Cruel World 2023 in pics (Iggy Pop, Echo & The Bunnymen, Love & Rockets, more)
Until the weather dealt a cruel blow to Cruel World, the day had been a gorgeous celebration for young punks, old New Wavers, and goths of indetermination age, there to enjoy the best of the alternative rock that arrived in the late ’70s and ’80s.
Iggy Pop, who played three Los Angeles shows in April, was in top form through the five-and-a-half songs that fans got before the night ended. He’d been singing “The Passenger,” his 1977 song that Siouxsie and the Banshees had a cover hit with a decade later when the show abruptly ended at 9:12 p.m. Saturday.
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Echo & the Bunnymen were booked to play Cruel World in 2022 until visa issues scotched those plans. Singer Ian McCulloch & Co. sounded terrific on classic Bunnymen tracks including “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” “The Cutter,” and “The Killing Moon.” Unlike Love and Rockets, who presented a visually rich show on the main stage right after them, Echo and the Bunnymen made the confounding decision not to be shown on the video screens, which in a festival setting means the vast majority of fans see only tiny figures on a distant stage. Sigh. [Pasadena Star-News]
Eighties-oriented Pasadena, CA festival Cruel World held its 2023 edition on Saturday (5/20) at Brookside @ Rose Bowl. We already posted about Siouxsie's set, her first US show in 15 years, which was rescheduled for Sunday after the threat of severe weather shut the festival down early on Saturday night; Iggy Pop, who was cut off early because of that same threat; Love and Rockets, who played their first show in 15 years; and Billy Idol, who delivered the hits. Saturday's lineup also included sets from Echo & The Bunnymen, Gary Numan, Gang of Four, Squeeze, ABC, Modern English, Berlin, Ela Minus, Twin Tribes, Gvllow, Aurat and more. Check out pictures from the whole day by The Tinfoil Biter below.
For ticketholders who couldn't go to Sunday's makeup show for Siouxsie, the festival is offering partial refunds. "We are deeply sorry that some of you did not experience Cruel World the way in which we intended," they write. "For those of you unable to attend Sunday’s performance, we are offering partial refunds on your festival pass. Please email support@axs.com no later than June 1, 2023 for instruction."