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Photos

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 Reviews

Well, here it is, my first review.  It was really hard to write, and I was hopeless when it came to conveying the experience.  (Feel free to edit and fix typos, bad grammar, etc.).  I think Cat will be sending one in within the next couple of days, but maybe this will do till then:

Friday I was in love.  I still am...

We got to our exceptional seats (6th row center, and well worth the $226 per paid to TicketsNow) just in time for the 65 Days of Static set. I thought they were exceptional, and a perfect choice for warming us up for the big event.

I had of course hoped, albeit it faintly, that Robert would break with routine and give us 'Underneath the Stars', but it was not to be. Disappointment notwithstanding, the first few notes of 'Plainsong' against that glorious cosmic background took my breath away, and I was not to get it back till well after the show concluded. 'Prayers for Rain' was spectacular. I can only echo what others said about Robert's voice; hearing him hold 'the note' so long and with such intensity will make you tingle! I enjoyed 'alt.end', but it wasn't till 'A Night Like This' began that I had my first squee moment. It was a delicious, first-rate performance. 'The Baby Screams' and 'The End of the World' were great, and 'Lovesong' did to me what it always does (and no, I don't give a flying fuck what loads of elitist diehards think -- it's one of my faves). 'Letter to Elise', another fave and a very special treat, was done with passion and sincerity. Okay, so I've lost count of how many squees had errupted by then, but when 'Want' started, there was yet another. How can you not love this song? I can't help but fall into it, especially when hearing it live; I would have subtitled it 'aural orgasm' this night. And then there was a bewitching rendition of my all-time fave, 'Pictures of You' (strangely, now in close competition with 'Underneath the Stars'). I can never, ever hear this song too many times, but must confess to preferring the original lyrics. 'Lullaby', a crowd fave, was imo a bit more erotically charged than usual and utterly delightful. 'Maybe Someday' was a welcomed choice from the very excellent 'Bloodflowers' album, and left me wanting more songs from that era.  'The Perfect Boy' and 'Sleep When I'm Dead' were of course our first live encounters with the new record.  I thought they were well-performed and, together with the other new songs we've heard, portend that a masterpiece is on the horizon.  Sandwiched inbetween was a vintage masterpiece, namely 'From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea'; as usual, it was grace and beauty defined.  And then came 'Push', and for the first time in my life, I found myself pogoing like a school girl. Yes, this middle-aged body was in extended vertical spasm from the outset! It was glorious testament to the power of the shaman called Robert Smith; he made an old woman feel young again, and his spell has yet to wear off!  I'm telling you, if you're feeling ancient and/or infirm, go to a Cure gig! You'll be reborn!   Okay, so back to the show... 'Friday I'm in Love', 'Inbetween Days', and 'Just Like Heaven' were electric, in part due the energy emanating from the crowd.  Those dour, dark types who scoff at the pop stuff can suck it; I totally dig these songs, and casual fans going apeshit over the hits feeds into the energy felt by the band and concertgoers like me.  Hit-friendly sets add a dimension to the overall gig experience that I'd definitely not want to miss.  Sorry for digressing *again*... 'Primary' was tight and intense. Yum.  'Never Enough' rocked, made all the better by Robert's mobility during the performance.  'The Only One', a new song that didn't grab me at first, was absolutely wonderful; having the lyrics to read beforehand made a big difference.  And then came 'Signal to Noise', another personal fave.  I took photos then because the lighting was more intense and my old p&s and I needed all the help we could get.  In retrospect, I wish I'd just allowed myself to experience the song. It was beautiful.  As for 'One Hundred Years', OMG.  The black & white photos changing at a frenetic pace served as a perfect backdrop to what was yet another intense, mind-blowing performance of one of their most visceral songs.  Disintegration, yet another fave, was next.  As always, it swept over and into me.  Spectacular.

'If Only Tonight We Could Sleep' started the first encore.  I've never heard it performed this well.  Breathtaking doesn't begin to describe it.  And then came 'The Kiss', the first one, that is.   Imo, the crowd loved it. We were one big bunch of squealing nutters after watching Robert do to his guitar what many of his more passionate fans would like done to them.  Yes, it was man-on-guitar sex, and it was fucking hot!

