Thousands poured onto the greens on a sparkling spring afternoon at Brookside at the Rose Bowl Saturday, reveling in punk and new wave college and high school memories at this year’s Cruel World Festival.
Despite long lines for overpriced food and drinks, festival goers who paid admission prices beginning at nearly $300 (and topped out at $949, plus fees), were, for the most part, blissed out by a cast of US and English artists who provided much of the soundtrack for the Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton administrations.
Scattered across several main stages, the event featured performances from headliners Duran Duran and Blondie, as well as sets by Interpol, Placebo, Adam Ant, DreamCar, and others.
The event also featured a vinyl record store, as well as a host of food trucks, whose lines stretched far across the fairways.
With the performances beginning just after noon, early arrivals saw sets from early 80s acts, The Motels and Gary Numan, while waiting for the headliners.
Jesus and Mary Chain upped the energy and tempo in the mid-afternoon, with a dark, rumbling, edgy set, or as edgy as can be created on a sunny day on a golf course.
Simple Minds brought their anthemic radio hits to the appreciative audience, and were received warmly by the crowd. Singer Jim Kerr and whatever original members accompanied him, brought a happy and joyful vibe to the proceedings before the throng made its way across the course for Blondie.
With only one remaining original member—the venerable Clem Burke on drums—Blondie lit the evening up, with an impressively huge light projection system, which dwarfed the band members as it ran synchronized video clips, cartoons, magazines, photographs, and whatever else.
Debbie Harry, now in her late 70s, wearing Ray-bans and black leather, was as sultry and fabulous as she has always been, and clearly happy, making brief, droll remarks between tunes through the fast-moving, hit-filled, energetic set.
Her current band features original Sex Pistol Glen Matlock on bass, as well as some serious guitar fireworks from guitarist Tommy Keller.
As fiery and brilliant as Blondie was, headliners Duran Duran were an anti-climactic exercise in wretched excess.
While all of the bands tried to “out light show” each other, Duran’s opening entrance was a bad American Idol season finale. Lead singer Simon LeBon’s whiny shriek of a voice, and silly too-old-for-this-outfit, with synth and bass-heavy songs that essentially go nowhere, proved to be this reporter’s undoing.
We couldn’t get past the third tune.
As we made our way to the exits, we were joined by thousands of others, who were ready for jammies and a good night’s sleep. It should be noted however, that Duran Duran fans, and there were, of course, thousands, stayed and hung on every note and every glimpse of the chubby LeBon, heartthrob John Taylor, and professional haircut Nick Rhodes.
As we headed for the exits, we passed Ministry, performing their thunderous final set on the Sad Girl Stage. Their music was hot and terrifying, and clearly their fans weren’t going anywhere.
As it should be.
