The Curiosa Festival 2004

Aug. 27th, 2004 - Carson, Ca. (Home Depot Center)

Lost, Plainsong, Labyrinth, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, The End of the World, Lovesong, InBetween Days, Just Like Heaven, Jupiter
Crash, Pictures of You, Closedown, Siamese Twins, Before Three, alt.end, Disintegration, 100 Years, The Promise
 
1st encore: M, Play for Today, A Forest
 
2nd encore: Friday I'm in Love, Boys Don't Cry.
 
(Thanks to Lisa for the setlist)
Photos

COF - Miabella


Reviews


From Live Daily:

A curious thing happened during Curiosa Tour's stop at the Los Angeles area's Home Depot Center on Friday night (8/27): The best performances--at least the truly visceral ones--came not from the tour's headliners, but rather from the bands The Cure (news) has inspired.

And while groups like The Rapture (news), Interpol (news) and Cursive (news) laid down energized new-wave/post-punk sets, tour headliners The Cure played a lackluster set that featured lots of classic hits and shoe-gazing.

Despite the lukewarm performance, The Cure satisfied thousands of die-hards for two solid hours with a set that focused on its synthesizer-based anthems and hits. Throughout the night, the five-piece embraced melancholy with deep, meditative bass lines that rolled above languid, seamless keyboards.

Taking the stage at 9:15 p.m., The Cure opened with "Plainsong," off 1989's "Disintegration." "It's so cold, it's like the cold if you were dead," sang Robert Smith from behind his legendary veil of iconic hair. The song's slow rhythm and downtrodden lyrics were a perfect way to begin a set that featured some seriously morose music.

Hardly engaging, Smith offered the occasional "Thank you," but mostly stayed away from the microphone when he wasn't singing. When he was singing, his voice remained true to its recorded form: high, tight and vulnerable. Throughout the show, Smith switched between a black electric guitar and a black acoustic one as his band plowed through hit after hit.

It took the Cure some time to get warned up, but by the time they unveiled "Love Song," the musicians and the fans--who sang along gleefully--seemed to finally loosen up. Next, the one-two punch of "In Between Days" and "Just Like Heaven" continued putting smiles on the faces of all those melancholy kids dressed in black in the crowd. Still, those performances were not nearly as solid as the band's powerful reading of "Pictures of You" that followed.

Visually, not much happened behind the band--odd for a festival this size. Instead, random graphics veered from green-tinted sea-foam for the song "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea," to ethereal images of trees for "A Forest"--certainly, not the most creative images ever.

After nearly two hours of embracing melancholy, the band finally played "Friday I'm in Love" and "Boys Don't Cry."

Though unequivocally appreciated and loved by their fans, The Cure was nonetheless overshadowed by the bands they chose to include on the bill.

As influenced by The Cure as they are by Joy Division and Bauhaus, Interpol was darkly fascinating. The group opened with "Obstacle 1," the deep, booming track off 2002's "Turn on the Bright Lights." Dressed in black suits and red ties, Interpol was stylish and cool. Their sound was pretty cool, too, and their compelling dual-guitar attack--reminiscent of another New York band, Television--stood in stark contrast to the headliner's synthesizer-heavy set.

On the smaller second stage, fans discovered Omaha's Cursive, another act that sounds like a younger, more energetic Cure. Singer Tim Kasher, whose voice recalls Robert Smith's early days, led Cursive through a fiery performance. In the center of the torrid walls of embattled distortion was cellist Greta Cohn, who jammed along to the band's remarkable crescendos and broiling rhythms. Similarly, the UK's Cooper Temple Clause provided a gut-busting set of hard rock that made the second stage buzz with fervor.

But there was always The Cure behind the scenes waiting for their curtain to go up on the main stage. And while the shoe-gazers gawked, singing along to all those sad lyrics, the real rock could be found before 9:15p.m.--when the younger, hungrier bands proved there's nothing wrong with being melancholy--so long as you embrace the power that comes with it.

