“I just want to thank you for making my life so fucking great,” Idol proclaimed, and it was hard not to be moved by the years of accrued love for his music, even if it was the thousandth time you’d heard “White Wedding.”īilly Idol at Cruel World Ariel Goldberg night falling, Iggy Pop rocked through “Five Foot One” and several more songs, with Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme’s preteen son dancing up a storm onstage.

Love and Rockets reunited for the first time in 15 years, bringing Daniel Ash, David J (in a flashy red-sequined suit) and Kevin Haskins together for a harder-edged rock set, with highlights including the trippy visuals of “Kundalini Express” and their stripped-down cover of “Ball of Confusion,” with graphics highlighting the political relevance of the lyrics.īilly Idol’s fans were among the most enthusiastic and adoring of the festival, especially when the British new wave icon brought out his 3-year-old granddaughter Poppy and asked the crowd to join in on “Happy Birthday.” While a longer set would have given him a chance to do even more Generation X songs, his joyfully energetic “100 Punks Rule” was a high point of the day, along with staples like “Rebel Yell,” “White Wedding” and “Eyes Without a Face” and a crackling Spanish-tinged guitar solo from Steve Stevens. Since only those in front were able to see Ian McCulloch and company onstage, the band’s competent playing of familiar hits like “Bring on the Dancing Horses” and “Lips Like Sugar” risked sounding like a recording, and the languid medley of the band’s ballad “Nothing Lasts Forever” with the ubiquitous “Walk on the Wild Side” sapped some of the crowd’s energy. A large graphic behind the band proclaimed “Woman Life Freedom” and “Black Lives Matter” along with British, American and pride flags, sending a welcome message of inclusivity.įans were disappointed that Echo and the Bunnymen’s set didn’t include video projection, which is a must for large festivals on flat ground. Though some of the spikier chords got a little lost in the daytime outdoor setting - face it, post-punk just sounds better in a smaller club - frontman Jon King compensated with some cheeky showmanship, chucking a microwave into the pit at one point, sitting down for a short break and stalking around the stage effectively during “I Love a Man in a Uniform,” “Anthrax, “To Hell With Poverty” and a spirited rendition of “At Home He’s a Tourist” that had the audience clapping in time. In late afternoon, Gang of Four fired up the crowd with its signature angular sound. Clad in leather overcoats, lots of black netting and lace, multicolored mohawks and every variety of Doc Martens, the audience members did not stint on their outfits, with the weather blessedly mild compared to last year’s Cruel World and 2019’s sweltering Pasadena Daydream fest.

With tens of thousands in attendance at the grassy Brookside at the Rose Bowl venue, an impressive array of goth fashion was on display from a wide age range of fans, some of whom were children of the elder goths in the crowd. In the earlier part of Saturday’s program, when newer artists like the Californian dark wave act the Soft Moon and Belarusian post-punk band Molchat Doma performed, younger audience members turned out to watch musicians who prove that the genre has never died - it’s just resting in its coffin for moments like Cruel World.

Tremulous twinkle