The Cult 8525 Tour Comes to Vegas!

The Cult celebrated it’s 40 year anniversary with a show at Las Vegas’s The Pearl venue inside the Palms. The band celebrated its early incarnation as “Death Cult” by performing an entire set of their early Goth inspired punk, which later transitioned into the commercially successful blues based rock that saw the band sell millions of records in the late 80’s and early 90’s. 

While unusual to see a band open for themselves, the dual sets complimented each other quiet well and allowed longtime fans to relieve the growth of the band in their early days. Pulling songs like “Ghost Dance” and “Horse Nation” out of the basement and into the spotlight was a very welcomed change, as many legacy bands these days are content to just play their greatest hits for 45 minutes and get back on the bus. Between both sets, the Cult put almost 3 hours of material into the atmosphere, as the sold-out crowd ate it all up.

Constant members Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy  were in fine form. Astbury’s voice sounds unchanged from his heyday, not an easy feat for any singer that’s been doing it for 40 years, and kept the audience involved be encouraging them to sing along, slamming his tambourine about as hard as Roger Daltrey ever dared. Duffy, with his signature hollow body Gretsch slung down low, delivered thunderous power chords along with tight, jangly arpeggios that have been the backbone of the Cult’s sound for decades. 

The band was filled it with long time bassist Charlie Jones and the powerhouse John Tempesta on drums. The stage was sparse, with minimum visuals save for a see-through curtain the obscured the band for the first 3 songs of the first set, which meant the music was the star of the show. After the end of the Death Cult set, the band roared back with their more well know Cult songs, leading off with ‘Wildflower”.

As the fans roared with recognition, they followed up with such hits as “Rain”, “Edie (Ciao Baby)” and of course “Fire Woman”. The band hit every beat with a fury, and Duffy’s solos ripped through the entire venue. Closing with an encore of “She Sells Sanctuary”, the band left the crowd wanting even more.

In all, the night was a great way to celebrate a legacy of a band that has lasted 40 years and shows no signs of slowing down. We know The Cult is going on a slight hiatus, but we look forward to the continued energy that is sure to follow.

Setlist:

DEATH CULT:
Ghost Dance
Resurrection Joe
Gods Zoo
83rd Dream
Butterflies
Christians
Horse Nation
Spiritwalker
THE CULT:
Wildflower
The Witch
War (The Process)
Rain
Edie (Ciao Baby)
Hollow Man
Rise
Lucifer
Lil’ Devil
Fire Woman
Love Removal Machine
She Sells Sanctuary

Gallery.

PHOTO CREDIT: All photos by Stephy Muzio for ZRockR Magazine ©2025 – All Rights Reserved