The opening act was so bizarre. Very strange Japanese trio, Ex-Girls, who played rock music and wore enormous custom-turbans on their heads that gave them the alien look I can only hope they were gunning for.
04.21.2002 Siouxsie and the Banshees The Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL
Opener: Ex-Girls
As I have often told people since then, in defense of Siouxsie and the Banshees, the stage performance of Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie is something to behold. In whatever incarnation they call themselves, Siouxsie Sioux has a stage presence that stuns you. She takes over your entire vision and her voice is the siren’s call to wayward sailors. But all of that doesn’t truly redeem how bad this performance was. Aside from “Cities In Dust” not one song on this setlist was a hit track written after 1986. In 1986, I was 10 years old. So I had heard, mostly through Once Upon a Time and Twice Upon a Time the majority of Siouxsie and the Banshees’ most popular songs from their entire career. Note: these songs also did not make it on the setlist. Oh, I recognized “Christine” and “Israel” and “Switch” was pretty vivid. But what was missing was the core of my Siouxsie collection and frankly, this setlist sucked.
The only highlight was the opening chords of “Cities in Dust” and the rest was a painful spiralling mess of noise. I had gotten very excited to see Siouxsie Sioux live again, after a somewhat diastrous and unfriendly appearance with the Creatures and John Cale at the Huntridge in Las Vegas. I love her music, undeniably.
But
My friend and I flew to Chicago, not expressly to see her, but we timed it because of the concert itself, when Chicago is cold enough to be unpleasant although it was no longer full blown winter by then. Because the closest the band was coming to Las Vegas was somewhere in San Bernadino and that somehow was less simple than flying to Chicago. On advice from a cousin, we got to the venue easily and quickly on the red line and even had time for a quaint dinner nearby. It was cold outside, but the Vic was roasting and it was crowded and standing room only.
Then comes Siouxsie and I should have known she would pick a setlist that did not include anything I could sing along to. My friend hated it much more than I did, and vowed never to see Siouxsie Sioux again in any context (she had suffered through the Creatures with me as well.)
I was disappointed, but the trip was a smashing success otherwise. I found out recently that the setlist on their other performance in Chicago include three extra songs (part of two encores) and “Cities in Dust” actually came much earlier in the set. As much of a disaster as I felt this show was, sitting through another 15 minutes would have just been that much worse. Also, the tour was documented with a live DVD and a live CD. Yuck.
Setlist
Pure
Jigsaw Feeling
Cascade
Metal Postcard
Arabian Knights
Israel
Christine
Lullaby
Lands End
I Could Be Again
Icon
Night Shift
Voodoo Dolly
Nicotine Stain
Switch
Encore
Cities in Dust
Blue Jay Way