Well Cure fans...if you weren't in Albuquerque, New Mexico last night 
(the 19th) you probably missed the greatest CURE show ever!  In this I do not 
exaggerate a bit!  The sad part of it is...it wasn't taped and will only 
exist within the memories of those who were there.  They didn't play any out 
of the ordinary songs...but every song they played was the best I've ever 
heard!  Let me re-cap...
	We got to Albq.  around 3:00 pm.  We drove around, saw the sites, got 
something to eat, then at 5:00 we went to the show at Tingley which is really 
a huge barn (the smell included).  We stood in the front of a line for two 
and a half hours. Yes, at 7:30 they finally let us in! As we walk up to the 
barn we hear the Cure doing sound check (we find out later they were late 
getting here).  They only played one song..."want". I was a bit bummed 
because they didn't have the full stage show as they did in SLC.  For those 
of you who remember the huge overhang with all the lights...well, it wasn't 
there!  (We find out later they road crew could only put up the minimal set 
since they were late)   We were frisked and then let into the barn.  8:25 the 
Cure roll onto the stage.  "Want" had some of THE most intense energy.  My 
wife and I sat up in the stands (we had been in the front in SLC...and wanted 
a chance to see the WHOLE show, lights and all).  They had NO seating on the 
floor so as you can imagine the crowd went wild!   The intensity of this 
crowd swarming towards the stage added a great deal to the bands intensity.  
Kind of strange when you think Robert might freak seeing all these crazy fans 
killing each other to get the slightest bit closer to him.  Everyone on stage 
was moving around!  Perry was jumping around with Simon (very rare).  Roger 
was really interacting with the crowd and Jason would stand up on his drum 
kit and wave out into the crowd between songs!
	   Every song the Cure played grew with intensity.  Even when the band 
slowed down a bit with songs like "dressing up" and "Jupiter Crash"  we could 
still fell the intensity.  Robert spoke quite a bit although I understood 
very little of what he said.  He seemed in a pretty good mood.  "Edge of the 
Deep Green Sea" was very fast and by the time they moved into 
"Disintegration" all hell was breaking loose.  The whole band was focused so 
well.  Robert Started to sing and then grabbed the mike and threw the mike 
stand to the ground.  He bent over and started singing the song as it grew 
more and more intense.  Towards the end of the song (after singing "how the 
end always ends" several times) Started to play the most amazing solo using 
the microphone as a slide!  It was incredible!  The song ended and Robert 
simply said "The Cure" and walked off the stage.  Minutes later they came 
back on for an amazing first encore.  They played "Hot, Hot, Hot" and Robert 
started asking something like "who knows how to dance out there".  During the 
second song things happened that I've never heard about anywhere else!  They 
played "Close to Me"  and Robert walked to the right of the stage and then 
WALKED DOWN THE STAIRS and UP NEXT TO THE CROWD (a very crazy crowd might I 
add!)!  He walked along the gate singing and grabbed peoples hands.  He even 
reached deep into the crowd to grab as many hands as he could!  People were 
grabbing onto him and he almost was pulled in a couple of times.  Despite 
this he kept feeding on the crowd and hugged people and grabbed as many hands 
as he could!  (This was not our shy Robert!)   He later made his way back on 
stage and continued the song!  They played "Lets go to bed" in which he moved 
around and started to initiate dance contests in various parts of the crowd. 
He ended the song falling on his back and moaning the last few lines.  
Getting up he said, "Is this what you do when you go to bed?" and danced 
around to the cheers from the crowd.  They played "Why can't I be you" in 
which more dancing took place.  The second encore was very intense. Robert 
and the band focused again on their playing.  I have to say "Killing an Arab" 
just gets better and better each time I hear it!  They end with "a forest" in 
which they played for almost fifteen minutes.  The band members drew into a 
close circle and they played amazing solos (especially Robert) and did the 
most amazing improv of the song!  Jason was pounding away at the drums and 
Perry was playing his guitar fast right along with Simon and Robert.  They 
