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 Reviews

This show killed in my opinion, First off the Music Hall is small for a Cure show, so no matter where you where in it you had a great feel to it and to my surprise this was a very rowdy Austin crowd (usually we are really mellow at shows). I think the band responded to the setting really well  because they were more aggressive than I have ever heard them and it was awesome. The crowd for me had a lot to do with why this was a great show, despite the reviewer who said we Austinites are a bunch of yuppie scum. Sorry but going gothed out in black vinyl pants, leather jacket, and pancake makeup just doesn't work when its as hot as it is here, shorts and T shirt thank you very much. They opened with a blistering version of Open which was a highlight for me of this great set. Robert struglled a little at  first because he couldn't hear the monitors, he made a number of mumbling comments on it through the first couple of breaks between tunes. At one point Robert was asking about who was at the other Texas shows and every one cheered to which he responded "Fucking straw polls" the subject came up again in Houston..... The setlist seemed to go for the more hardcore fan with things like the big hand, hanging garden, torture, and so on. The thing that was so cool was all the people around me were really into the non hits as much as JLH or POY. I certainly went nuts for some of the things they played I kept finding myself going haven't heard this one live before.  Hanging garden in particular was most excellent. Play for Today was also killer who needs keyboards when the crowds can just sing the part. The main set was great but the encores were something else all together, after Robert said he was about to take us way back I thought oh goodie, and we get a Seventeen Seconds set and TIB set The TIB set was crazy cause they just tore through the songs with this attacking style that I didn't think they had, Arab just blew the roof off with the band and the crowd seemingly meshing into one. It felt like everyone in the place was screaming the lyrics with the band. The energy was amazing from the band, it was like they were feeding of the crowd despite the fact that it was so freaking hot. Though we didn't get a 3rd encore I certainly understood why as they really gave it their all. It was probably the most fun I have had at one of their shows (and there have been many). So bravo to the Cure for this one.

- Casey


Highlights for me were Simon smiling at seeing me in my Reading shirt.  Robert acknowledging my M sign. "That one'll will be played in the encore."  Vicki had an Elise sign and Robert said, "Elise not tonight."  Simon making a disgusted look and shaking his head at Porl kissing Robert.  Robert saying, "And that's why we don't play that one too often" about Doing the Unstuck.  Robert giving me a look when I asked him to sign my M sign.  He was like - We played the song and you want more.  Robert saying, "Here's another new song.  They're all new songs."

- Joefrog


Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

 

The Cure, Austin Music Hall 060808

 

This show has got to be the most mainstream Cure show I have ever gone to in respects to the audience. I think Robert Smith has finally achieved his dream of alienating the band from the Goth/80’s/new wave scene and embracing the loving arms of those who shop at Ambercrombie & Fitch. Gone are the folks who dress all in black, here are the folks in jeans, the Frat Boys, the Yuppies and their various hangers on.

 

Kinda sad really- it feels as though I am forced to close one part of my life- or at least reconfigure that portion. That said though- the crowd did seem really into the show and quite a few of the mainstreamers knew all the lyrics to all the songs even the new ones. I guess a fan is a fan.

 

And the show was fun- although I am not sure if it is having seen about a bazillion other Cure shows but the set list, surprises and all, do hit the snag of predictability. In the past I exposed myself to other set lists (and spoiling the fun) but this time I stayed from Chain of Flowers reviews in hopes of being genuinely surprised.

 

And yes while there were surprises, a good 75% of the set list is the same as what I have seen before. There was a good difference in their set list between the Swing Tour in 1997 and the Dream Tour in 2000- but for the most part they kept with the same set of songs they did for the last tour in 2004.

 

And I do so miss the keyboards. There is a certain texture lost for Kiss Me and Disintegration era songs without them.  

 

Those complaints aside- I did have a great time at the show. It has been eleven years since I have seen the Cure in such a small(ish) general admission venue. I think I am past that stage where I want to be on the floor squished to bits and having people two feet taller than me block my view anyway. Holly and I had some great spots by the wings where we have a good and close overview of the band. Unfortunately the people two feet taller than me would get in front of me now and then (But some quick Kung Fu dispatched the problem quite quickly) and the speakers obscured all of the band save for Robert and Simon (who for all intents and purposes are the Cure nowadays anyway).

 

Highlights:

Tape (Intro)/Open: Show was the first full Cure album I ever got and hearing the instrumental opening was a great kick.

Doing the Unstuck: The second biggest surprise and my favourite of the night. Let’s get happy indeed.

The Big Hand: The biggest surprise of the night. While I was a wee bit disappointed they did not play A Letter To Elise, the b-side for that single more than makes up for it

Just Like Heaven: Always Fun.

Three Imaginary Boys/Jumping Someone Else’s Train/Another Journey by Train/Grinding Halt: The best songs from their freshman album

Pictures of You: A prime example of the need for keyboards.

