Saturday, August 8, 1998
Washington, D.C.
Nightclub 9:30

by Roddy Alan Fletcher

I wanted to go to the North American tour closer, and I got my wish. At first, I wondered why the t-shirts were marked down to $12. Then when Cale said it was the last show and introduced the band, I knew why. I just feel really bad for the Toronto folks.

Anyway, the 9:30 Club sure has improved. Though it looks hellish from the outside, the interior is quite a step up from the previous site. Nice, open space with high ceilings and a balcony (for those so-inclined)--and no rats!

The show ended up being my least favorite of the four. The Cale and first Creatures' sets seemed flat, and the show took a while to get going. I'm sure everyone involved was exhausted, and the rather lame crowd probably didn't help matters. I think they had been a little spoiled by the excellent NYC audiences. The DC crowd barely moved for the first half, and Siouxsie cut out much of her between song banter--not even a stab about cutting off the record company execs' heads and no lovely lesbian references.

Nice setlist altogether, and the inclusion of some lines from Beckett's "Worstward Ho" in the second encore, "A Strutting Rooster," made an excellent finishing touch.

All-in-all, my trip turned out to be quite a memorable experience. I made some great new friends, and the concerts were splendid. Siouxsie and Budgie are in incredible form and spirits. Both look great and seem to be truly happy. Siouxsie's voice hasn't sounded this wonderful in years. Not even a hint of the throat problems that plagued her in 1995. My only regret is that I didn't get to meet them in person. I guess it just wasn't meant to be this time. Maybe in 1999.

by Sara Costa

My name is Sara Costa, I'm from Sicily, Italy, and I was in Washington DC for the Creatures/Cale show. I live in Blacksburg since two months and before my leaving from Sicily I always was hoping to see Siouxsie & Budgie in USA. I never saw them before, cause one of the few times they were in Italy (Florence '94, the last time, if I'm not wrong) I couldn't go there due to an exam. Anyway, this is not important. My life without music would not have sense, and the music I love would not have sense without SATB and the Creatures. I left from Blacksburg by car with other two Italian friends of mine, who got started to listen to Siouxsie Sioux living with me, here, in USA. Their reaction was positive and they considered Siouxsie Sioux very feminine and communicative, and Budgie very handsome. What was my impression about? The presupposition to this experience was to meet a myth and when I was in front of the ice lady, the white/black Eve, and in front of the best drummer I've ever known, I said to myself: Here they are, at 5 meters from you. When you were not born yet, she just worked with Sid Vicious and she was the guide of Robert Smith, and now she is in front of me. I didn't appreciate so much John Cale but I liked a lot Susan Stenger, the woman on bass, simply beautiful. That was a strange thing for me: Siouxsie Sioux and another woman in the same stage. The only other woman I've ever seen with her is that one Siouxsie Sioux kissed in videoclip. Yes, she seemed a little bit bothered, on the contrary of Budgie who always had a smile for everybody. The most significant imagine I'll never forget is Siouxsie Sioux looking at Budgie and smiling at him, while he was making love with his drums! And another one: Sioux and Budgie, back to back, playing drums together. She moved like I supposed, watching her in the videoclips and listening to my friends' tales. When she came back on the stage with combed hair, it reminded me the same thing in Nocturne live and the picture of "A bestiary of." I appreciated very much "Murdering mouth," "A strutting rooster," "Pluto drive," and especially "Gun," cause, anyway, this song takes me back to the SATB music, which will follow my soul forever. I'd like to listen to a different setlist too, for example, "Standing there," "Ice house," "Gecko," "Flesh," "Mad eyed screamer." Only for an instant I thought about a picture with a very young Siouxsie Sioux in the underground, and I told myself it must be terrible for her to grow old. By the way, she made the history, of the punk, dark, new wave, gothic, poppish music, and so on, and there will not ever be a voice like hers, to bring us in another dimension. So, see you the next time, hoping in Italy, for a new dream, with Severin, Budgie, Sioux, McKay together, again!

by Jared

Driving around in D.C. has to be the one of the most annoying things in the world.  I drove up from Atlanta to see the show with three friends in a small honda civic.  Every minute of the hellish car rides were worth it for this show.  John Cale opened with some song that I actually really got into.  I was standing right under his keyboard and I think I felt his spit on my face a couple times.  I ended up just staring at Budgie.  He looked so happy.  Ok When Sioux came out I got so into the song they were playing.  It sent chills up my spine.  I wasn't too familiar with the new material and it usually annoys me to hear a bunch of music at a show that i don't know all the words to but I danced my ass off regardless.  Budgie came up front too later in the show and the crowd really got into him.  people were yelling "i love you".  i'm pretty sure it was directed at him.  The highlight of this show for me was getting one of Budgie's brush sticks. My favorite songs of the night were a strutting rooster, take mine, prettiest thing, and (sadly the only song played off boomerang) plutodrive.  I think I would have rushed the stage if they broke into manchild or standing there.  i really was hoping to something from the eraser cut too, but there was really nothing disappointing about this show at all.  ok the pablo picasso song was but that's it.  oh yeah Siouxsie's voice=the most beautiful thing in the world that i've heard so far.  

by Dana Denton

I had the very great opportunity to see Siouxsie the second time around in the very scary D.C. I saw the Banshees in 95 in Atlanta. But anyway, I thought that the Creatures did a kick ass job and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was on the front row right in front of John Cale's keyboard. Whenever he sang his spittle was hitting my false lashes! I'm not very familiar with his work besides The Velvet Underground, but it got me moving.

And then, the Ice Queen herself came on stage and I thought I would die! She was absolutely stunning. She was wearing vinyl bondage pants and this little half kilt. She had on a patent leather jacket with red buttons and little patent gloves. Her makeup was amazing, she is simply beautiful.

They started out with some of the newer material that I haven't familiarized myself with yet, but it rocked as usual. They played But Not Them, a personal favorite. Budgie handles those drumsticks with ease. I was so happy that they played Tattoo. And Miss the Girl was awesome. Siouxsie's voice was in top form! I really wished that they had played Mad Eyed Screamer or Dancing on Glass but maybe next time around. The crowd was really into it and the room was packed. At one point, Sioux came over and we were reaching for her, but she pretended to slap us down with an imaginary whip. They left the stage and came back in the first of two encores, and performed Gun and Venus in Furs. For the second, they did a Strutting Rooster and I wished that they had gone on and on.

I got to meet Budgie and Siouxsie upstairs after the show. Budgie was very sweet and even asked my name, while siouxsie was a bit cool (as expected). But nonetheless I was excited to have met them and gotten their autograghs and our pictures shot together. Budgie mentioned something about a possible tour of the South and hopefully I'll bring my records with me next time!