Music Review: The Cult rocks, Astbury roils as tour wraps up in Del Mar

Ian Astbury and The Cult perform in Del Mar Photo by Donovan Roche Times of San Diego Ian Astbury wasn t feeling the love Or so it seemed on Oct when the alt-rock icon performed as the frontman of The Cult and its earlier incarnation Death Cult at The Sound in Del Mar Throughout the night Astbury repeatedly questioned the audience s potential Are you guys in this he sought twice early in the set later chiding fans for not showing enough enthusiasm for the songs or the band s performance The singer s frustration may have been influenced by the previous week s announcement that the band is taking a hiatus from touring for the foreseeable future With San Diego the penultimate stop on their North American Paradise Now tour perhaps he expected a more electric send-off Ian Astbury at The Sound Photo by Donovan Roche Times of San Diego Celebrating more than four decades of music the set list spotlighted both eras of the band s evolution as the post-punk gothic rock outfit Death Cult from to and thereafter as the English hard rock powerhouse The Cult Instead of blending old and new Astbury longtime guitarist Billy Duffy bassist Charlie Jones and drummer John Tempesta split the show into two distinct sets The night began with the foursome shrouded behind a thin white scrim as the tribal pulse of Ghost Dance filled the room Silhouetted and spinning tambourine in hand Astbury danced through the song inspired by the teachings of Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka When the curtain dropped Death Cult tore through eight songs in a half hour Astbury s voice was commanding and resolute particularly on Gods Zoo and Horse Nation both from their debut EP The set also included four tracks from their next album Dreamtime recorded under the new name The Cult including rd Dream Butterflies and the rousing closer Spiritwalker Though Astbury never explicitly referenced the break from touring he alluded to it several times At the end of the first set for instance he invited everyone to the following night s show at Shrine Auditorium saying The last time to see Death Cult is the following morning in L A Following a brief intermission The Cult reemerged with Wildflower from the Rick Rubin-produced Electric Propelled by Duffy s searing riffs the opener drew a collective roar from the crowd The ensuing -song set featured deep cuts like The Witch and Lucifer alongside concert staples including Rain and Edie Ciao Baby While the former charged the audience with its full-throttle attack the latter known for its slow build sounded slightly off in timing After Edie Astbury stood at the front of the stage and gave the audience a blank stare I m waiting for you guys he disclosed As people began clapping more he added Please and waved them on for more applause Wearing a wide headband black kimono-style jacket and Hakama pants Astbury looked part rock shaman part martial arts master He moved with ritualistic precision assuming ready stances waving his arms and shuffling his feet At times he d spin his tambourine into the air catching it or kicking backward and occasionally he d form prayer hands in appreciation of applause But more often than not he called out the crowd s lack of response At one point he scolded You guys need to get into this come on And during Fire Woman when Astbury was perhaps his the bulk animated swinging the mic around hopping atop the stage monitor and interjecting Ole Ole Ole he halted mid-song to solicit a stronger reaction Well that s pathetic Try again To a certain degree Astbury s constant reproach marred an otherwise tight and dynamic -minute show Duffy one of rock s most of underrated guitarists unleashed blazing licks throughout while Astbury s muscular baritone fueled each song forward The night ended on a high note though with Love Removal Machine and the encore She Sells Sanctuary arguably one of the greatest hard rock songs of all time Across both sets the material effectively honored the band s legacy with a mix of mysticism and swagger though Sweet Soul Sister a fan favorite from the platinum Sonic Temple was conspicuously absent Following introductions each band member exited one by one leaving just Astbury Kneeling before the crowd he offered a solemn prayer but one couldn t help but wonder if it also carried a silent plea for the upcoming day s finale to really go off Donovan Roche is a regular music and custom contributor to Times of San Diego