The Cult (w/ Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, Julien-K) @ Budweiser Stage (Toronto, ON) on July 25, 2018 [Photos & Show Review]

Billed as the Revolution 3 tour (featuring The Cult, Bush and Stone Temple Pilots), three of the most legendary bands in rock are currently out for a summer tour and most recently stopped in Toronto at strong>Budweiser Gardens. The 20-city outing, produced by Live Nation and fuelled by Monster Energy, marks the first time that these forces of rock music have hit the road together. The tour Kicked off July 18 in Nashville, TN, and will make stops at iconic amphitheaters and arenas across North America before wrapping September 2 in Phoenix, AZ.

“Revolution 3” is a revolving headline tour with each group taking the stage in a different order on every stop. The Cult “headlined” in Toronto, but each band performed the songs they wanted to play in a similar 65-minute long set allotment.

We’re totally content being in a “Cruel Daze of Summer”.

Opening the entire tour is an L.A. act called Julien-K. Featuring two ex-members of Orgy, Julien-K has numerous albums to draw from and boast a musical style that sounds something like Depeche Mode intermixed with Gary Numan and Ministry. Julien-K performed only four songs this evening but raised eyebrows when they played their stellar cover of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle”, a track they know well from their days as Orgy. Fans in the venue early really got to see something genuinely interesting with Julien-K, who managed to sell almost every piece of merchandise they brought with them to this Toronto stop.

Next up was STP, showcasing the Toronto debut of new vocalist Jeff Gutt. Performing the “greatest hits” set of twelve of STP’s very best material, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz and Jeff Gutt had an easy time winning over the Toronto audience. Gutt has enough stage presence of his own, and a vocal style that channels Scott Weiland without trying to completely emulate him. “Vasoline,” “Big Empty,” “Plush” and “Sex Type Thing” all sounded superb this evening, as the band delivered a performance that came off as “business-as-usual.”

Flies in the “Vasoline”…

Gavin Rossdale, Robin Goodridge, Chris Traynor and Corey Britz took the stage next and performed nine of Bush’s best tracks accompanied by a beautiful cover of “Come Together” by the Beatles. Performing in front of a large video backdrop of amazing visuals, the band delivered an energetic live set of material eliciting numerous wonderful sing-along moments. Like a good bottle of Scotch, Gavin Rossdale continues to get better and better with each passing year. “Machinehead,” “Swallowed,” “Glycerine,” and “Comedown” dominated their set this evening.

Ian Astbury, Billy Duffy, John Tempesta, Grant Fitzpatrick and Damon Fox strutted out on stage, launched into “Wild Flower,” and the place went crazy. Add in “Rain,” “Edie (Ciao Baby),” “Sweet Soul Sister,” “She Sells Sanctuary,” “The Phoenix,” “Fire Woman,” and “Love Removal Machine” and you’ve got a night to remember! Billy Duffy remains one of the very best guitarists on the planet – and he was in top form tonight, let me assure you. The Cult remains a true gem in the pantheon of genuine rock and roll bands – it was so amazing to see them back in Toronto knocking their best material out of the park with each passing song they performed.

We don’t necessarily condone drugs, but we do dig “Glycerine”.

I heard some banter as I was leaving where people were saying they felt the evening’s performances were short. I guess they were in the context of a single band headlining set. Given that “Revolution 3” is triple-header headliners tour, each group performed for the same amount of time – there was really nothing of substance to complain about. All of the bands performed the tracks people really wanted to hear them play with minimal “filler.” I left this show pretty damn happy indeed.

STP’s Toronto Setlist:

01. Wicked Garden
02. Vasoline
03. Big Bang Baby
04. Down
05. Big Empty
06. Plush
07. Meadow
08. Interstate Love Song
09. Roll Me Under
10. Dead & Bloated
11. Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart
12. Sex Type Thing

If you didn’t already know about this women, well, “She Sells Sanctuary”.

Bush’s Toronto Setlist:

01. Everything Zen
02. The Chemicals Between Us
03. The Sound of Winter
04. This is War
05. Machinehead
06. Swallowed
07. Glycerine
08. Come Together (The Beatles cover)
09. Little Things
10. Comedown

The Cult’s Toronto Setlist:

01. Wild Flower
02. Rain
03. Rise
04. Elemental Light
05. The Witch
06. Edie (Ciao Baby)
07. Sweet Soul Sister
08. She Sells Sanctuary
09. The Phoenix
10. Fire Woman
11. Love Removal Machine