The Curiosa Festival 2004
Aug. 15th, 2004 - Houston,
Tx. (C.W. Mitchell
Pavilion)
Plainsong, Shake Dog Shake,
The Figurehead, alt.end, A Night Like This, The End of the World,
Charlotte Sometimes, Lovesong, Us or Them, Siamese Twins, Closedown,
Like Cockatoos, Before Three, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, One
Hundred Years, Disintegration
Encore: Pictures of You, Lullaby, InBetween Days, Just Like Heaven,
Boys Don't Cry.
Note: There was a planned 2nd encore of
The Drowning Man, Faith and Going Nowhere, but they were not played.
Reviews
From The Houston Chronicle:
Smith has The Cure for fans
By MICHAEL D. CLARK
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
Robert Smith has made The Cure vital again.
Sunday at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, the original modern rock
group celebrated a quarter-century spent anchoring the modern rock
genre
with a two-hour show.
They played hits from their latest self-titled album and nuggets
from their entire career.
The Cure were the headliners of the all-day Curiosa Festival, which
also included performances by Mogwai, Interpol, Funeral for a Friend
and Auf
Der Maur. Muse, one of the hottest bands on the bill, was an
unfortunate no-show.
Underneath Cure front man Smith's super-teased hair and smeared
lipstick is an ageless wonder who has made children's cries an art form.
In addition to new songs, such as Lost and The End of the World,
the Cure mixed unexpected numbers that had been long forgotten with
favorites including A Hundred Years, From the Edge of the Deep Green
Sea and Pictures of You.
The swirling pools of guitar jangle that have come to be the Cure's
trademark since the band's radio breakthrough album, Disintegration,
now dominate their entire program, which is not entirely a bad thing.
In the end, it is Smith's mopey drone of a voice that makes him an '80s
icon that rivals Morrissey and Depeche Mode.
At deadline time, the band had just completed a synthesized keyboard
version of In Between Days, followed by radio favorite Just Like Heaven
and were launching into the signature song Boys Don't Cry, a rare
concert treat. It was a rejuvenation for the new millennium.
(Thanks Tempest)
From the Daily
Cougar:
A show
that was 'just like heaven'
By Dixie Ann Dalton
The Daily Cougar
To say the least, The
Cure rocked the house on Aug. 15 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell
Pavilion. Roughly 8,000 fans attended the Curiosa Festival and enjoyed
live music on two stages. The main stage lineup included The Cure,
Mogwai, Interpol and The Rapture; the side stage featured The Cooper
Temple Clause, Cursive, Auf Der Maur
and Head Automatica.
At the beginning of The
Cure's set, a nervous Robert Smith appeared in his usual red lipstick
and black
eye makeup holding his hands near his stomach as he made his way onto
the
stage. He was extremely uneasy and avoided looking into the crowd as
much
as possible. Before any songs were played, and while walking across the
stage,
Smith noticed someone in the front row of the mosh pit with roses.
Smith
gracefully approached the girl and received the roses; both were almost
in
tears. The look in Smith's eyes revealed his appreciation, followed by
a
sigh of relief. This was exactly what Smith needed to cozy up to
Houston
and set the mood for the evening. The generous girl, who burst into
tears,
could barely stand.
The first set consisted
of 16 songs, seven of which were from the 1989 album Disintegrated. The
remainder of the set included a mixture of tunes from the additional
Cure albums.
Four songs were played from the band's latest self-titled album.
"I thought the show was
amazing and incredibly clean. They tried to give us as much as they
could in a much smaller time slot than usual. They just wanted to make
us happy," painting junior Stacey Landino said.
"100 years" was
performed
in front of images of war, graves, skeletons, crucifixes and gas masks.
On
the contrary, the other songs, although most were deep and dark, were
accompanied by extremely pleasant photographic images that were
displayed on the backdrop behind the band.
The five-song encore was
strangely reserved for the radio-friendly, mainstream songs that
included "Pictures of You," "Just Like Heaven" and "Boys Don't Cry."
Smith was attempting to eat bubbles and smiling in between songs.
The mostly
thirtysomething crowd was excited, enthusiastic and extremely
responsive to the awesome
sound of the band accompanied by Smith's vocals. Amazingly enough, the
fans
were just as happy to hear, sing and dance to the dark songs as they
were
the "hits" from the 1980s. Some fans held up homemade signs, one of
which
read: "Simon -- BASS GOD!!!!"
Before leaving the
stage,
Smith said, "You made this ... (an) excellent day today."