band ended not with Simon's little bass thing which he has done in the past, 
but with Robert noodling on the guitar and slowing down till he stopped.  The 
moment he stopped.  Simon thrashed his bass like he did on the "SHOW" video.  
What can I say...amazing!
	Well... the show ended.  What can I say, it was great.  Little did I 
know at the time that the party was only beginning!  We ended up getting 
backstage.  Later...we were invited back to the bands hotel.  We never met 
Robert.  He quickly left right after the show.  However we did meet the rest 
of the guys.  We arrived at their hotel and moments later the band arrived.  
Simon got out of the car and I asked him to sign a Cure record for me.  He 
looked VERY tired (and a bit sauced!), but he smiled and said "Hey, no 
problem!"  He signed the record and then I said, "Great show Simon...great 
bass playing".  He laughed and said "Nah, I played shit!"  We all chuckled 
and he walked into the hotel and disappeared.  Roger, Jason, and Perry 
stepped out and talked with few fans there were.  Roger and Jason went 
inside.  Perry remained outside with the few fans that were left. He was 
drunk, but very talkative.  Some girl gave him some pop rocks.  We asked him 
if he liked pop rocks.  "He said...I've tried them...but Si (Simon) really 
likes them!"  I suggested they try them with a drink of Coke.  He said he'd 
never done that before!  He went on talking and then he opened up a small 
backpack that he had with him.  He started pulling stuff out and giving 
things away.  He gave someone a hair clip.  Another person the remainder of a 
chocolate bar.  We asked him if had any picks.  He said he had the one he 
played with tonight and the one Simon played with.  I got the one Simon 
played with.  The whole time this was going on...the hotel security (who were 
being jerks) were asking Perry if he would come inside.  He said no.  One 
person told Perry how the security lady had called the police on us.  Perry 
said, "Oh really!"  He started blowing kisses at this lady through the 
window.  We were all in hysterics.  One of the band crew came out and asked 
Perry to come in if he still wanted a drink because the bar was about to 
close.  Perry asked the security lady if he could bring his friends in for a 
drink.  She said we could if were 21 and had ID.  Well, my brother, my wife, 
two other people, and myself did!  We went into the hotel bar where Jason, 
Roger, and the head of security were drinking.  We sat down with them and 
listened to their "road" stories.  Soon we were joined by Perry who had 
finally left the remaining fans who stood outside.  We were finally kicked 
out of the bar, but not without getting a few pictures with each other guys. 
I even snapped a few of them sitting at the bar!  Also, Perry was nice enough 
to give us back stage passes to the Dallas show
	Well, to say the least...it was a night to remember.  We never met 
Robert, but the rest of the band was SO relaxed and talkative (also pretty 
drunk)!  Incredible night...well, I've written enough

Craig's Rating: B

     Somebody already gave you a good setlist, so I can get to bed a
bit earlier than I thought ;)  I just got back from ABQ.  I had been
there as a kid, but man did I have the wrong impression of that
place.  Apologies to anyone who lives there but this is what I took
away from that place: ABQ is filled with a bunch of juvenile
deliquents and paranoid cops.  No doubt.  The security at this show
was _INSANE_.  It was practically a full-cavity search.  That said,
Robert went down INTO the first row during WCIBY.  There was enough
security and cops to handle it though.

     The show itself was only slightly better than Las Vegas, but I
rate it higher because of the venue.  Imagine this headline - 'Cure
Play Truck and Tractor Pull'.  That was last night.  They played in a
giant 1/2 filled wherehouse.  They didn't even have the 'pods' that
come down during lullaby because for whatever reason they couldn't rig
them in this arena.  Looking at the crowd I estimated that there were
about 2,500 people there.  

     Simon was totally nuts at this show.  I don't even know how he
could play!  He was running all over the place.  Especially during
Return and Killing an Arab.  A Forest ended really weird.  No 'duh
duh' ending at all.  Simon sustained a note, and Robert played a
little more and then ended.  During Disintegration Robert used the mic
as a slide during the solo part.