Five Not-So-Cruel Moments at Cruel World 2024

Saturday Cruel World returned for its third year at the Brookside Golf Course next to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena with headliners Duran Duran, Interpol, Blondie, Simple Minds, and a reunion four decades in the making from Tones on Tail.

Last year freak lightning forced the even to be cut short but the Goldenvoice organizers (who also put on Coachella) brought Iggy Pop and others back the next day for more rock of the '80s and especially that new-wave, goth, industrial stuff Gen X was blessed with during high school.

This year the lineup also included Ministry, General Public, Soft Cell, Adam Ant, The Jesus and Mary Chain and others, making one wonder if the 50- and 60somethings could handle this much flashback without hurting their backs?

Turns out Gen X is as feral as advertised and all was well. So here are some highlights from that very full day.

Duran Duran is still a bird of paradise

Cruel World was held this year on May 11.

On May 10, 1982, Rio, Duran Duran's second album, their breakthrough debuted with the iconic Patrick Nagel cover of the smiling glamour girl, and it set off a run of hits that hadn't been matched from a dapper set of young men in quite some time. They were a boy band who were actually a band.

One of the radio stations that gave them airtime some 42 years ago was KROQ-FM, in Pasadena, which may have been a reason the Duranies sucked it up and performed at this nostalgia fest, something they rarely do.

They've been covering the anti-cocaine Grandmaster Flash hit "White Lines" for decades, but it's always a little funny to hear them sing it.

While many of the other bands on the bill still have it, Duran Duran's set was sizzling, fun, and even kicked off with the deep cut "The Chauffeur" which had their longtime fans feeling the love.

“The last month we’ve just been thinking about Cruel World and how we’re going to make it the best thing possible,” singer Simon Le Bon in a stylish Union of the Snake shirt told the crowd. “And now we’re here and it’s happening!”

Simple Minds hasn't forgotten about you

There are quite a few songs that scream the mid-80s: "Like a Virgin," "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Jump," "When Doves Cry"... "Ghostbusters."

But only "Don't You (Forget About Me)" was passed on by so many hitmakers from Bryan Ferry to The Fixx to Billy Idol, all of whom were being produced by Keith Forsey who wrote the song along with Steve Schiff.

Simple Minds almost said no - because, according to Jim Kerr, the song sounded too much like his band even though the sentiment was the opposite of what he would come up with. "I'm more liable to write a line like 'do forget about me,'" he told Songfacts in 2015.

Speaking of facts, here's a fun fact. Because the song was written for a movie, and as you can tell, reluctantly recorded, it was not released to coincide with a tour. In fact the band wasn't really getting along when the Breakfast Club came out in the spring of '85, but the song was a giant hit, the band's only #1 single in the US.

So it actually got its live debut at Live Aid in front of 100k people at Philadelphia's football stadium. And then not performed again until Halloween. They were so unimpressed with their hit it didn't appear on their album that was released that year, or any studio album until their greatest hits was eventually released.

Dreamcar is still rolling, but for how long?

Even after the two glorious sets No Doubt put on last month at Coachella, it looks like the band-minus-Gwen-plus-AFI's-Davey Havok are still capable of going out there and rocking their new tunes.

And scarily, they fit right in on the lineup of new wave / punkers with some salt-and-pepper hair.

Indeed much of Dreamcar's music sounds like either a tribute, parody, or deep cut from unknown Sire records just-discovered vault. Havok is in the unenviable position of trying to get people to forget Gwen Stefani for 45 minutes, and tries his best, but it's either going to take remarkable songs or a bigger gimmick.

Still they were given a generous time slot ahead of everyone else except eight other bands.

The Jesus and Mary Chain finally sound like honey

When the Jesus and Mary Chain first came to Southern California in the '80s, they would often create a wall of feedback that had elements of performance art. Likewise they'd play with their backs to the crowd and leave after just 20 minutes or so.

Over they years they've consistently produced albums with solid songs that occasionally buzz with noise, but if you ask me when they dabble into the softer Brian Wilson side of their souls, they truly vibe.

Saturday outside the Rose Bowl they seemed like they wanted the fans who've stuck with them this long to actually enjoy their enjoyable melodies. Though it was a bit weird to see them, and Ministry, in the bright sunshine.

Richard Blade got much deserved moments in the sun

The original music influencers were DJs. At the aforementioned KROQ, DJs like Rodney Bingenheimer, Jed The Fish and Richard Blade helped launch the US careers of UK new wave and pop bands like Depeche Mode, Adam & The Ants, Duran Duran, and Bow Wow Wow.

The KROQ braintrust was so good, when MTV went on the air, some of the talent moved to New York to program that video radio station of sorts. But before MTV, MV3 was a music video program in LA hosted by KROQ's Richard Blade and introduced viewers to bands they'd eventually hear on the radio, groups like Berlin, The Motels, and Wham.

Blade will be getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next month and it was a full circle moment when he was able to introduce General Public who splintered off of The English Beat, one of the bands he first played for the kids of Los Angeles.

General Public has two more gigs in its schedule after a spring of co-headling with Adam Ant. Next they play at a festival in Santa Barbara alongside locals Spencer The Gardener. Then they head to Sin City to be part of the Punk Rock Bowling fest in downtown Vegas on Memorial Day Weekend.

Both single day and three-day tickets are available on its website.

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Last updated: 6 Feb 2025, 13:40 UTC

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