(Thanks Christina)
I'd like to begin my review with a big thank
you to joe and diana who managed to keep the cops busy while my two
partners in crime and I sped
down the same stretch of interstate at approximately the same speed.
leaving dallas at about 10:00 after having had less than 4 hours sleep
the previous night, I had expected us to be taking turns napping. but
who needs sleep when you're having a curiosa weekend! our road trip was
tinged by a bit of anxiety as we were going without tix for this gig.
despite having tried to purchase tix the minute they went on sale the
best ticketbastard offered was
already in the double letters. we decided to wait and see what we could
score
at the venue, and oh boy did that turn out to be one of the best
decisions we could have made! we arrvied at the venue about two hours
before the gate opened and crystal and I were happy to purchase some
seats in row w, right side. not too bad, not as good as our dallas
seats, but we didnt think we could do better....that is until a bit
later! annette was the hold out...pit or bust for her! the two of us
left annette at the gate and went to get our hotel room. we also met up
with crystal's sister and hubby there who were coming to the gig as
well. so anyway a short while later it was back to the venue. it
seemed to me that there was a less friendly vibe at this venue compared
to dallas. mounted security! for crissake were they expecting a riot!
once inside we found out that people were actually buying tckets better
than ours, so we went back to the ticket window and managed to exchange
our
w row seats for row g center!!! holy crap! what a great thing we held
out
buying from ticketbastard. I was not suprised to find out that many of
the
seatholders around us had paid up to $400 for their pair of tix.
obviously our seats were just 2 that the brokers didnt sell and had
been released back into the ticket pool. I've decided I'll never buy
from ticketmaster again, nor from a broker either. now if everybody
would just get on board with
this way of thinking we could put the damn scalpers with offices out of
business. we were once again hanging out with folks and meeting new
cure friends, not really paying any attention to the bands, but I must
say that the rapture did manage to capture my attention when that guy
showed me just how funky beating on a cowbell could be. I had a
small package that I wanted to somehow get to robert. so I went
to the gate on the right side of the stage. hung out there for awhile,
but not much activity at
that gate. struck up a conversation with the security guard at that
gate and she informed me that curfew fines were $5000 for the first
minute!
whoa! had the bizarre experience of finding out just how small the
world really is...while I was at the gate a fiftyish couple walked by
and I called to them "hey nice to see other old folks here" they came
over to chat and during the pleasantries I found out that he was
originally from bumfuck alabama and I was from cowtip city(small town
names have been changed to protect
the ignorant). his high chool football team was one of mine's chief
rivals! he had been a fan for several years and was attending his
first cure show. decided to go to the other side of the stage to the
other gate and see if anybody would deliver my package there. stood
around and had many admirers of the gorgeous t shirt that annette had
made for me. thanks annette! finally a crew member that isnt running
goes by and I ask him to take the package for me. he stops, tells me to
hang around for a few mins and leaves me totally psyched. maybe he will
give me a pass...maybe robert will pop out here and get it! so of
course I couldnt move. I got to hear Interpol really well,
but not see them. so what would you have done? the funniest thing I saw
while waiting was a guy come walking out carrying his 2 year old son
who must
have been so happy to see uncle robert he could just shit! so he did,
and
boy was it foul!! bet everybody backstage got a whiff of that! and I'm
waiting...I'm still waiting...toward the end of Interpol(who sounded
fabulous and I am
so happy that the voice of Ian Curtis was
reincarnated) a line began to form for the meet and greet. there were
some very excited young ladies in that group! I couldnt help but wonder
who were the amnesty int'l auction winners...finally met a friend from
the
internet in that line and asked her to deliver package for me(thanks
heather)
and I'm still waiting...this time for the meet and greet to end.
finally
they come out, package received, and its time to head back for the
cure(after going for a mogwee of course, sorry bad pun!) I hate to say
it, but I didnt catch mogwai either night. HA in dallas was the only
2nd stage set I attended. the break between main stage sets was spent
visiting toliet, booths and conversing with both friends and strangers.
oh well, it was all good! Plainsong bells! must get to seat!! out with
the bottle of bubbles to get caught in the light! I only blow during
Plainsong, DGS and JLH. those are the songs with the best lights for
bubbles. I know it was no bother to the guys about the bubbles, but I
beg you to consider the safety issue. that is a very slick substance if
much of it builds up in 1 spot..robert may look ageless, but he has 45
year old bones. great seats tho! and crystal had bought a pit ticket
outside as it was her birthday. we had hoped we could take turns, but
wrist band took care of that idea. loved simon's look for the evening!
hey si, all that biking pays off well, you got fabulous calves! once
again I was very happy to be in postion to see the band and backdrops
really well. I had hoped to get up to the pit during the encores as it
had been so easy in dallas, but security here was much more strict. I
did however manage to make it up to E when I saw a stupid couple
leaving before the end of the
main set. by this time I was very happy to get away from the man who
sat
the whole time in the seat directly behind me. He must have been more
entertained
by my shaking ass than Robert...yikes! I swear he never got up
once...what
a waste of a fucking good seat. one of the highlights of the evening
for
me was Closedown...a disintegration fave of mine and my first time to
hear
it live. during ST I had gone out on the lawn to cool off for a few
mins
and I wanted to see the spectacle of crowd as well. it was
magnificient. I
couldnt say for sure if dallas or houston had the better turnout, but
both nights were packed out! it felt so pleasant out on the lawn, I
swear robert
bottled some english weather and brought it to texas. I had really been
dreading the heat but it was unnatural weather! between both nights I
heard so many of my fave curesongs played. I wish I could have done
more shows, but I feel like I chose very well to make it a texas
curiosa weekend. many thanks to robert, simon, perry, jason and roger
for coming for such a long tour. the shows are fabulous and my
misgivings about the festival setup
for your tour are long gone. a big hello to ruth(other voices fanzine)
and
dayna(afoolisharrangement.com) whom I was happy to spend time with
outside
the gate during the afterparty. yes! we had to wait for annette, who
had
gotten back! lucky lady! but crystal and I were very happy for her as
both
of us had won backstage before. finally after a few hours we see
ambition
in the back of a black van pull away...and aftershow party breaks up.
tired,
dirty and with my uncertainty of trying to get on the plane the next
day...its
off to sleep like the blissfully dead...at least for a short while.