(Thanks Shawn)


From Daily Variety:

Curiosa Festival
By  JEFF MILLER

(Home Depot Center, Carson; 27,000 capacity; $ 57.50)
Presented by Goldenvoice and KROQ.
Bands: The Cure, Interpol, Cursive, Cooper Temple Clause, the Rapture, Scarling, Mogwai, Head Automatica.
Reviewed Aug. 27, 2004.

Originally envisioned as a Cure concert and a tribute to the band, the cancellation of Lollapalooza turned Curiosa into something more: an opportunity to show that "modern rock" still not only has artistic merit, but draw, as well. Though the Cure will always remain an arena force, the good news from the Home Depot Center was that some of their more talented, younger followers --- handpicked by the Cure for the fest --- may one day be able to headline these types of venues as well.
Key on that list is Interpol, the second-billed NYC quartet that was barely a club headliner less than two years ago. Their first disk, "Turn On The Bright Lights" (Matador), was a slow-burner to success, but the crowd's fever for the band --- the roar as they started "Obstacle #1" was matched only by the response to the Cure's "Friday I'm In Love" --- was a sure sign that they've reached the masses. Their performance, too, was indicative of their newfound on-stage comfort level. They are now a confident band; even in the bass-drum breakdowns of their most dour songs, singer/guitarist Paul Banks doesn't look lost like he used to, and the washes of fog that covered the stage seemed gloomily appropriate rather than convoluted cover-up. Songs from the forthcoming "Antics" (Matador) fit the Joy Division mode of their debut, with splashes of reggae-punk splashed in --- a small step forward, but a step forward, nonetheless.
The Cure's set was far superior to the band's gig this year at Coachella, but still lacked depth. Opening with the labyrinthine "Lost," also the first cut from the band's current self-titled Geffen release, the band seemed in good spirits for their hour-and-a-half set, which focused on newer material and deeper album cuts that seemed lost on much of the crowd. While they did play hits, "Just Like Heaven" and "Lovesong" among them, singer-songwriter Robert Smith looked lost in the tunes. He broke out of his shell for some stellar acoustic strumming for the final encore, "Boys Don't Cry."
Early in the day, the Rapture and Mogwai provided a point-counterpoint argument for the Cure's influence on their music. Mogwai's instrumental roars matched the anxiousness of later Cure without the lovelorn lyrics, while the Rapture, another Gotham group, blasted through a half-hour of dance-rock that echoed the spirit of the Cure without the goth doom.
The venue's layout placed the second stage in a tennis stadium over a flight of steps and through a festival vendor's fair, giving the bands there an unfair disadvantage to draw a crowd. Still, Head Automatica's disco-punk was jolted by Glassjaw singer Daryl Palumbo's intense vocals, and the Nebraska emo pioneers Cursive shined when they allowed room into their songs' dark recesses, with cello and keyboards providing balance to the shrieking rock that sometimes followed it.
August 31, 2004

(Thanks Lenore)


From the L.A. Times:

They're back in black;
The Cure, headlining its Curiosa Festival, still connects with adoring (and bleakly garbed) fans. New York band Interpol also has a strong set.

