Aug. 22nd,1989-Landover,Md. (Capitol Center)

The Cure of 1980's:Harmless,Enjoyable

by Matt Neufeld of the Washington Times (8/24/89)

Whether or not this is indeed the last tour for The Cure,the fiercely
independent,offbeat five-man band played Tuesday night at the Capital Centre
as if it were giving all it had before taking a long break.

Not content to end after the usual 90-minute or two-hour show,the band came
back a second and third time,with hit after hit until the sold-out crowd of
19,000 was drenched in sweat and reeling from the hypnotic music and lights.
The encore sets could have been as planned as the rest of the show,but their
inclusion stretched the show to 2 1/2 hours and gave the ominous feeling that
the band was making sure fans enjoyed a complete show while they could.

The Cure is a progressive dance band,able to merge a layered,textured sound.
That was displayed Tuesday night.The young crowd was on its feet from the
first song and stayed there except for a handful of slower songs,which
sometimes dragged and came close to drowning in their own murkiness.

Nevertheless,that murkiness,so inherent in The Cure's early albums,rarely
creates a depressing feeling.Rather,listeners are apt to drift off with the
synthesizers and gaze at the stage's lights which,for once in a stadium show,
fit the varying moods of the songs.Today,with most concert lighting just
added stage business,lights are usually not worth mentioning.However,Tuesday
night the spots' blinking,patterns and spinning made sense in the context of
The Cure's atmospheric songs.

Band leader and singer Robert Smith has said that "The Prayer Tour," backing
up the group's 1989 album "Disintegration," could be the last for The Cure.

That would be a shame,not only because of the band's eclectic stance,but
because it appears that the group has gained a legion of new fans with
"Disintegration," despite The Cure's 12-year,11-album history.

Tuesday's show ranged from the title track of "Disintegration" and that
album's hit single,"Fascination Street," to the string of primarily
dance-oriented singles from various records:"Let's Go to Bed" from 1982's
"Pornography"; "The Walk" from 1983's "Boys Don't Cry"; "In Between Days"
from 1985's "The Head on the Door"; and "Just Like Heaven" from 1987's "Kiss
Me Kiss Me Kiss Me."

Despite debates about songs (1979's "Killing An Arab"),concern about
appearances (England's "Top of the Pops" television show didn't want Mr.
Smith to appear with his red lipstick,eyeliner and tangled hair) and
questions about the band's moody early music,The Cure is,after all,harmless
and enjoyable.

Although Mr.Smith has said the band may stop touring,in today's music world
with some groups whose glory days were 15 to 20 years ago regrouping and
going on tour to huge,receptive crowds-it seems unlikely that this will be
the last tour for The Cure.Concertgoers should hope it isn't.

The Cure's Sob Stories

by Kathi Whalen of the Washington Post (8/24/89)

Robert Smith wound down the Cure's Tuesday night Capital Centre show with a
wry version of an old hit,"Boys Don't Cry." The choice was ironic,because
Smith has achieved arena success as the boy who's always crying.

A gloomy British band that's become even more morose with its current album,
"Disintegration," the Cure stayed close to melancholy melodies like "Last
Dance" and "A Strange Day" for most of the 2 1/2-hour set.The difference
between the first song,which is new,and the second,a chilling track from a
spectacular 1984 album,is that latter-day Cure has melted into gothic new-age
music,overburdened with mechanized beats and ringing guitars.

Since no one in the band is a strong performer (Smith's rag-doll dancing was
feeble),the music was left to create the sparks,and very little from
"Disintegration" did.For pure tawdry romance,the lovely "Charlotte Sometimes"
was much more effective.The length of the show allowed Smith to dig into the
band's quirky dance-hit file,though,and his coquettish readings of
"Inbetween Days" and "Why Can't I Be You" were irresistible.

During the final quarter,Smith led the band in a string of songs from its
first album."Killing an Arab," "10:15 on a Saturday Night" and "Three
Imaginary Boys" came off so well that even the Cure had a reason to be
happy.

Opener Shellyan Orphan was as quaint and dreadful as its name.The current
taste in the band's native Britain for folksy,flowery pop has gone too far,
if these warbling,prancing kids are representative.

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