HAPPY
CURIOSA TO ALL! oh and never mind curespotting...my friends out back
and I had a craig and nadine spotting, but you were too far a distance
to
speak to, but glad you two made it!
- cheryl aka beachy
Some of you know me, I am the mexican cure
record collector. J
Went to Dallas 2000 and this time we flew to the Houston show. Party
of four Wife, friend and his wife & me.
We bought ourt tickets via the internet the day they came out, we had
DD seats left cover reserved.
We arrived a the Pavilion at 5:30, weather was real nice!! Not extreme
hot! Just great! Entered the Pavilion and asked at the Box office if
there were better seats,.....yep!! row W cover reserved and PIT!! WHAT?
So we re-bought 4 PIT tix!! Now we had 8 tickets!
We saw The Rapture in the DD seats, then moved to the pit for Interpol
and Cure
We settled just in front of Simon a cuple of inches from the barricade,
for those of you that were there I was the big guy with a Fox Sports
black cap, sleeveles denim shirt.
The DD seats remained empty, we wanted to re-seell them cheapo
to some lawn goers but had no luck! but was worth to repay!
Plainsong: Brilliant as always a pleasure to hear it again, usual
Robert stage walk around staring at the people.
Shake Dog Shake: Aweosme! A girl almost in the front raised a cardboard
sign written on it “Simon bass God� Simon saw
that and laughed.
The Figurehead: what a great surprise!
alt.end: nice to hear the new stuff live
A Night Like This: Another surprise!
The End of the World: liked a lot!! Played flawlessly
Charlotte Sometimes: Great to hear it again
Lovesong: fine!
Us or Them:ok!
Siamese Twins: Wow another surprise, loved it!
Closedown: What? One of my top songs! Pleasure to hear it again
Like Cockatoos: another surprise, at the end Simon nodded his head
and made an urghh face like saying “yikes it went
awful�
Before Three: new stuff ...fine
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea: Superb performance
One Hundred Years: I can hear this over and over, one of my top 5!
Disintegration: nice and powerful!!
The Bubbles attack! a girl at the front kept blowing soap bubbles, nice
touch! Nice effect, some of them kept landing in the face of the
security guy.
And now the POP dosage wich was great!
Pictures of You: classic Robert/Simon facing each other at the begining
as always
Lullaby: spooky, nice!
InBetween Days: great!
Just Like Heaven: Evereybody likes it no? Roger started his keyborad
late, I can swear it was on purpose, Perry was so mad he stared at him
with
killers eyes like 5 times in a row!! The he started to play his lines
but was very pissed!
Boys Don't Cry: nice for an ending, with the usual guitar tune up at
the begining
The security guys behind the barricade let you take some pics but if
you kept taking, and taking they didnt agreed that, a girl behind me,
almost
got her camera confiscated.
Overall a superb experience!!!
US, Canda or elsewehere fans, if you manage to come down and see a
Mexico City concert, come!!! it will be a historic Cure
event!, I
have already went to Houston, now someone come down! to the mexican
Cure
weekend!
- Eduardo Malvido
We got a late start driving to Houston on
Sunday morning. So, we tried to make up the time by driving like
a bat out of hell. Unfortunately, we got a speeding ticket along
the way. Diana was following us in her car and she got one
too. I’m sure she was upset with us for not leaving
earlier. I’m sorry Diana.
Anyway, Nicole and I had seats for the Houston show and Diana had pit
tickets again. I wish we would have been in the pit again, but we
were able to see the second stage acts this time. I did not like
Head
Automatica. They were a little over the top for me. Auf Der
Maur were pretty good. Nicole really liked them a lot and bought
a
cd at the FYE booth. This guaranteed her a chance to meet Melissa
Auf Der Maur after her show. So, Nicole had to miss Interpol this
time around. She was able to get an autograph and a picture with
Melissa.
The Rapture put on a better show in Houston and the singer jumped into
the
pit at one point. Interpol was great. I can’t wait
for the new
cd to come out. The crowd was better in Houston and everyone
seemed
to be having a good time.
By the time the Cure came out, the place was packed. Now, the
only thing I didn’t like about our seats were the people next
to us.
The ones to our right didn’t know any of the songs and kept
leaving to
buy beer. The people in front of us sat the entire main set and
watched the show from the big screen on the side of the stage. I
don’t know why they came to the show. Anyway, the set
list was awesome! This reminded me of the Dream Tour show in New
Orleans. The songs were
great and the band played with a lot of energy. Simon rocked
again! Nicole gave Diana a gift to give to Robert, but who knows
if he got it. I don’t know how reliable roadies are in
passing along gifts to the band. The highlights for me were when
they played “Charlotte Sometimes�,
“Closedown�, “Siamese Twins� and
“Like Cockatoos�. See Diana, they did see your
sign in Dallas. “100 Years� and
“Disintegration� sounded even better than the night
before. By the time the show ended, I was spent. I
got to meet Nadine and Craig again and introduced Nicole to them.
