This is my personal review of my time in New York and the Banshees gig.  I have tried to be honest (hopefully without the rose colored biased glasses and without being too negative on some of the weaker points).  Arriving on April 18th at 3 PM in a freak 90 degree heatwave from the UK was a bit of a shock to say the least, but never the less I was New York, (my favorite city) and I was here to see my favorite group, the heat was unbearable but it didnt matter. The rest of that day was spent soaking up the city. The next day, (the day of the gig) April 19th was another scorcher and was spent seeing the sights and cooking in the heat! phew! towards the evening when It was time to pick up the tickets, the heat was too much and gave way to a storm, darkened skies, thunder, lightning and strong winds. Perfect Banshee / New York weather. I've always loved storms and to get one in NY was perfect, not mention that Sioux loves her storms too and later at the beginning of the show,  she thanked the weatherman for the atmospherics.  Now on to the gig itself:   I didnt enjoy Suicide (the opening band, I dont know if their songs just dont work live or that i simply didnt like what they were playing) personally, i dont think they were even worth the one dollar that they got from someone in the crowd to leave the stage!! When the lights went down for the Banshees an amazing roar came from the crowd and you knew this could  / should be amazing. Siouxsie wore a silver suit, a white and silver striped shirt and a silver tie. I don't think it was the best outfit I had seen her wear and I'm not sure it done her too many favors, a lesser mortal would've looked bad in it, but she she didn't, I just think it made her bottom look a little large! She took off her shirt and tie after a few songs to reveal a gold glittery bra and super lean physique. Her hair was shortish and slighlty longer at the back, it seemed sleek at the front from where i was, but other have said it was shaggy, and became so with sweat anyway. T he setlist is as follows;  (no intro)Pure, (sounded fine but not sure it worked as well as they had intended, Siouxsie moved from sitting on drum stand into the light (no pun intended) and moaned her way through in typical 77 style. Pure did work however, leading into Jigsaw Feeling (the music sounded as energetic and as punky as always, but Siouxs voice didn't seem to fit some of the Banshees songs quite like it did - it sounds at its best (in my opinion) on the album / b side tracks that they performed. She danced in jigsaw fashion, waving legs and arms everywhere and laying on the edge of the stage, raising her leg so high it would make someone half her age envious of her flexibility), Cascade (sounded great and as good as it always has done, she danced in the same Banshee way to this song as she ever has  - banging her hand againgst her thigh, and her voice was like old times) Metal Postcard (perfect rendition complete with Sioux banging on mic stand), Tenant (a really lovely version, better than I have heard it on a lot of older recordings), Happy House (this again was perfect, voice in key and Siouxsie 'thumbed her nose' like times past - it was like watching an old live video seeing her perform this, you couldnt ask for more with this song, the crowd were more than pleased to hear it), Christine (another huge roar, an American favorite) again, this was very good and was better than i have heard her sing it in a long time, even in Oz 2000, which was good but not this good!), Lullaby (beautifully sung, really nice and unusual to hear. The last time this was played was back in '86 (correct me if i'm wrong?!) Lands End (this isnt one of my favorite songs (on Tinderbox or live) but this was really nicely sung as it always has been, as good as  85/86 and possible better), Kiss Them For Me (there was no programing at this gig and i guess on this tour as a whole, the intro was done really well by Knox and was a nice surprise to hear it different. Compared with 93 & 95 gigs Siouxsies voice coped much better than it did then and there was only a few slighlty off key points that aren't really worth mentioning, I'm only doing so as people on the Creatures board said it was off key and not good - i disagree, the best version in a long time!- it was very nice to hear her sing it well again) Cities in Dust (another huge roar, another US fave. Knox did the intro on guitar like KTFM and the whole song sounded a little rockier than before, sung perfectly, better than it has been in 93/95, and better than Oz 2000, which i thought was good at the time. It seems although Siouxs voice has changed since these songs were written, she can still sing them, albeit with a few off notes, whereas in 1995 the whole songs of 'KTFM' and 'Cities' werent too great, not mention most others for that matter.  