4Tour World Tour 2007 - 08
Street
Reporters - Liberation - AFP
- Telerama
- Le
Parisien
Paris is always worth a journey,
not least because of The Cure playing there a concert. Having seen The Cure
in many European cities during the past 20 years, I never missed to go to
Paris. It is always a pleasure to share these enormous enthusiasm, the Parisians
show for The Cure. And again, I wasn't disappointed. Just like Conor already
wrote, it was a great evening, with a great jumping, singing along and enjoying
audience.
The sound was in my opinion worse than in Stockholm, Berlin and Munich,
most of the time dominated by drums and bass, the guitars sometimes not noticeable.
Also the-nearly all the time- full lighting was not really a good idea (but
presumably necessary because of the official recording of the concert with
various cameras). But nontheless a night and a concert to remember.
I am unsure, if this evening can be overtopped by one of the next concerts
of the 4Tour. But to prove the impression, I came to the conclusion, that
it is time, to look for cheap flights to Canada and the USA....
- Boris
paris means wide boulevards, beautiful
monuments, some of the rudest people you can meet, the best intellectual
heritage in the world, michel
foucault, wonderful top floor apartments and the most fanatical cure maniacs
you will find in europe. there is something between the cure and france (and
paris in particular) and from what i understand there has always been this
particular relationship. paris loves the cure and the cure love paris. its
that simple. other cities love the cure too but they dont show it like the
parisians do. i have seen the cure in almost every country in western europe
and there is a difference. the cure dont play anymore in ireland or rarely
in england because people there forgot what good music is around 1993. if
you see them in italy or spain you can see that the mediterraneans are still
there but if you really want to live a cure concert as it should be lived
(in my opinion) you have to go to paris. you will still see the group of
tall eastern european men that stand like zombies near the front but unlike
in germany they wont be able to stand still because in paris at the front
there is what can only be described as mayhem.if you want to dance wildly
to a forest (and not with only 20 people), if you want to push during push,
if you want to punch someone in the face during killing an arab (and i am
only
exaggerating a little bit) you have to go to paris. regarding the cure,in
france, unlike in other countries, nothing has changed since 1986. ok, now
there are the children of the mad dancers in the orange video but now they
are dancing madly with their dads. in fact up the front last wednesday there
was a strange mix of 40 something greying ex cureheads and teenagers all
moving to the beat like they knew it was over. the proof that the french are
the biggest cure fans are the setlists that the cure do in france (and in
paris in particular) look at the legendary encore in bercy in 89, the fact
that the dark cousin of show is paris, forever at the end in 96, the 5 pornography
songs first night in 2000 followed by the faith encore the next night and
this time although the setlists are strangely immobile this tour they played
for three and a half hours and came back to finish with faith, the fans at
the front were shouting for it. i am too old to write about what faces robert
pulled or what he said between songs. the cure are professional musicians,
despite much discussion there is not a big difference between concert and
concert in how they play the songs. these are the songs we grew up to, the
songs that saved our lives as morrissey said. they must be lived. if you
wand to stand still and nod your head gently dont go to paris. last wednesday
the cure rocked like only they can. they rocked and rocked and rocked. noone
will ever surpass them. see you next time in paris.
- Conor
What an epic concert that was! I was rather dubious before the show,
as I’d seen how they don’t alter the setlist much, plus I knew I preferred
the previous line-up (because magic keyboards and none of that show-offy,
noisy random shite that Porl insists on playing on some songs), but there
you go: it was probably the best concert for me. Not so much because of
the setlist, which was not as good as some of the dream tour shows, but
because of the atmosphere, the excellent rendition of all the classics,
and FAITH! (but I’ll talk about that further down).
Man, 3 hours and 33 minutes of pure music and madness! Robert’s voice
had never sounded so good – very powerful, and incredibly in tune throughout
(apart from the beginning of “freak show”, for technical reasons apparently,
so he went to the very back of the stage –for one second I thought he was
actually leaving- and pressed his hands to his ears, and then it was much
better. He even apologised with a “thanks for being so kind, I really couldn’t
hear myself). I cant’ believe after 3 hours’ show he could still pull off
such long powerful notes. Obviously the “rain” on “prayers for rain” was
incredible as always, and got people clapping as usual.
