May 19th,1989-Munich,Germany (Olympiahalle)

by Perry Stern of Music Express (issue #138)

Olympiahalle, Munich, West Germany

It's amazing how a little thing like set design can affect the way you perceive a concert. Because of a flying wedge of lights that hung perilously over stage left, no matter where you stood or sat in the massive Olympiahalle, it didn't seem as though that was where you were. If you managed to struggle your way through the slam-dancers and pogo enthusiasts to the centre of the hall, it seemed like you were somewhere off to the side. If you casually observed from the far left corner of the venue, your perspective tricked you into thinking you were standing dead center. While The Cure has never resorted to pyrotechnics or stage gimmickry to dramatize their live show, this tour benefits from a set that subliminally represent's the band's motto these days: no matter where you think we stand (flightly lighthearted popsters; moody introspective miserablists; gloomy gothic doomsayers), we're actually standing somewhere else.

From the first majestic notes of Plainsong to the final sepulchral chords of Faith, some three hours later, The Cure displayed a remarkable depth of material that should permananetly preclude pigeonholing the band in the future (if there is one for the band - Robert steadfastly claims that this will be his last tour). Covering the broad spectrum of their decade-long career, the songs tumble off the stage, almost relentlessly, skipping from new songs off the brilliant Disintegration, to the dancey, mid-period Cure classics (Let's Go To Bed, The Walk), back in time to live rarities (All Cats Are Grey), and culminating in accelerated versions of Boys Don't Cry and Three Imaginary Boys.

Robert Smith has grown more talkative over the years. He jocularly introduces each song Iin English, of course), paying no mind to either the language or the sound barriers that the Olympiahalle's anti-acoustics present. The crowd, plainly dominated by longstanding fans, shouted relentlessly for their favourites (A Forest seemed to be the No. 1 choice), until Smith gently chided them that "You should know us by now - the more you shout for a song, the less likely it is we'll play it!"

This particular line-up of drummer Boris Williams, keyboardist Roger O'Donnell, guitarist Porl Thompson and bassist SImon Gallup is, according to Smith and any casual observer of the band, the strongest Cure to date. In particular, the contribution of the latter two, who have been in and out of the group in the past, gave the music the full, studied respect it deserves. The Prayer Tour proves, once and forever, that The Cure not only defies categorization, but superlatives as well.

Thanks to Robin Juric for the review

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