by Steve Hochman, Special to The Times

Odds are that the words "Oh baby Dracula" had never been sung, or for that matter spoken, on the tennis court at the Home Depot Center in Carson before Friday. But those words were sung by Scarling frontwoman Jessicka -- under the bright sun, in fact.
Even at this hour there were plenty of baby Draculae on hand -- and many senior Draculae as well. Los Angeles band Scarling was the first act performing on the Curiosa Festival, an ambitious event spearheaded and headlined by the Cure, whose leader, Robert Smith, has been rock's reigning Gothfather for more than 20 years.
Smith, sounding reinvigorated on "The Cure," the band's new album, handpicked the seven other acts on the bill, bands that if not directly inspired by the Cure, in most cases share a clear love for music from the early-'80s post-punk era that spawned the headliner.
With the acts alternating between the main stage in the big soccer stadium and the small stage in the adjacent tennis court, the grounds were teeming with fans who have affected variations on Smith's look of ratter black hair, black mascara, black (or red) lipstick and heavy black clothing.
That the Scarling song was actually a reflection (pun intended) on that phenomenon, calling for Goth fans to break out of the mold, may not have been lost on the Goths themselves. But then it may have been, since Jessicka and her bandmates were themselves swathed in solid black.
And when the Cure opened its set four hours later with the new song "Lost," the irony hung like the now-risen, near-full moon as Smith capped off the song's moaning mantra of "I can't find myself" by concluding, "I got lost in someone else" -- to a crowd dotted with people so clearly lost in trying to emulate him.
But then, that's always been the irony of Goth (or punk, or metal, or hip-hop, or insert-any-pop-subculture-phenomenon-here): It's all about young people trying to find their own identity, establish their own sense of self, by getting together and dressing alike.
Smith did little else in the Cure's generous set to challenge his fans, but plenty to embrace and elate them. Drawing from the band's entire catalog, the Cure draped its languid sounds around Smith's lugubrious voice as smoothly as ever, at a few stretches showing more of the pep and edge of the band's early days than it had in more recent tours.
A set of three of the most familiar hits ("Lovesong," "In Between Days" and "Just Like Heaven") early in the show sounded nearly snappy. And Smith himself had a little bounce to his step as he expounded on what is really the thematic core of the Cure's catalog, and perhaps the whole Goth culture -- the ultimate human fantasy of just being loved, passionately and unconditionally, for who you are.
The chance for fans to stretch (physically and musically) came via sauntering back and forth between the stages to sample some up-and-comer acts, most of which, like the Cure, played at April's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
The main stage's second-billed band, Interpol, was the only entry other than the Cure that looked and sounded like it belonged in such a large setting, the New York quartet showing strong swagger and confidence in its performance, even if the music (influenced more by the Joy Division/Bauhaus wing of Goth) became monotonous.
After Scarling's second stage set, the main stage kicked off with the massive guitar waves of Scotland's Mogwai, which seemed to connect with many fans despite the instrumental nature of the music and the inappropriate daylight for the mood.
Head Automatica, next on the second stage, is a side-project of Daryl Palumbo, singer for the hard-rocking band Glassjaw, and seemed too much a side project here, following a few hero-worship whims (Billy Idol, David Bowie, Elvis Costello) with a Hives-like sense of grooming.
Missing, and missed, was the sonic presence of producer and turntable artist Dan (the Automator) Nakamura, Palumbo's collaborator on the band's recent debut album.
New York band the Rapture's jagged, Gang of Four-inspired post-punk brought edginess to the main stage, the most interesting pieces being those in which Gabriel Andruzzi's saxophone added distinct textures. England's Cooper Temple Clause was gripping on the small stage for two songs, finding the common ground between Nirvana, Oasis and Prodigy -- but then lost its momentum and magnetism for the rest of the set. Omaha's Cursive closed the small stage with a nicely shabby but less-than-compelling program.

(Thanks Lenore)


Before I start my review, I apologize for the lateness of it. 5 Cure shows in 6 days, the  traveling and the lack of sleep made me want to rest and do nothing for a couple days. I truly have a greater appreciation for roadies and the crew working to make the shows run smoothly.

Friday August 27th, 2004 will be a day I will never forget. I was the winner of the eBay meet and greet for the Carson show. I picked up my tickets at
the will call window, but forgot to call before 5pm for specific details. I panicked at the thought of missing the meet and greet with The Cure. Fortunately, the meet and greet time was changed to after the concert. Phew! I then went to the merchandise booth and bought the gray shirt with the dates and both of the wallets. 