It was really nice to see them again. We tried to sneak into the
after party, but the security guard nailed us. One person we met
was able to charm her way back there, but we were too slow. Oh
well, maybe we’ll see them on the next tour. This was my
10th Cure show and I’m not ready for them to stop yet.
Come back soon guys.
- Joe / joefrog91
I break this into two sections as follows:
Curiosa
This was the 15th out of 23 Curiosa dates. For the second day in a row,
Muse would not be performing due to a broken wrist on their bass
player.
So instead of trying to get Cursive or Thursday on the last notice,
seven bands played. This gave all bands an extra 10-15 min to perform
and
Mogwai played on the second stage rather than the main stage as they
had
for all previous shows. The Cooper Temple Clause, first on the main
stage
(for the first time I think) was very good. At the moment however, a
unique impression has faded as I remember them sounding too much like
Radiohead (I bet they are sick of hearing that). I really enjoyed Head
Automatica's set (first on stage B). It seemed perfect for the day, as
they were unrelenting in their party attitude. I thought it a bit odd
that they were even on the
bill since their self-described "cock-rock" does not fit precisely into
what I thought Curiosa was about. However, since Robert Smith had hoped
that everyone who attended the festival would have an "excellent day,"
they did fit because I enjoyed them. Their lead singer Daryl Palumbo
has
great stage presence. They ARE a great party band and should be in
every
frat house CD collection.
As I found myself back to the main stage The Rapture's
saxophone/keyboard/cowbell player was wailing out a great groove. I
could be wrong but their lead singer, Luke Jenner, seemed to the lone
player of a Fender Stratocaster for the
whole day. He played some bouncing, funky chords with it and I loved
his
voice. Their bass player was the funkiest of the day as well.
Back to stage B, where Auf Der Mauf was starting up and then quickly
back to main stage after just 2 songs. I am sorry Melissa; you need to
get
singing lessons! The sound mix of your set seemed to suggest this too
because
it was LOUD and emphasized the instruments over your voice. Your band
seemed tight but your vocal chords cannot do justice to your music. I
thought the khaki shirts as a uniform for the band mates looked at
first odd but then looked cool as I watched.
The crowd was denser and the sun was behind the hill when Interpol went
on the main stage. Oh man, they rocked and they were delicate at the
same time. I remember thinking (seriously) thank you Robert Smith for
turning me onto this band. I had heard some tunes but not enough and
certainly not live. They were my favorite (other than The Cure of
course) of the main
stage bands. I am an Interpol fan now.
I really wanted to see and hear Mogwai as I know their music fairly
well. I really love their style of instrumental meandering. It seems if
you are a Pink Floyd fan you should be a Mogwai fan. Yes they were
LOUD,
yes they had some delicate feedback, but no they were not on the main
stage.
So, I was not willing to risk seeing The Cure open back on the main
stage to stay and listen to Mogwai. Sorry to the band, you really are
unique and terribly underrated and under heard.
The Cure
First, let me say that I have been a long time Cure fan since 1987.
My recording collection of their work goes back to "Boys Don't Cry" and
is pretty much filled in to the present day "The Cure". I am a fanatic.
For example, I have not listened to any music other then The Cure's
music
since I bought the new CD on June 30th. However odd, this was my first
concert. I just don't go to any concerts that much anymore (am I
getting old?). Although I have watched the "Triology" DVD several
times, I do not have any other references
to compare this performance. However, my sense is, after being glued to
this
web site (thanks again Craig Parker!) for the last month or so, that
this
was a great and even special show. I glanced at the previous reviews
and
was pleased to see that this impression is correct. I tried to guess
and
gauge what songs would be coming but the set list was full of surprises
---
especially the trio of "Siamese Twins," "Closedown," and "Like
Cockatoos." How nice was that? What an absolute thrill to hear
Closedown live; that is one of my favorite tunes from Disintegration.
Simon was dead-on with the
opening bass notes! He seems to be dead-on with everything they play, I
really
admire this. I have liked Simon and appreciated his crucial bass notes
for
as long as I have liked The Cure (at least for when he was with the
band).
I love the intensity he brings to every performance yet at the same
time
he is the most wistful of all on stage. This is just
one level of paradox that makes The Cure so satisfying as a band. They
played, alt.end, The End of the World, Us and Them, and Before Three
from the new album. I love the new album. I think alt.end and TEOTW
were the best of the four. Before Three dragged in my view and I really
like
that song. I should add that this was the fewest number of songs they
have played from the new album so far during this tour.
Poor Perry; he had a tough time with his pedals again (I have read that
this occurred before). Sporadically during the show, it was quite
distracting to see him crouched down trying to fix something. He also
completely missed the first guitar riff of JLH during the encore. I
mean I saw and heard him start it but just the first 2 or 3 notes were
played. I think he was just behind the band for a moment. Later, during
the song he played them with a vigor that was obvious, at least to me,
and it was greater than if he
was just going through the motions just to establish that he was on top
of it. I have high respect for Perry. At first, when he took over
Porl's position in the band I was disappointed but he is a solid
guitarist (I mean
solid!). He has also been loyal to The Cure for more years than he has
been a proper band member. And let's face it, on a more trivial note,
he
just looks so incredibly cool
playing left-handed over there on the right side of the stage! (Am I
right?).