I Could Be Again (this was fantastic too hear and the drums were so heavy, really dark. The first song to not have been performed before on any tour(again correct me if it has appeared on an audio and i havent heard or know of it!)) Icon (great rendition - i would've liked to have heard Placebo Effect or Regal Zone though as i prefer those,) Nightshift (fantastic, although i had some twat next to me spilling his drink at this point which ruined the atmos. for me, Knox played slightly different guitar notes in this which worked although I think the original is better. Halfway through she put her shirt back on but back to front like a straightjacket and remained on until she fell to the floor and crawled to the front of the stage and began to sing sweetly  Eve White/Eve Black (wonderful, one of my faves and Siouxsie's scream still is as scary as ever and very '1981', although different in some of the things she sang, not different words but more repeated and less long notes. The shirt came off when the drums of the song started and was then waved around her.  She sat on the monitor at the end of the song and fell backwards with her legs in the air, which was amusing.  whilst on the floor they went into Voodoo Dolly  with Budgie swaying behind his drums, this was fantastic, perfect singing, perfect playing. Siouxsie rolled around and did many notes reminiscent of the early '80s version -   Spellbound (the first  encore and the drums went right through you - amazing stuff!!! perfect), Monitor (Knox did complete justice to this song, his guitar gave a wall of sound and Siouxsie did more of those screams and growls that is so much part of this song) - Arabian Knights (the second encore track and again was better than Oz 2000, great sound),  Drop Dead/Celebration (dedicated to her brother as it's his fave and who was over on the VIP stand (he is described by one fan as 'heavy, grey hair & moustache but has the same facial structure as Sioux he appears to be mid-50s, (apparently they like the same cigarettes and wine  the he was consuming as she played!) and was also dedicated to the crap out there, i.e. the corporate bullshit, although some twat next to me, took it to mean the crowd and shouted 'bollocks' back at her, but then this is the same guy that shouted out 'get your knickers off 'a while earlier,  I felt like punching him and saying 'yeah but you forgot to mention trousers off first and then what if she did anyway, asshole!...tut tut, back to the song,  great to hear but not quite right, Siouxsie didnt sing some of the best bitchy lines in that song (fuck off and disappear into the compost...etc...)  great never the less) - Blue Jay Way (The Beatles) - this was good although i didnt know what it was when i was there. This had  a certain vibe to it,  it could easily have been a Banshees song, so i understand  why they did it. A fantastic gig all round, even though there were little things that just didnt seem right. Siouxsie didnt quite seem comfortable in what she was doing. I dont know if it was her trousers slightly restricting her or if she was saving her breath for singing, she was very animated but not in jumping around or dancing, just moving her arms. Also, about half way through the set she had a go at the stage crew for putting too many things to cool her down on stage and to kill the AC (air conditioning) and said she wanted to be sweaty. Nothing wrong in that, but it was like she was trying to feign angst that wasnt there or was trying to psych herself up a bit by swearing at not much really!! it was funny anyway. Someone threw something on stage at one point (a small plastic head which had a popping tongue at her...she remarked smiling "ya know, my fans give me the most expensive gifts...oh, i get it...must be a sex aid!") Budgie was very animated,  he stood up and pointed down at siouxsie, then waved his sticks toward her in a worship bow, making the crowd cheer! He also danced behind his drumkit. He skipped off at the end and seemed very happy throughout. Severin was cool and into his music very much. He was really head banging to some of the stuff and obviousley had been rejuvenated by playing live again and seeming to thoroughly enjoy himself. The only thing though is he didnt seem to acknowledge the audience which seemed a little odd, perhaps he was playing the cool aloof Severin of the old days?! as opposed to the playful one of the later Banshee era 88-95! Knox played the songs excellently, i wasn't that impressed with the stuff he did on the 95 tour or Trick or Treat, but his playing style fitted in well and is to be comended for helping the songs come alive. I know it's abit of a cliche thing to say but it's a pity there was no Hong Kong garden as it wouldve fitted in with this set well. Israel too.

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