I stopped by the KROQ booth. They were choosing three people for a contest to win two passes to The Cure after-hour party. After jumping up and down and screaming "pick me!", I was the last to be chosen. They brought out a bag of radishes. First one to eat everything, including the leaves, wins the passes. UGH! I hate vegetables! I couldn't tell you how long this entire strange and disgusting event lasted. The first guy was beating us big time. All I thought was, "I'm going to lose out of meeting The Cure twice in one day." Talk about being greedy, huh? Then surprisingly, the guy from KROQ said, "I'm going to give passes to the next one who finishes everything."
Immediately, this girl and I starting gorging down the rest of our radishes. She took the lead from the start. I was a distant second in a two horse race.
With everyone cheering and my girlfriend rooting me on, I tried my hardest to come from behind. The girl shoved everything in her mouth. I desperately began taking smaller bites and slowly but surely consumed them. I was gaining on her. Finally, with just the greens left, I forged ahead and won the two passes!!! I screamed as loud as my hoarse voice could muster. Fortunately for the girl, the guy told her she would get the passes too.

With the badges and wristbands needed for the meet and greet, we went into the pit to see The Cure perform. The crowd wasn't as enthusiastic as those at the Phoenix show. The Cure was amazing as usual. The entire set was tremendous. The crowd sang to every word to Friday I'm in Love, Just like Heaven, and finally Boys Don't Cry. It was a sight to see!!! The crowd was electric during those songs.

But the highlight for me was during Lovesong. I proposed to my girlfriend during the song. She said yes thankfully. I remember hearing a couple
girls tell their friends, "He just proposed!"  A couple guys came up to me and congratulated us. I waited 4 long and grueling years to propose. The
other time I wanted to propose was at one of the Greek shows in 2000, and I had forgotten the ring...and they performed Lovesong too! All I could do was sit there knowing there wasn't anything I could do. Luckily, everything worked out on Friday at Carson. Thuy and I were Cure penpals back in 1993.  We wrote, talked on the phone, met a couple times and fell in love on June 20th. Ironically, this was the same day I saw The Cure in the front row in Cleveland, Ohio at The Colosseum back in 1992. A couple months ago, we celebrated our 11 year anniversary. It's been my dream to propose to her during Lovesong. I'm just glad The Cure played it at Carson.

At the end of the show, Robert thanked us for a great day. With that, we were escorted backstage for the meet and greet. I saw this roadie from the Phoenix show and he game me the Carson set list. I thanked him and told him about my proposal. He was gracious and kind. He congratulated us and wished us well. We were taken backstage where all the equipment were hurriedly taken into the awaiting trucks. I saw Roger talking to a couple people sipping some champagne. I wished I would have said hello. But I didn't want to bother him or interupt their conversation. I saw one of the guitarists from Mogwai and told him how much I enjoyed their shows. He was really nice. 

After a short wait, we were taken to this room along with some photographers. I met Jane who I recognized from an article I read almost 12 years ago. She was impressed I could remember that far back. Trust me, if it's Cure related, I'm able to tell you the exact date, venue, and all the quirky stories behind them all. 

Jason was the first to come in with his wife Allison. We shook hands and I told him about my proposal. We talked about Las Vegas and I asked him about his roulette story. He told me he borrowed some of Robert's chips and won $1000 on 29. I gave him a set of 100 poker chips, a letter which he read, and chatted with him about all the details of my proposal. I also talked with Allison about the upcoming shows in California and in Mexico. Can you imagine seeing a frezied Mexican Cure crowd after the agonizing years of waiting? I would love to be there for that!!! Jason signed my Russian hockey jersey and the Carson setlist before he left.

Perry came in next. We shook hands and introduced ourselves. I complimented him for a stellar performance that night and for a particluarly
excellent Phoenix concert. I thanked him for writing me a letter after the 1997 Galore instore in Hollywood. I gave him some drawing pencils, a sketch
book, and a guitar book of different types of guitars. He told me he was in the initial stages of attempting to build a guitar. Perry went on to say my book would help him. How fricking cool is that!!!  On top of that, he actually thanked me for giving him gifts. He told me usually all everyone wants is a photograph or an autograph. We talked about marriage and relationships. He told us that we should take our time and not rush into anything. Perry even asked us if we set a date, which we haven't yet. We took some pictures and he autographed my hockey jersey and setlist. He told me about this gypsy guitarist who played with Stephan Grappeli. I'm definitely going to check him out. We talked a little more about guitars as he leafed through the book. He wished us well and was off to the after-hour party. We missed Simon and Roger, who were probably at the party. I wanted to give Simon a t-shirt that read "Your Bike Sucks" on the back and Roger a sports car book.  Luckily, I was able to give the shirt to Simon at the San Francisco show and the book to Roger at the Sacramento show.     