I must have been sitting in a strange place acoustically because I had
problems at times hearing a nice resolved mix. During A Night Like
This,
I was all over the song waiting for the "saxophone solo" and could NOT
hear Robert rip it off on his guitar. What was frustrating even more
was
knowing that he indeed ripped it off big time, you know? This comment
obviously is not about the band as much as it is about the venue! The
Inbetween Days, JLH, POY and perhaps Lullaby (maybe a so-called pop
segment) came
in the encore, not in the middle of the main set as it has
for all of the prior tour. This made the show stand out from others
on the tour in a unique way (I was hoping for "The Kiss"). What a rush
this did to the audience. From the first few notes of POY the uproar
was
louder than the music. The audience had already had been singing most
of
the night, rarely sitting, and most that I could see even had their
hands
upraised for Deep Green Sea. I think it was a very zealous crowd. So
for
some reason I think the boys withheld those songs for the encore as an
appreciation back to the crowd for being so into the other less known
(to casual fans) tunes in the middle of the performance. Now I have
read that a second encore would have included A Drowning Man, Faith,
and Going Nowhere. Can you imagine? I was ready for at least another
half-hour and I am sure the band was too. Honestly. I cannot fathom
what these noise curfews actually accomplish. They make me very mad.I
also heard on a local radio station interview that Robert had a throat
problem (he said infection) so I think this played into the set list
too. However, I challenge anyone to detect a problem with his throat---
his voice was resonant as always. I was amazed at how great his voice
is live. When so many mix and match their vocals in the control room
while recording, Robert Smith is the real deal. Even though his tonic
range may not be multi octave, his emotional range is infinite. This is
one of my main reasons for being a fan; he makes me feel because he
feels what he
sings. If you are reading this, then you know I speak the obvious (like
duh!).
For weeks, I have been considering attending the Monterrey, MX concert
since it is within a day's drive from the Houston area. I think after
the Curiosa show I should go without question now.
- Thomas Vida
OH MY GOD the concert last night was the ABSOLUTE best concert
I have ever seen, period!!!! It was better than any other Cure concert
I've
ever seen, and definitely better than any other concert I’ve
been
to by anyone else. I hope you’re ready to read a long review!
I’m a die
hard Cure fan and I think that most people who aren’t Cure fans
just can’t
understand how much of an impact their music has on us and just
can’t
relate to it. Most think us Cure freaks are just stuck in the
80’s but
those are the ones whose knowledge of the Cure are only Disintegration
or Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. I’ve been a Cure fan since I first
heard Just
Like Heaven back in 7th grade and all I can say about last nights show
was that it was spectacular, electrifying, mesmerizing, raw and just
beautiful!!!
I was sitting in the reserved section and the crowd I was sitting by
were
really into it. There were people standing and dancing all around me
the
entire time and singing along. They actually knew the words to the all
or most of the songs, and not just the pop ones. I only sat down for 2
minutes
the entire show when Like Cockatoos was on. Before I went to the
concert,
I looked on here to see what kind of set list the Dallas show and the
other
more recent shows had, and I was a little disappointed because I think
Disintegration
is their best cd and some songs like Plainsong and Closedown
weren’t being
played often. But our set list was the best one I’ve seen on
here. There
was nothing I didn’t hear that I wanted to hear (ok, maybe an
exaggeration,
but I don’t think they will ever play Breathe or To The Sky
live J). Going
into the concert I really didn't care what would be played I just
wanted
to hear Pictures of You, 100 Years and Closedown. Or at least one of
those
songs, anything besides that would have been fine. I was so fucking
happy
when they played all of those PLUS opened with PLAINSONG! The opening
of
Plainsong was just unbelievable, just totally beautiful and Rob was
totally
into it. It really took you back to 1989 when Disintegration came out.
Plainsong
was just so unexpected by most of the crowd around me you could tell
most
were surprised to hear it. What a great way to open the show. Robert
made
his rounds all around the stage so everyone could see him. I saw him
accept
flowers from someone in the front. And I think he shook a few hands.
Shake
Dog Shake was a surprise too, although not one of my favorites but I'd
never
heard it played live so that was cool. The Figurehead...I
couldn’t believe
they played it!!!! When Rob sang " I laughed in the mirror for the
first
time in a year� his voice was just full of emotion, you could
feel his pain
like as if someone was stabbing him in the heart. Just chilling.
Alt.end
isn’t one of my faves, but I knew they’d play it since
I hear it’s gonna
be one of the songs off the new cd released as a single, but it was
really
good. A Night Like This and Charlotte Sometimes were treats since I
wasn’t
expecting either. I think the whole Pavilion sang along to Lovesong. I
couldn’t
believe they played Closedown…one of my top 5 Cure
songs. Just totally beautiful.
Everything about they way they played it was just hauntingly beautiful.
