The short version: an unqualified disappointment.

The long version: I did enough pre-show drinking with friends that I was able to tolerate the standard Webster Hall hurry-up-and-wait procedure without difficulty. We were even able to stand through the opening band ("The Warlocks") with relative patience and good humor. But when the Sisters finally took the stage, it was immediately apparent that something was very wrong. The bass was overpowering to the point of distortion while the vocals were almost completely inaudible - we’d catch the occasional word here or there, but otherwise nothing. On the whole, the sound was so inexcusably bad that we were a good three minutes into "Detonation Boulevard" before I even recognized it. Despite shouts of "Fix the sound!" and "Fire your roadies!" from the crowd, and the occasional sighting of guys in black clambering around the speakers with flashlights, nothing was accomplished and the entire performance was essentially ruined.

Add to that the fact that the show had the highest concentration of assholes I’ve seen in a long time (no fewer than four large, odorous men shoved their way in front of my friend Melissa at various points in the night) and it was kind of a struggle to maintain a good mood. At one point, a fight between two members of the cavalcade of jackasses broke out directly behind us, and we decided to call it a night.

I went home and listened to Floodland and forgave Andrew Eldritch all his sins, but it was still quite a waste of fifty bucks.