We were then taken into The Cure's dressing room. I met Daryl (Perry's brother!) and told him about the proposal. He thanked me for making him the "only single person left in the world." Too funny, huh? I also met Michael who is either the head of security or their bodyguard. He was genuine and nice to us the entire time we were there. We met Jonathan and his wife, Amy, who are friends of The Cure. I think we might actually go to Comic-Con next summer. I told them I'd even buy their tickets for them. They were extremely generous and courteous to us while we were meeting the band. 

Robert walked in and I almost was at a loss for words. Fortunately, I composed myself and thanked him for making this meeting possible. I gave him a couple gifts. First, a Doc Smith comic book autographed by the author himself. He asked everyone in the room if they knew of it, but no one did as it was a new series. I gave Robert a Richard Paul Evans book called "The Carousel."  Check it out Cure fans! You'll love it and will have to add it to your Cure book collection. Robert asked me what kind of book was it. I told him it was fiction, and he replied, "Oh, Americana." (LOL)

I asked him if he would autograph a couple things and he politely said yes. He commented how big Jason's signature was on my jersey. He said Jason usually writes too small and he was surprised to see Jason's big signature. I asked him what the words on the back of his Russian jersey said or meant. He told me he can speak a lot of languages but couldn't speak Russian. So he said, "It means King of the Ice".  (Too witty, Robert!) I told him I really enjoyed the Carson show, but that I truly savored every moment of the Phoenix show. I commented how excited the crowd was, starting with Mogwai to The Rapture and to Interpol. And let's not forget about The Cure!!!  Robert told me liked the intimacy of the San Diego and Phoenix concerts. The Home Depot Center seating was horrible. The A1 and E1 floor seats were at the far end of the stage. The pit was the entire section and not just B1 thru D1. I originally had A1 row 17 seats.

Amy told Robert, "They paid $1,400 for the meet and greet!"  He replied, "Guess how much I paid for playing Boys Don't Cry?!" HAHAHA! I can only imagine how much The Cure had to pay when they broke curfew at the 1997 KROQ Weenie Roast and Luau at Irvine Meadows. I thanked Robert for playing Lovesong and how I proposed to Thuy during the song. I told him how I waited 4 long years to do this. He autographed my Carson setlist. As much as I wanted this very moment to last, I didn't want to bother him. It was about 2ish and I knew the band had to drive up to San
Francisco. I thanked him once again, took some pictures with him and went to the after-hour party. I saw Perry again and some members of Interpol. Later, Robert came out and signed some autographs for the people who waited for him. He even autographed my backstage pass which will be framed with the setlist. We drove back to our friend's house in Santa Monica, reminiscing on the amazing evening.

The entire experience wasn't surreal, really. It was odd. I felt like I was getting away with something and people were letting me do it. I'm scrunching my eyes and nose just thinking about it.

So there it is Cure fans, my experience meeting The Cure. They were the nicest, most hospitable and genuine people. Meeting them made the show in Carson the most memorable of the 5 Cure shows I've seen on this tour. And I was happy Thuy said yes to me. Winning the meet and greet auction and being able to have a real one-on-one conversation with the band had to be a close second to my proposal. Thanks to Amnesty International, The Cure, Jonathan, Amy, Allison, Jane, Flo, Salil, everyone who I saw at the concerts last week, KROQ, chainofflowers.com for all the ticket info (I was able to get pit seats for all 5 Cure shows!) and last but not least to Thuy for making me the happiest person at the Carson show!!!
 