A Forest: Just plain crazy as usual

 

All in all, despite my concerns- it was still a fun night. It is great to finally be witness to the work of the awesome Porl Thompson and while they are definitely not the Cure I once knew, they are still a great band to see live and still one of my favourite bands.

Rating: B+

 

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

- Joe

The Cure rocked a sweltering Austin tonight in a minuscule venue. The band sounded stunningly vibrant and polished and yet raw enough to
whip up the crowd into a manic frenzy, especially during the encores. I have never seen Robert so frenetic and giddy and loquacious. Porl
was phenomenal, Simon one cool-ass punk, and Jason's drumming transcendently good.

A few highlights (and I have no doubt I have left out loads):

Lullaby - This song kind of bores me these days, but DAYUM if it didn't rock tonight! Robert played the keyboard parts on his guitar and it sounded wildly cool. And of course did all the requisite spider gestures with his hands.

Figurehead - Delectably dark and psychedelic. Porl ROCKED it and I felt like I was tripping. Made me really hanker for a solidly dark
set.

Strange Day - Sounded amazing and Robert launched into this brief jazzy swingy dance during the part where he sings "And I laugh as I drift in the wind/Blind dancing on a beach of stone." It was seemingly incongruous to the mood of the song but somehow worked like magic. Quite funny!

Hanging Garden - Truly, it's a dark primal masterpiece live. Quite tribal sounding. Jason pounded it out!

Doing the Unstuck  - Sounded ripping and euphoric and the crowd went nuts for it.

Torture - I wrote a poem inspired by this song way back in the day, and so I almost fainted with joy when they played this. Sounded soaringly good.

alt.end - Yes, alt.end. There are better songs from TC, truly (like LOST AND BEFORE THREE AND LABYRINTH, ROBERT), but Porl really
embellishes this otherwise lackluster song with his swirling lines.

Killing An Arab - This was a frenzied, ferocious, scarily intense version of the post-punk classic. The best way that I can describe it is "psychedelic punk."

Encores - The old-school punky encores were insane. Just fucking psychotic. The band sounded so good I thought they might all just spontaneously explode on stage, and the crowd down on the floor was manic, pushing, shoving and jumping up and down and singing. Actually, my ribs were almost crushed and I was very unhappy at times because of this, but the encores were frighteningly good anyway. And the entire venue was rocking along to the songs. At the end of A Forest, Simon thrashed his bass like he was high on meth and was dripping sweat profusely. And the band really fed off the crowd's energy.

The new stuff was well received and Perfect Boy sounded just incredible. I would have liked to hear UTS and BRDB of course, too. The crowd in the front (where I was) seemed to know the words to the new songs, thanks to COF. :-)

Robert was very talkative but mumbly so I couldn't understand ANYTHING he said. He was rather interactive with the audience at times, coming
to the front of the stage to pose, pull crazy faces, smile, etc. He would break into giddy dances, too, or do his surreal facial and physical gestures he is so famous for, and seemed to be having the most excellent ebullient time of it. Simon was bouncy and prowly and "gallupy" as usual and Porl was almost too polished and vibrant for words. Jason, too, was just thrashingly good.

At the end of the show, Robert looked very sad that they had to end. He had an apologetic look on his face and very humbly looked at the audience and smiled shyly when people screamed for him. He walked to both sides of the stage before the lights went up and seemed very hurt that they had to stop playing. He pointed at his watch and shrugged his shoulders a bit sadly.

Honestly, and I'm not using hyperbole when I say this, but the Cure have never sounded better, or given a more mesmerizing live performance. Truly staggering, and well worth the eight hour wait in the heat and two hour venue wait.

- Clockwise Cat


So it sounds like a lot of people had a great time. Austin was my 10th show of this tour and my 26th over all. I was floored to hear torture - first time I've every heard it live. Hanging Garden and big hand were fantastic to get as well. But when it comes down to it this was my least favorite of the ten. First of all the venue sucked for the simple fact the A/C/ was crap. I felt like I was back at Jimmy's watching Metal Rose in August back in High School in New Orleans (lame-from a venue stand point. No reflection on the band I watched tonight) The setlist I thought really wasn't that great compared to other nights, especially since this was supposed to be the "special" show. Dump Lovesong, Lullaby, Friday I'm in love from the San Jose, San diego, Phoenix, or Dallas shows ( although friday I don't think was played at all four) and insert Torture, Hanging Garden, Big hand (did play at Phoenix) and or that whole block of Faith songs we thought we might be getting tonight ( instead of maybe that Lovecats to why can't I be you block encore which we didn't even get because there were only 2 encores)) and then you would have a real "special" show. I would take phoenix in a heart beat over this show. I mean seeing the Cure is better than pretty much anything else I could be doing on a sunday night but I have to say over all this wasn't just didn't quite do it for me. But I think that it is just going to make for a kick ass show tomorrow in Houston which will end my 3 week journey of following this incredible band.

- Ryan