Echo & the Bunnymen S The Theatre at Ace Hotel, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Tour: Celebrating 40 Years of Magical Songs

Echo & The Bunnymen were scheduled to play Goldenvoice’s Cruel World Festival at the Rose Bowl May 14 & 15 but had to cancel at the last minute due to visa issues. Now Echo & The Bunnymen have finally returned to L.A. playing a sold out show at the Ace Hotel and will play another sold out show there tonight. Echo & The Bunnymen consists of co-founders Ian McCulloch (Lead Vocals/Guitar) and Will Sergeant (Guitar). Original drummer Pete de Freitas passed away in 1989 and original bassist Les Pattinson left in 1998. The group was founded in 1978 in Liverpool, England and were together until 1993 then again from 1996 until the present day. Echo & The Bunnymen show celebrates 40 years of music, their first album Crocodiles came out in 1980 and with the Covid-19 pandemic the band had to wait two years to celebrate it here in the U.S. 

Of the group’s 13 studio albums, 9 made the top 50 in the U.K. with the highest being Porcupine at number two. Three albums went Gold and two Silver. They played 15 songs before a double encore of one song each. The opening song was “Going Up” and the show included a number of hits like “All My Colours (Zimbo), “Seven Seas,” “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo, and the last song before the encore was “The Killing Moon.” The first encore was “Lips Like Sugar” and the second was “Ocean Rain.” After 42 years, McCulloch still sounds great. It’s not uncommon for a band that’s been around this long to play in front of a seated audience but this crowd stood the whole show and ranged from all ages of fans from early 20s to 60+.The band played in low lighting giving a mysterious vibe. 
Alex Kluft