- Marc
            

My impressions of the show...

Mogwai were great.  I'm a big fan of them, and I was quite impressed with their set.  It's too bad they played to such a small crowd, but there were a few thousand people in the stadium who saw them and were exposed to a very unique style of 'rock' music.

The Rapture were quite erratic, somewhat spastic.  They reminded me of this year's version of Hot Hot Heat.  Somewhat spastic, but enjoyable in a thirty minute set.  A longer set may have gotten annoying though.

Interpol was very intense.  They made great use of white light and smoke, and their loud, fast guitar-based songs really got the crowd into it.  They played some songs from their forth-coming album Antics which were good.

The predominant sound for the Cure's set was Simon's bass.  This is different from past shows.  Normally, Robert's guitar is the loudest sound, but at Carson, at least where I was sitting, it was Simon's bass.

Robert played a long outro on Just Like Heaven, which was really cool.

Jason just pounded the hell out of his drums during The Promise.  From where I was we could see him quite clearly, and he was possessed.

Did anyone else notice that Jason looks a lot like Beck?

Simon and Perry are in great shape.  Perry's obviously been working out.

Simon had a message written on his left forearm, but I couldn't make it out.  He really got into playing, especially during One Hundred Years.  He was bouncing all over the place.

The transition from Disintegration into One Hundred Years was, for me, the high point of the show.

Jupiter Crash, Closedown, and Siamese Twins were all great surprises for the night.  The set was a great balance of pop and dark, with a dark Seventeen Seconds encore followed by the pop encore.

The second encore with Friday I'm In Love was a huge hit with this crowd.  I was actually thinking it was going to be Going Nowhere when Robert put on his acoustic guitar, but we got Friday I'm In Love and Boys Don't Cry.  Both went over amazingly with the L.A. crowd.  As the band left the stage, Robert spent about a minute just soaking in the crowd, and he really seemed to enjoy it.  As he was walking off, he paused one final time and gave a final glance to the crowd before disappearing into the moonlit night.

- Michael J. Clark


First I have to say that the Carson Cure show was my first ever Cure show so I was really jazzed about being there. Finally I arrived and got my Tour shirt and tour programme and then I went and found my seat which was in A2, not a bad seat, not too close to the stage but oh well.

I didn't think much of the goups on Stage 1 but thats my opion. Then at about 9.20pm the lights went down and from out of the dark came "I can't
find myself" and everyone was on there seats . While I won't do a run down of every song I will mention ones I loved hearing

Jupiter Crash-- was just awesome and one I really wanted to hear , with the full moon projected on the back drop was just awesome, this was followed by my all time fav

Pictures Of You--just totally fantastic with different back drops and was just BRILLIANT live

Closedown--one I didn't expect but really nice to hear

100 Years- with the added effects and done at a slower speed this song sounded meanacing and was totally cool

M--another I really wanted to hear, done with a red M on the backdrop--COOOL

Friday I'm In Love/ Boys Don't Cry--the last two songs I wanted to hear and they were both rockin.

Robert and the band were just fantatic, Rob's voice was so powerul on all the songs and he made the new songs sound so much better than on the
cd, Simon and Perry just danced all over the stage and played their hearts out, Jason was fantastic on drums and Roger was great on keyboards and just looked freaky when projected on the big screens with the stobe under his face during 100 years.

Again as I said this was my first Cure concert and I really can't wait for them to come to CA again, Hopefully soon in a Cure only show Theywere just FANTASTIC and I really enjoyed myself, THE CURE ROCKS.

- Brian O'Keefe


Yesterday was such a great day because I felt that both the pop-induced fan and the hardcore fan left satisfied. I was really stressed out during Interpols set which was fantastic but it was too hard to dive into it for some stupid reasons. The rapture was such a freakishly awesome band that i just might buy their album today. Those are about the only bands that I saw other than the Cure and I left satisified. When it came to the main event I was hoping for a dark set, maybe some strange days here and there, or going nowhere as an encore but what we got was solid and was way more entertaining because where I was, absolutely no one was into it until Lovesong came on. Well, here comes the time to go song by song. 
 