I’d never seen him dance so much, make so many faces, and looking as
if he was really enjoying himself –always with that very mischievous look
in-between songs.
Well, talking about in-between songs, he didn’t talk very much, with
only two attempts at French : before a very emotional “a boy I never
knew” he said : “c’est une chanson nouvelle, nouveau?, mmm, I know it’s
in there somewhere, but just won’t come out yet.” So let’s say grammar
stopped him. Ha! And before the lovecats he said “c’est une chanson que
nous avons écrite à Paris” (it’s a song we wrote in Paris).
At one point he realised he’d only been saying “merci” the whole time,
and apologised for that, saying he should try to say something else. There
were a funny couple of times when he just stood in front of the mike and
pretended he was saying something, but in fact not saying anything.
I liked that.
He made a few jokes – one I think he’d made before : after “How beautiful
you are” (which he introduced by saying “this is about where we are now”)
he said “probably one of the most depressing songs we’re gonna play tonight,
except maybe for this one…” and then started “Friday I’m in love”.
Then on “the lovecats”, he deliberately played a horrible out-of synch,
out-of tune melody in lieu of the piano melody, but smiled as he did so,
and looked mischievously at the audience because he wanted us to sing that
melody, which we eventually did, but out-of-tune, at which he ripped the
piss out of us by singing “wonderfully, wonderfully IN TUNE”. That was funny.
And the “hello, hello, hello? “at the end of wrong number was funny too.
There was a very long finale for “Play for today”, with Robert starting
to play the chords again because the audience wouldn’t stop singing the
keyboard melody, and then he started to improvise something with Porl
and that eventually segued into “A forest”.
Grinding Halt got some new words – amongst which “no key, no words”,
as far as I could make out.
“One hundred years” was by far the best I’d ever heard live. Robert’s
guitar was just amazing! I have to mention here that the depressing images
shown on the screen for this one were not the same as the ones during the
Dream Tour. I remember the older ones which all explained, or gave a possible
interpretation of each line of the lyrics. This time it was all about
World War II, and the nazis, as well as some Cold War ones as well (was
that Mao Tse Tung in one of the photos?).
“Lullaby” : I have to say I’d like the keyboards back for most songs,
but I didn’t miss them for this one as I thought what Robert was doing on
the guitar was excellent, and at least it makes a song everyone’s heard
a million times before interestingly different.
Now for “Faith”! Well , it was beyond my imagination – however much
I was desperately hoping for it – that after “killing an arab”, and after
what had already turned out to be the longest concert of the tour so far,
and after the usual three encores, they’d come back for a fourth and play
that legendary song. Well, the first thing I noticed was that Robert hadn’t
said “goodnight”, and all the others had left, and he looked as though he
too was leaving, but then at the last second turned round, and made a funny
gesture (and he did look like a sheepish kid when he did that) that meant
“hang on a sec, I’ll see what I can do”. Then left, and a lot of people stood
up and started to leave, but he came back very quickly, and everyone went
mad, and he went to the mike and said -sounding very angry, and striking a
chord each time he pronounced the f* word- something along these lines :
“It really fucks me off that they won’t let me play my song. I
fucking want to play my song.” And then Faith started, I had to sit back down,
my legs were
shaking too much, and I felt the tears well up – well that’s another
story. I like the way he said “my” song , and I wonder who “they” were.
The band? Or probably there was a curfew. Well, anyway, it was my best
Faith live (I wasn’t around for Rome 89! Still in primary school at that
time and had not even heard of the Beatles!). Very nice guitar solo, very
clear, and extra words along the lines of “it’s not working anymore as it
used to…” Well, very emotional.
And then the last strange thing that happened was this : the others
left the stage, but Robert stayed for a long time, going left and right,
very slowly, and looking very intensely at the audience, and bowing, and
looking as if he wanted to stay, or say something more – well in fact looking
like when two people leave each other for a long time and there’s that awkward
moment when no-one wants to be the first to leave. And then he did leave,
but very reluctantly. They’d been on stage – from the moment the bells
were heard to Robert’s departure – a staggering 3 hours and 35 minutes!!!