Just
absolutely wonderful..I cannot even describe it. Even Robert knew he
caught
the crowd by surprise cause he said something like “I bet you
didn’t expect
that one�. I sure as hell didn’t and it was just
flawless. From The Edge
Of The Deep Green Sea was brilliant. Everyone who has seen them play
this
live knows how awesome it is. I had my hands to the sky as did most
around
me. It is awesome live. Then came 100 Years!!!! The whole band was
electrifying
during it. The light show just added to the electrifying guitar sounds
from
Rob and Simon. All of them were just amazing. If you’ve never
seen 100 Years
played live, you have no idea what you are missing, classic Cure at
their
best!!!!!! Disintegration was flawless. After Disintegration they left
the
stage. An encore came on after. I knew they had to play more to appeal
to
the “pop� audience and sure enough here came nonstop
pop hits. Pictures
of You. What can I say about this???? This is my absolute favorite Cure
song.
And last night Robert sang it so beautifully and with so much damn
emotion
it damn near brought me to tears. I cannot even imagine a more
beautiful
song than Pictures of You and Robert was just amazing, just fucking
amazing
singing it. His voice was full of raw emotion as if he were about to
cry
himself. Every hair on my neck was standing! J That song being played
was
worth admission to me alone. Flawless, intensifying, beautiful,
amazing.
Next came Inbetween Days and Rob was even doing a little dance to it.
He
was smiling at the camera and everything. Very happy to hear that since
its
not often they play it live. So nice to see Rob in a good mood and into
the
show. Just Like Heaven was another I desperately wanted to hear. I was
so
into it I didn’t notice what happened like the others did about
Simon and
Perry’s little mix up. But everyone around me was dancing and
singing along.
Right at 11:00 (curfew) the lights came on. It was a fucking bad ass
concert!!
I really couldn’t have asked for anything else to be played
cause everything
I wanted to hear was. I just know that this was the best concert that
they’ve
done so far. 21 songs- classics and pop and rarities and new. Just
amazing.
My sister and I smuggled our cameras in and I was surprised when I read
the
other persons review who wrote that they were allowed in as long as
they
weren’t digital. What difference did it make? Anyway we took
lots of pics
and if mine came out good I’ll post them on here when I get
them developed.
I’ve never seen Rob so full of emotion during a concert and in
such a good
mood. Like I
said he was dancing and even let out a few smiles. It was the best show
I’ve ever seen. If you missed this one you missed the best. For
me there
is no other group besides the Cure and last night was amazing. Rob you
made this fan a very happy girl last night. Thank you. Love you Robert!
Now if only I could get to go see them in mexico….
- Angela
I have to tell you - Houston was the best Cure show I have ever seen in
my entire life. Dallas was good - but Houston was far and beyond the
most incredible performance I have ever seen the band deliver. They
just seemed rejuvenated, as if they were playing the songs for the
first time.
- Ben Londa
After a speeding ticket (88mph in a 70mph), we finally made it to
Houston. Waited for the gates to open and raced into the pit this
time to find out that there wasn't anywhere near the competition I had
the previous day in Dallas. Got a spot smack front center.
^_^
Rapture - These guys were cool. The lead singer at one point
jumped off the stage and into the crowd.
The Cure - I love how they have been changing up the setlists. I
got a sneak peek when the workers were taping the setlists to the floor
so I knew we were in for a good time when I saw Shake Dog Shake.
The setlist was incredible! I felt like I was at a Dream Tour
concert. I had never heard Charlotte Sometimes or Closedown live
before. I
was in awe! They truly made my night when they played Like
Cockatoos. The Houston pit crowd was great because they knew the
lyrics to all of the songs and not just the pop ones. And there
was no pushing and shoving I might add. My little fellow 13-year
old Cure fan Areayl was blowing bubbles and I managed to get some great
pictures. It
was cute to see some of the bubbles pop in Robert's hair and he'ld get
this look. During one of the songs, this big bubble came along
the
way and he went out to chomp it. Wish I had a picture of
that.
For some reason, I was told after a while that the band requested that
no
digital cameras were allowed for their show. Only 35mm??? I
got in cool with the security guard so he allowed me to take pictures
during
the encore at which point I was exhausted. Robert really seemed
to
be enjoying himself and had fun onstage.
I thought they might break curfew again but they didn't. Lights
came up immediately afterwards. I love watching people fight over
the setlists. I truly don't understand why. It's just a
piece of paper and if you want to know what the setlist is, check out
chainofflowers.com. :D I'd understand if it was on some
Cure stationery or something but it's just plain white paper.
I'm so glad I went to the Houston show. Originally I was only
heading to Dallas to protest the festival concept but then I got over
it. It's the boys we're talking about. ^_~
- Mirai
Sometimes / Diana
This was to be my 13th time to see "The Cure." Initially, I had
thought a shortened setlist, streamlined festival vibe, would prove the
number unlucky. However, I am now convinced "Curiosa" was a solid
idea, and a great move in the US market. I caught most of "The
Rapture" and "Interpol" sets, and was satisfied with my first taste of
their material. I was impressed by the enthusiasm the bands
showed, but they are world's away from "The Cure." First off,
"The Cure" have flat-out classic tunes; a healthy back catalog that has
prospered. Second, Robert Smith still has "that" presence.