Lost: When this song came on, I expected a full blast of pop hits but luckily, I though it was OK but I wanted plainsong.
 
Plainsong: When this song i came on I almost cried, it was fantastic live, it was just completely beautiful. I will never forget this moment in time, it just felt so perfect. From where I was sitting no one was into it.
 
Labyrinth: It sounds so much better live, the guitar just fucking blew me away. I never expected it to be one of my favorites but it was spectacular.
 
FTEOTDGS: It was great, I was really blown away towards the end, but again from where i was no one knew this song at all. I was left alone and happy with so many people around me with such an epic. It was weird I felt such an alienation because no one knew the songs other than me, I guess you can expect that in a Cure concert.
 
The End of the World: Way better live than on record, the crowd awoke when they played this song. It was really good but then came...
 
Lovesong: my least favorite song from the disintegration my least favorite live song but then ...
 
In between day: One of my favorite singles, I absolutely loved it and then came...
 
Just like heaven: Just great, the crowd was just dancing, its a gorgeous sight when you see so many people dancing to your favorite band. Thank
goodness the pop festivity/nightmare ended when....
 
Jupiter Crash: came on. It was really good but I dont feel like it belongs in a concert setting. It really brought the crowd down, this could have been the perfect time for the figurehead and even better a strange day would have been great to still have that euphoria that the hits had on the people.
 
Pictures of You: Just beautiful, completely engrossing and I was glad that they played it.
 
Closedown: This was one of my favorites, the keyboard just sounds exquisite live.
 
Siamese Twins: Never in a million years did expect them to play this, I started screaming like there was no tomorrow and everyone around me
looked at me like I was insane. I sang my hear out while everyone around me was bored.
 
Before Three: Just good I guess
 
alt. end: I agree, its really good live though I dislike it on the album
 
Disintegration: Best Song Ever thats all I have to say.
 
100 years: Amazing, just great live and I love the background, it really shows what the song is talking about.
 
The Promise: Absolutely amazing live, the guitar is all fleshed and its great to see Robert just rock out.
 
Encore:
M: I was so happy we got the seventeen seconds encore, M was really great
 
Play for Today: One of my favorites from the concert, i was already exhausted but the I just forced myself to dance
 
A forest: Too bad it was the short version and that Forever did not follow it but it was another classic performance.
 
Friday Im in Love: I dont really like the song but it was so euphoric live that I could not control myself.
 
Boys Dont Cry: A perfect ending that left everyone wanting more, I just wished that he would go back and play Faith, that would have been the
most, well I guess until next time.
 
Overall, It was amazing and all that i expected. The Cure mixed it up excellently, no pop nightmare but no overdrive of dark songs, it was predictable but that does not take from the fact that it was an excellent concert.

- Nirvana111222


I'm enjoying everyone else's reviews, so I'm just going to throw in some tidbits:

I went to early this month to Chicago's Tinley Park to take my niece to her first concert outing, and it was my chance to see MUSE, since they were not coming to California.  After getting lost to the venue, missed most of the bands on the bill, and then finding out the MUSE bassist got injured; the last thing that needed to happen that night was rain.  Luckily it didn't rain and the Cure was "fucking excellent" that night!
[Hearing "Lovecats" was a dream come true! Thank you!]

Carson was interesting.  Got there early, and enjoyed all the bands.  

To Rapture: I loved the dude with the blue short-shorts and panda shirt!  You rock the cowbell, brother!

The thing with the pit occurred in section E1 during Interpol's set.  The border around the pit was flimsy to begin with, so when some fans got aggressive and began pushing, nothing was holding them back from pushing the barrier in and opening up the pit area. When this first happened, two security guards were being total asses, with no regard to the shorter, younger fans up at the front of these barriers, and proceeded to push the barriers back into their original formation.  Once again the barriers were broken, when a bunch of fans just picked them up and walked them in to the pit. At this point, concert security and Carson police were just waiting for Interpol to finish up to reset the pit barriers.