'Freakshow' started the next encore.  I've fallen for this song, so it was delightful to hear it, even if Robert did get into a bit of a jam with the lyrics.  He was adorable at the end, muttering, with hands in the air. Also, we weren't disappointed by his much-anticipated dance moves. :-)))) It was all good!  'Close to Me' and 'Why Can't I Be You?' were dynamic crowd pleasers, and great fun to witness.

'With Boys Don't Cry', 'Jumping Someone Else's Train', 'Grinding Halt', '10:15 Saturday Night', and 'Killing An Arab', encore 3 made for a nice trip back in time.  Most of these songs are not on my personal dream set list, but they were well-performed and participation-friendly.  (Yes, it was a drip, drip, drip night! ;-))

We were treated to 'A Forest' for our 4th and final encore.  Brilliant as always, but better.  The added lyrics at the end left me standing stockstill, trying desperately, and alas, to no avail, to understand the words.  Robert's countenance and tone made it clear that the words were important, but no matter how much I focused, few of them would imprint.  The sentiment conveyed without them was substantial and long-lasting; had I known the words, I believe that tears would have spilled from my eyes -- it was that moving.

And now for the 'other kiss'... It started with Simon approaching Robert with his back to my part of the crowd.  Robert looked up, and made intense eye contact.  As a smile slowly formed on Robert's face, I knew something extraordinary was about to happen.  As they continued to approach, Simon unslung his bass and proceeded to hand it over to Robert.  With head slightly atilt, Robert put his face to Simon's as they exchanged a light kiss.  The crowd went wild, and I turned to Cat and exclaimed something about it being incredibly erotic.  Simon turned and walked away, leaving Robert to juggle his guitar and the bass.  Was it staged?  Of course it was (imo)!  Who cares?  We LOVED IT!  What's interesting is that several of us decidedly straight girls were talking later and trying to figure out why we got so turned on, but that's another story (could it have something to do with guitars being phallic symbols?) ...

This show was my fourth and clearly the best.  The band is in exceptional form, repeat, EXCEPTIONAL form.  Not surprisingly, I missed Roger -- A LOT. Imo, there are some songs that need keyboards to sound right, but overall, the sound is tight and utterly rocking.  As for the vibe, I can't imagine how it could be better.

The crowd was large and surprisingly engaged.  They needed a bit of warming, but once they got primed, it was a fab scene.

Looking back, it's hard to believe that I had no intention of going to a 4Tour gig, and that I'd sworn to never deal with touts.  As they say, famous last words.    The only regret I have is that Sunrise was my one and only gig this time around.  I damned sure don't regret paying aproximately 4x the face value for the tickets, and will do it again if necessary.  The sound and the view were about as good as it gets; close enough to see wtf is going on, yet far enough back to hear with little or no distortion.  For those who are still on the fence, get thee to a gig!  Go into debt, cash in some miles, do what you've got to do, but get your ass to a Cure show this week!

On a personal note, I want to publicly thank Robert, Simon, Porl, and Jason for a show that I'll remember with immense joy for the rest of my days. (And Robert, I love it when you dance!)  It was my great fortune to witness a band that has undergone a renaissance, and to do it in the company of three lovely friends, namely Cat, dsc, and Corrine.  I shall  dream of doing it all over again, outside of south Florida I hope, and with 'Underneath the Stars' as the first course.  May we merry meet and again grow hoarse and weary together!

- 7Bluestars


The night started off beautifully with Plainsong, and surprisingly there were more people singing along than I expected, especially a couple of girls near me that didn't look like the type to know anything but the hits.  The newer songs kept a lot of the crowd on their feet, but brought most of the dancing and singing to an abrupt halt.  Of course, Friday I'm in Love, Inbetween Days, and Just Like Heaven back to back got them all dancing again until Primary came on and most people around me seemed sort of stumped.  Lullaby sounded amazing and there was a great vibe to it. After freakshow, I recall Robert making some sort of cute mumbly remark about breaking the song down into four lines. (I didn't bring my "Robert to English" dictionary with me tonight, unfortunately :()  The crowd was rather interesting...a couple of older women showing off more than I'd like to have seen, but I was lucky enough to be seated near a handful of hardcore fans on the floor who not only spared my eye sight, but got into the show and danced and pumped their fists like true Cure fans should.  All in all it was an amazing show, and by the end of the 4th encore the crowd was still screaming for more.  I don't think anyone left that concert unhappy!

- emlan