Wednesday, July 15, 1998
Hollywood
The Palace
by Don Culpepper
Two weeks later after the first Creatures show at the El Rey, I am still estatic. Having trouble sleeping because I was so aroused druing the 3 shows in LA.
Here are my perspectives: A different feel each night and all were totally hot. Here goes:
El Rey Theatre July 9, 98. OK, I missed the first 5 songs due to my bowling league, but once I got there, I knew it was a special LA event. With Siouxsie and any other cool group, there are so many fans secondary to the size of LA and its surroundings. Since this concert had only a same day notice, it was not sold out. Us hard core Sioux fans were in Xtasy to see her and Budgie in such a small setting, and not even close to sold out. It's a chance to be close to our beloved without all the pushing and shoving usually associated with an LA show. I am going to catagorize Sioux's appearance and demeanor that night as a "diva", receiving accollades and being the nice entertainer. Her presence was strong, and in my opinion, the best songs were 2 new ones, Exterminating Angel, and Prettiest thing. This night was also the first night the horn section got to play with Sioux. It was cool, in the fact that Boomerang songs as well as Right Now were perforned that night. Two drag queens helped out during Right Now. It was a cool moment, but in my circle, drag queens are so pase', that it lost some of its impact on me. I truly appreciate when Sioux does something different with her shows one from the other.
The first show at the Palace was on July 14. Took two of my dyke girlfriends who love the Creatures and a hot guy also. The girls wanted to sit during the show, so we witnessed the show from the balcony. It was great, and Exterminating Angel again was a big hit. All 4 of us found John Cale to be boring, except during the encore when he played violin during Venus in Furs. Sioux was very playful, and during the set, she came out in tight PVC, brassiere with midline exposed, and a cowboy hat. She was very sexual on stage, and it reminded me of the first of 2 shows of SATB during the Peekaboo tour at the Universal Ampitheatre. She writhed around the stage that night also like a cat in heat. The second night on the Peekaboo tour, she was very different, and not sexual at all.
The second night at the Palace in Hollywood, I found to be the best of the 3 nights. Again, Sioux was in touch with her sexuality. Two events come to mind: First during Prettiest thing, an Italian chick pulled off her top and bounced her tits around. At the end of the song, Siouxsie said "Gracias Amiga" And during the first encore of Venus in Furs, 2 hot men (I suppose gay, and that is a good bet since I have a keen sense of gaydar) carried Sioux out to the stage, and then they assumed an all 4's stance: ie on hands and knees, like table and chairs. Well Sioux writhed on both of them, and never missed a beat. I agree with previous comments: She and Budgie are true artists. During Standing There, she brought a chubby 12 year old girl out of the audience, and this young girl was very animated, and was quite the showgirl. After the song, Sioux hugged this girl for at least 30 seconds, and then said "I want to take you home with me." It was really touching, and not a side of Sioux one usually gets to see. This night, she also did Right Now, but it was lame, as the two girls from the audience she picked to do the "RIGHT NOW" Chorus were not good at all. This night the "Israel" drum was not there. Did Budgie bust it the night before? If he did, I didn't notice it.
Siouxsie: Thank you. I am so happy to see you excited about your work again. I do not miss the Banshees at all now. I know you have within yourself the energy and imagination to continue on as the Creatures and to give us our sioux fix. Please don't wait so long to come back to present yourself to us. I am so impressed. Love, Don
by Jennifer Schwartz
Muzic.com Daily News
Siouxsie Still A Wonderful Creature
They only come out at night. The Creatures, featuring Siouxsie Sioux and former Banshees drummer Budgie, recently ended a sold-out two-night stint at the Hollywood Palace with a night on the town. The ongoing North American tour that resurrects Siouxsie's side project with her husband, also features former Velvet Underground multi-instrumentalist John Cale.
For the first part of the set, Cale accompanied the Creatures on guitar until venerable Goth icon Sioux took center stage. For the remainder of the set, Cale and the Creatures played a musical round robin, trading instruments and sharing vocals. This unusual pairing resulted in two hours of artfully rhythmic musical explorations. The event culminated with Cale playing violin on a stirring version the VU classic, "Venus in Furs."
Sioux spoke to a muzic.com correspondent about the tour. "This is something Budgie and I have always wanted to do," she said. "We're doing this completely on our own, just like we did 18 years ago."
It seems hard to believe that it's been nearly two decades since these art-punk pioneers ventured across the Atlantic. And as Sioux explained, she kept the tone of the tour in line with the "D.I.Y. spirit of the earlier days" -- all the way down to their lodgings. Instead of holing up in one of the Westside lavish resorts, the band opted for a standard room at a low-key West Hollywood hotel. The chose the hotel chain based on its foundation -- it stands on the same spot where the legendary punk-rock party spot the Tropicana Hotel stood years ago. Was this a conscious decision? "Well, of course it was," Sioux replied.
After Tuesday night's show, the Creatures crawled out into the night. They didn't get far, though, because nobody had transportation. So the band and friends walked across the street to a noted West Hollywood lesbian nightclub, The Palms. Upon arrival, the bar's beefy female bouncer asked for Sioux's I.D. The singer claimed she didn't carry her identification with her, but assured her she was well over drinking age. The stubborn gatekeeper wouldn't budge, so Sioux harangued the woman calling her, "a wretched man." Thankfully, the shouting match was thwarted when the club's owner recognized the British-born songtress and let her in the club. Once inside, the group spent hours recalling their wild youth while the DJ spun classic Siouxsie & the Banshees songs. Finally, well after closing time, the bar owner shuffled the group out the door.
The Creatures/Cale tour continues through the month of August, with more dates in Southern California this weekend.
Contributed by Jesús Quintero.