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San Antonio Express-News , March 31, 2003
Astbury channels Lizard King's spirit in Doors revival show
Hector Saldana

The Cult's Ian Astbury was born to play Jim Morrison. There have been other pretenders to the throne. The late Michael Hutchence of INXS and Creed's Scott Stapp come to mind. But only Astbury, who always came across on stage and in interviews as a reincarnated, hard rock version of the Lizard King, could have pulled off Sunday's gig at the Freeman Coliseum fronting the reformed Doors with keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger. More than 30 years after Morrison died of a heart attack in Paris, this is as close as anyone will ever get to the mystical rock band that was (long before Aerosmith took the title) the American Rolling Stones.
    There is an element of nostalgia that certainly attracted some 1,200 fans here, nothing much different from catching Robert Plant and Jimmy Page or The Rolling Stones or The Who or any other time ravaged legend missing an original member or two. But equally important – and let's get this cleared up without any revisionism – The Doors 21st Century absolutely rocked. Forget the tripe about The Doors penchant for cheap poetry, waltz time lounge music and shaman swagger. The music was principally based on a hypnotic derivative of the electric blues. The other stuff was the icing.
    Witness the sheer lascivious power of Back Door Man, driven by Krieger's nasty guitar slurs, which can still send electrified chills, or the rollicking L.A. Woman, which incited a joyous, quasi mosh pit of pogo dancers as Krieger and Manzarek exchanged riffs. The Doors 21st Century are not quaint.
    Admittedly, it's not easy to pinpoint exactly what the fascination is. The audience included a large contingent of young people who couldn't have known the original '60s group.
    Astbury, Manzarek and Krieger were supported by excellent musicians, drummer Ty Dennis and bassist Angelo Barbera, who likely generated a better sound onstage than the original lineup. Astbury danced lightly on Morrison's grave, careful not to cross into parody. But the bellowing ex-frontman of The Cult can't help that he eerily invokes the young Morrison with his leather jacket strut, wrap-around shades and shoulder-length hair.
    It was odd to see a close-cropped Manzarek stage left behind a skimpy, modern Alesis keyboard instead of the Vox Continental organ of yesteryear. But he still loses himself in the music.
    Manzarek and Krieger played a new Doors song called Cops Talk, arranged in the band's old style. A future album is promised, a prospect as scary as a Morrison autopsy.
    Called back to the stage twice for long encores that included the songs Riders On The Storm and Soul Kitchen, the band's ancient music conjured ominous danger and euphoric freedom. And unlike at most oldies shows (and many new ones), The Doors 21st Century had the audience on its feet all night, which is testament enough that they can still break on through to the other side.

Set list: 1. Roadhouse Blues / 2. Break On Through / 3. When The Music's Over / 4. Love Me Two Times / 5. Moonlight Drive / 6. Wild Child / 7. Cops Talk / 8. Alabama Song / Back Door Man / Five To One / 9. Ghost Song / The Hill Dwellers / 10. Spanish Caravan / 11. Maggie M'Gill / 12. L.A. Woman / 13. Light My Fire / Encore: 14. Riders On The Storm / 15. Peace Frog / 2nd Encore: 16. Soul Kitchen.