The Cult's show Saturday at the Armory had me torqued with nervous anticipation. This was a band I loved -- yet a few red flags had me a little nervous. Ticket sales were slow initially. and the band was not doing any press. No photographers were even allowed in the building. And from what I remembered about this band, it was loud. Loud and the Main Street Armory don't always play well together. But I simply had to go. I made it early, too; Boneyard was the warm up.

Just like The Cult, Boneyard draws upon the sounds and moods and ghosts of the American landscape. There's big-sky beauty in that desolation, and Boneyard conjured it, kicked it, claimed it, and sent it back toward the sky. But this wasn't just some rain dance. Boneyard mixes in just as much machine and accessory as it does the ethereal and inanimate. There are ghosts and demons swirling about, but they're all on choppers. They don't stop at red lights, and your mama's on the bitch seat. It's outlaw, it's Southern rock, it's fuckin' beautiful. And the band was in its element on the Armory's huge stage --- plenty of room to stretch out and pound out a tremendous set. Singer J.J. Lang's voice busted cobwebs and clouds; I tell ya, it is made for the arena. The band was well received by the crowd of about 2,000 (I'm guesstimating) and certainly won new fans with this show.

The lights went down, the crowd went wild. The lights came back up, the crowd went mild. This happened a few more times until The Cult finally mounted the stage and tore into "Nirvana." From the first kerrang of Billy Duffy's big White Falcon, the band sounded unbelievable. I can safely say it was the best-sounding show I've seen at the Armory. Yes, it was loud ---LOUD --- but the cat running sound had mucho knob-twiddling know-how.

Sporting a beard a la The Lizard King in his later years, singer Ian Astbury positively roared. The man still has those glorious pipes --- definitely a signature voice in rock. The band front-to-backed its 1985 "Love" LP, and then immediately split. When they returned, they whipped out a couple cuts from my favorite album, "Electric": "Electric Ocean" and "Wild Flower." I left with my head ringing. It was an awesome show.