I was in the pit with friends, family, and
my girlfriend (her first Cure show). The energy was huge when the
boys
hit the stage. This was a night where I noticed the age groups
had
greatly expanded since my first show back in 89'. The band
managed to
represent every facet of their career in this abbreviated 2 hour
set. The thing that excited me was the uncertainty of what they
would play. I never imagined the trio of "Plainsong," "Shake Dog
Shake," and "Figurehead" opening the show. As you can see above,
this set really broke away from the standardized routine. Since
1996, I've been visiting this "Chain of Flowers" site, unable to
control my want to view setlists from every
show. With the majority of past shows I attended, I always knew
the
general playlist in most cases. I am not sure if they will
continue to do it, but the curves thrown in last night's set really
added to the excitement, expectation. This particular show
belonged to Robert and Simon, which was fine, as they had enough energy
to carry the others. Perry and Jason
were solid, but they were playing it safe for the most part... which is
totally fine. Sadly, I was right in front of Roger, and know for
a
fact that his monitor levels hampered his enjoyment. He still
played spot on, although he did cut Perry off before his intro guitar
lead on "Just Like Heaven." Perry looked downright pissed, but
Roger was quick to look over and wave, accepting his error. Soon,
everyone was smiling and laughing about it. All in all, it turned
out to be one of the best
Cure shows I've ever seen. We can all pick on little things, but
I'll
take this band over any other. Still the best live act in the
world!
BEST CUTS OF THE NIGHT: A NIGHT LIKE THIS, PICTURES OF YOU,
DISINTEGRATION.
Robert was really into nailing the vocals.
- Jeff Boortz
last night was fucking incredible!!! i have been a cure fan since '96
and this was the first time that i got to see robert and the band. what
made the night even more special was the manner i got my tickets. i won
two 3rd row center tickets through our local radio station. if ne one
affiliated to the buzz right now is reading this i would like to say
thank you again for making last night possible.
before i get to my cure review, i would like to say a little something
about the bands that opened for the cure. the first band that played
was Cooper Temple Clause. they performed w/ a lot emotion even though
there were only a handful of people at the show. they got so into it
that
one of singers sat beside a staff and started singing with him. only
problem
for me was that i had a hard time catching their lyrics. i don't know
if
it was just me or the way the band was set up but it was hard to
decipher
their lyrics. second was rapture i think. like Cooper Temple Clause
before
them, the Raptures played really great. the guy who played cow
bell
and sax was very animated throughout their set. the third and final
band
before the Cure was Interpol. you could tell that there was a lot of
Interpol
contingencies that were in the audience coz people were standing and
singing
along to their songs.
all i can say to myself when the Cure came up on stage was
that i couldn't believe how close i was to them...just the event of
robert and the band walking to stage was fucking dramatic to me. for my
first Cure concert..and knowing how close i was to them was such a
surreal experience. from the setlist at the past shows lost and
plainsong was a toss up for opener. i was kind of glad they played
plainsong though. lost still hasn't grown into me but i believe in time
i will start to like it. i loved the part when robert walked around the
stage during plainsong. he was walking very slowly like as if he was
cherishing the moment at hand. fucking unbelievable i think. a couple
of fans were lucky enough to touch his hands when he was walking around
stage...and i believe someone gave robert a bouquet of red roses during
plainsong also. i have to say plainsong by far is my favorite opener.
it was quite a treat for me listening to it and i was floored by their
performance. songs that surprised me was shake dog shake, figurehead, a
night like this, like cockatoos, charlotte sometimes, siamese twins,
and closedown. it was a venerable pick i would say for robert and band.
i could not help to jump up and down during each song. i actually lost
my voice half way to their set coz i was yelling after each song the
entire
time. what i did notice though was for the first half of their set
perry
was having problems w/ his guitar. however, they did manage to fix the
problem
as the show went on. nevertheless he looked pissed about the manner. i
finally
got to hear and experience what people were talking about whenever the
band
plays fteotdgs.this is such an electric song played live. even though
most
of the people didn't know the lyrics to the song everybody stood up for
the song. a 100 yrs and disintegration was fucking intense and
emotional.
robert was really into it. he was in essence making love to his guitar!
the encore i believe is worth for the admission alone. first they
played pictures of you. all I can say was wow! this is one my favorite
songs and to hear live i was like in cloud 9 and shit. lullaby was a
treat also. robert was very animated singing this song. he acted out
almost every part of the song. and when u think robert can't top that
performance, he played jlh and boys don't cry without losing a beat. he
did it like as
if he was going to end the encore w/ just like heaven but he went to
boys
don't cry rift. fucking excellent i think! best night i have by far!
what
a surreal experience! i would not have traded this experience for ne
money
in the world. thank u for this memorable experience. hope to see u guys
again : )
- Bernie
A Dream Come True
This was such a reminiscent show - it was unbelievable. I was in
the PIT and staked out my spot early on in the show. I met a
group
of AWESOME
PEOPLE that I will never forget either - Phil and Rob - you guys
are so cool. It wouldn't have been the same without you
guys.
Thank you. We kind of formed an "alliance". If I had to
pee,
they would hold my spot for me, if one of them had to pee, we'd hold
the
spot for them. And it worked awesome! We were right in the
front!
The highlight of the show for me is very personal. I brought a
bouquet of crimson roses to give to the band. At the beginning
Robert comes out and was kinda shaking people's hands...he skips over
me twice, then comes to me, kneels down to take the roses, and with the
most sincere and humbling look, utters a simple "Thank you". And
he started to step back and I kept reaching out with my hands, and then
he
leaned forward again and grabbed my hand!
