Apocalypse Now" - an imposing piece that was pretty fitting for what was coming. The lineup was a little different. Les Warner was still beating the kit but Jamie Stewart had moved to rhythm guitar and Haggis was added on bass for the tour. I think this change was critical to the sound and really unleashed Mr. Duffy. Billy's playing had an attitude and ferocity that came from not having to hold down the rhythm duties - for the most part he worried about fills and leads and let it all hang out. I'll stick my neck out there and say this is some of the best playing you'll hear from Billy. And Ian - well, rare form is all I can say. He was animated, he was loose, he was funny, he was combative, he baited and taunted the crowd all night, even when everyone was going nuts. There are quite a few classic Astbury lines in this recording. A few favorites - "Stick this in your fuckin' colostomy bag Adolph"....."If you ever join a rock band do not wear leather. It's too fuckin' hot man..but it looks good"....."This fucker said in the newspaper this is not a blues song, but it IS a blues song..it's got plenty of balls"....."Who do you think I am up here, fuckin' Billy Graham".....well, you get the idea. I'm truly convinced Ian has a Billy Graham fetish as he mentions him at this show and I saw him introduce "Full Tilt" as a Billy Graham song five years later. Not sure what's up with that relationship. A cool thing about this show is Ian showed a real reverence to Detroit and it's contribution to rock music. He mentions James Osterberg (Iggy Pop) a few times and introduces a song with some MC5 lyrics. He renamed a song for the evening and gave us the "Detroit Hip Shake". They do a cover of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" that Ian introduces as something they'll do one time and one time only. Not sure if that was true but I haven't seen it on any other shows I've run across. It seemed Ian was really in tune with the rock history of the city and felt he had some dues to pay in performance. He delivered.
Almost all of the show was comprised of tracks from "Electric" and "Love". Some highlights in no particular order -
- Ian missing the first line to "Detroit Hip Shake" because he was spitting and improvising perfectly.
- Learning "Big Neon Glitter" is one of Iggy's favorite songs.
- Dual guitar attack on "Love".
- Billy ending the show by soloing two minutes after he had physically left the stage.
- As Ian introduced, a "one time and one time only" performance of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" in honor of Iggy and his hometown. I haven't seen it on any other shows or setlists.
- A ten minute version of "Bone Bag" with great blues guitar work by Billy and a tirade against "the man" by Ian.
- A TEN MINUTE VERSION OF "BONE BAG" WITH GREAT BLUES GUITAR WORK BY BILLY AND A TIRADE AGAINST "THE MAN" BY IAN!!!
My final burning memory of the show - Ian decides to trash the drum kit a bit at the end of "Born To Be Wild". Apparently during the punch-up with a cymbal he cut either his lip or his chin. I'll always remember him standing on the edge of the stage, arms outstretched crucifiction style, with a big grin on his face and blood running down his chin and neck. Now that's an exit.
Two days later we went to a record show in downtown Detroit and, lo and behold, there was a video of the show. Unfortunately, about half of it is dark as the taper had to keep ducking his camera from security. It turned out to be incomplete as he was caught and thrown out.
This show destroys and is a must, not only if you like The Cult but if you like a real rock n roll show. As usual, Uncle Doodee offers up samples and invites you to use the democratic process and cast you vote accordingly. Enjoy.
DISC ONE
1. Intro
2. Bad Fun
3. King Contrary Man
4. Big Neon Glitter
5. Peace Dog
6. Detroit Hip Shake
7. Love
8. Wildflower
9. Revolution
10. Rain
11. Blues Jam w/ Bring It On Home
12. Horse Nation
DISC TWO
1. Lil Devil
2. The Phoenix w/ Drums
3. She Sells Sanctuary
4. Love Removal Machine
5. I Wanna Be Your Dog (Iggy Pop/Stooges)
6. Bone Bag
7. Born To Be Wild (Steppenwolf)
Ian Astbury - V
Billy Duffy - LG
Jamie Stewart - G
Haggis - B
Les Warner - D
Trade only. Support The Cult by buying their records and merchandise and attending their shows.
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