So a great, great night, even though, of course, we got a lot of classics
– all the singles in fact if I’m not mistaken – but the true fan (that
I am too) would have obviously liked more obscure songs (poppy or not),
and some Bloodflowers (guys, do you remember that album exists?), or B-sides,
etc, but well, there is no if!
a couple of things I forgot to mention : yes "please
project" is now "the only one" - that's how Robert introduced it
in Paris too. I always thought the "project" part meant it was not a definitive
title. And that song has indeed changed : the verse-chorus sequence is
different from what it was in Mexico.
And yes, the show was filmed . There were a few cameramen on stage, and
a couple of cameras in the arena, plus a massive kind of telescopic
crane one. (Which might explain - if I want to be a cynic - why the show
was so good - I wonder how it would look and sound on video though.).
Well, that really doesn't mean they're going to release it. Aren't they
supposed to be releasing an album ? Or did I just imagine it?
And as for "Faith" , Robert changed the final lyrics . I remember back
in 2000 he finished with "there's nothing left." (deliberately omitting
the word "faith" - like the good atheist he is, I like him for that, we Europeans
have really seen the light !) . Now he sings "there's nothing, NOT faith."
With an emphasis on "not"
Thanks for bearing with me.
- Sylvain
Amazing gig in Bercy - must recommend all
Cure Fans see them in Paris - of particular note was an absolutely outstanding
FTEODGS and a Faith
which after over 3 hours of music capitivated a packed venue.
- DK
I think it will be the best show of the 4 tour.
the sound of the cure in bercy was perfect. very very very good quality.
I saw many groups in bercy with a bad sound (smashing pumpkins recently)
The show was filmed by a big looma near the stage and people. 4 cameras
on the stage.
Lot of people in front of the stage, very compact...very intensive,
make waves on people at the begenning of the show...i remember zeniths
92.....fans shout Robert, Robert...
Plainsong perfect for bercy. Prayers for rain with a long "rain...."
like prayer tour 1989.
strange day : beautiful..strange atmosphere, very hard to stay in
front of the stage for many people who left to go far away....
alt end, end of the world : magics songs, very well orchestred by
Jason.
it's more breathe in foss with lovesong, to wish impossible, emotional.
deep green sea always fabulous, and pogo....
kyoto song : nostalgic, please project : not known by people
and madness on old and young fans with push, magic how beautiful (superb),
friday, ibd, just like...and primary....It will be funny to see if there
was on dvd. ....(mad like orange 86).
After that.... difficult for "a boy i never knew" to take emotional
impact in bercy.
Shake dog Shake, best song of "the top". Robert make a real fun and
pleasure to sing this song...: shake shake...
Never enough, wrong number, 100 years, disintegration : very pleasure
to listen and appreciate "the light and pictures/movie" like a big big
show.
a very long "always always al....................ways" on disintegration.Magic.
Seventeen seconds encore : after calm people move again
Funny after "play for today". Robert only with guitar make sing people
on play for today (ahhhhhhohhhhhahhhhhohhhhahhh), 45 seconds...Magic.
then "pop encore" : perfect for bercy. People on rostrum standing
and move each time that Robert go on corner.
Very long third encore 1979, beautiful version on TIB, Very good
sound on Bass and Drums.
Fire in Cairo , it's one of my favorite song of the cure
i saw "god" on eyes of Robert....
madness on 10/15 and killing, bercy on fire....
The group go backstage quickly... Robert only on stage say with his
hand that he look for the group to come again.....AND FANS SHOUT FAITH!!!!!!
and : drum/bass begins....Magic last encore FAITH with a beautiful
picture inside a church. extra lyrics
3h30 : Do you know a group who give like that.......after 30 years.....THE
CURE it's more like a music group....it's life.
THANKS THE CURE, THANK YOU ROBERT!!!!
Maybe see you on dvd .....
- YEARS GO BY