I couldn't help it, I just burst into tears. The people around me
were so awesome too. They all patted me on the back - it was
like one big happy family. Just beautiful. Cure fans are
the
best!!!!
I could die a happy woman today.
As for the show - absolutely surreal. I was blown away by the
Pornography sets. And Like Cockatoos was the best!!!! I
can't believe we got that! Oh and Charlotte Sometime -
beautiful!!!!
OH - and one note about the setlist - there was a second encore
scheduled but they ran out of time. I couldn't believe it when
Phil saw
it and said "Oh my God...Drowning Man, Faith, and Going Nowhere"
ACK! I would have died if I heard all those beautiful songs!!!!
But they also played to the public a bit on this one too - with all the
pop. It was great though. The entire place was elevated to
house-party rockin! So, the true Cure-freaks got to hear all the
rarities and were ecstatic, and the norm crowd got to hear all the
hits. Worked out good for everyone!
Oh - and this was funny - I was right in front of Roger - and of
course everyone is yelling out requests - and as a spoof I yelled out
"Fire in Cairo" (at the joking request of my new friend Rob here) - and
I got the strangest look back!! It was a wince almost and he just
shook his head - I then yelled "Just Kidding!" I guess he heard
me
because he kinda laughed. It was great!
Also, I think they were having a lot of technical problems.
Perry's bass seemed to go out during Pictures of You I think. And
Roger kept doing that wincing look like it just sounded wrong to
him. Of course to the fans, it sounded perfect!
I also went to the adjoining Marriott Hotel afterwords - to get some
water and to see if the band might possible show up...well they
didn't. I waited til about 1:30. But if they did show up, I
probably wouldn't have made it in to work this morning. I'm a
teacher and it was
the first day of school! EECK! I made it through the day
though - on about 3 hours sleep. Also met some hilarious guys
there too! Thanks for the conversation guys! Don't think I
caught your names.
OK, enough of the review. I will now make a point to see them at
as many shows as I can during the "Next tour"??? Maybe try and
make the
California Curiosa dates.
Take care all you Cure-Freaks!!! I love you all!
- Christina
WOW.....What an amazing set!!!!!! The Houston fans were
definitely treated to an excellent choice of songs, and a performance
that completely blew me away last night!!! I had just been to the
Dallas show which was purely a blissful experience, as I was in the pit
about four rows
back. To be that close and feel such an amazing vibe from the
band
and crowd....well, it was absolutely mesmerizing!! I really
didn't think it could be much better than that, but Robert and the guys
pulled some tricks out of the bag last night, and gave the Houston
audience
a night of surprises!!!
They started off with Plainsong....which is always wonderful! I
was sitting in section CC (stage right), so I got to enjoy the lights
and background more. I was definitely not prepared or the next
two songs. I was thinking Lost or Labrynth, but nope...I couldn't
believe I was hearing Shake Dog Shake for the first time
live!!!!!!! And then, another rarity as they launched into The
Figurehead......incredible!!!! It was then time for a new one,
Alt. End. This is one of my favorites on the new album, so I was
looking forward to hearing this one. But then, I was taken back
yet again with A Night Like This!!!! I had heard this at my
first Cure concert and it had a huge affect on me......such a classic
Cure sound! End of The World was next and was done
perfectly...Robert gave the cutest smile after his high ending (love
you mmmooore!)
The light and fluffy energy was about to take a turn, as the guys began
to play the hauntingly beautiful Charlotte Sometimes. Lovesong
would be next and the crowd really got into this one. So from
love to
hate....Us or Them was the next twist. Wow, the intensity of this
song live is unreal. Ready for two more rarities??? Siamese
Twins was up next. Not sure how many times it's been played on
this
tour, but always great to hear!! The next song really surprised
the
fans.......Closedown!!! Even Robert said,"Ha, I bet you
weren't
expecting that one." Massive emotion had been building the whole
night, and I was completely not expecting one of my all time favorites
to be next......Like Cockatoos! I had just told my husband our
drive
to Houston that I'd die if they played this. Ha, I'm still here,
but I'm feeling like all this was a dream. Then it was time for
another new one, Before Three which was sounding very good! The
beautiful FTEOTDGS was next, and the crowd impressed me as we all had
our "hands to the sky." Finally, I got my 100 Years and
Disintegration that I was hoping for. Simon was going nuts as
usual during 100 Years....love his energy! The guys left the
stage after Disintegration, which
had also left me in tears (I always seem to cry when I sing this song.)
They would come back for a five star, classic encore with POY, Lullaby,
Inbetween Days, Just Like Heaven, and Boys Don't Cry! It was just
what we need to send us home with, as we had a three hour drive ahead
of us. I had been fascinated with their performance, and the
perfect setlist. The guys were much more animated...Robert was
talking a lot more, and they all seemed to be really enjoying
themselves and the crowd. If there was anything in Dallas that I
didn't get to hear, the Cure definitely balanced that out by giving me
all that I could hope for in Houston! (I'm just jealous of the
two people in the pit that caught Roger's paper airplane set
lists...ha). Thank you Robert, Simon, Roger, Perry, and Jason for an
unforgettable night!!!
- Jen