After Interpol finished up, I went and got myself a $7.50 cocktail. [No tip!] A bunch of people began rushing back to the arena to see some dudes fight, towards the back of the stadium...   Need to hire better/more security, Home Depot Center.

Highlight of the night: After the Cure finished "Boys Don't Cry", Robert kept saying "Thank you for a fucking excellent day!" He was lingering on
stage, taking it all in.. and from where I was standing the cheers, screaming, and applauding not were not ceasing... with the almost full moon hanging in the sky. Thank you!

- Leah


Going into the Carson show, I pretty much was expecting a pop show, and that’s what we got. After spending an hour and a half stuck in traffic trying to get to the Home Depot Center my friend Juan and I wandered around for a bit and checked out the Cooper Temple Clause, they weren’t bad but I think they really missed some great chances were they could have really gotten into it. Anyway, after CTC, we went to the main stage, I didn’t really care for Interpol’s set. We were stuck in one of the last sections in row W, I figured that this is my third time seeing The Cure (what a lucky 16 year old boy I am!) and the last two times the seats I’ve had haven’t been that great. So I decided that this just wasn’t going to cut it and jumped over the fence with my friend following once he pretty didn’t much have a choice. We made it through the people and got up to section A1 and we got an
awesome view of the band!! It was perfect. Well after that we waited around until the Cure started. They went on at about 9:16 and started off with Lost, which was expected since that is pretty much their opener for the “pop setlists.” Anyway after that they went right into Plainsong!!!! It was awesome, very great. I was really into it tonight dancing around and singing to every word to every song. Labyrinth was good live.
Then they did FTEOTDGS and I was just going wild!! I can’t believe that people were actually eating pizza and smoking cigarettes and sitting down during most of the songs, it made me laugh almost at how sad that was. After FTEOTDGS they played their pop classics, Inbetween Days, Just like Heaven, Lovesong.. my friend was really getting into it then and so was the crowd, of course I was too. Then BAM right after Just Like Heaven they did Jupiter Crash! I was going crazy. Then a very solid Pictures of You. Then followed probably the highlights of this show for me were Closedown and
Siamese Twins. Siamese Twins! I never thought they would play this tonight but I was loving it.

Then they played Before Three, a very good song live, it’s much better live than on the LP. Then they did great performances of Disintegration and 100 Years, I was still very much into it!! I didn’t see anyone else as into it as me around at all, no one barely even sang along. Then The Promise was very good live as they ended their reg. Setlist.

For the first encore I was hoping they would give us some Faith, but the 17 secs encore was quite fine with me. M was great, and Play For Today was even better!! Why was I the only one around doing the “oooo oooo OOO” thing around? It would’ve been so great having everyone doing that. Then they did A Forest, which is always wonderful, Robert was really into it, he was doing a funky little dance at the end of it as well.

Knowing the crowd wasn’t going to budge, I knew we might very well get a second encore.. I was still hoping for some Faith but when he started playing Friday I’m in Love, I wasn’t so surprised I got into it as well as the whole crowd did too. Then they ended with Boy Don’t Cry, the crowd loved it and so did my friend. When they left the crowd wasn’t budging they wanted more but the people at the Home Depot Center turned on the lights and made it final.

Very good show, they did all their songs very well. I wish people could be more into it though! Thank you Robert, Roger, Jason, Simon and Perry for a wonderful night and the best Cure show I’ve been to.

- Mark A. O.


I thought I was the only one who noticed different lyrics for play for today.  The whole set was incredible.  Robert's mic was up high which thank god it drowned out the sing along fans who think it's karaoke night.  Full moon did smile on cure this night. Personally I would not want to see cure on a venue like this ever again.  I prefer amphitheater seating.  I  had seats in the floor which I had to leave and stand in the walk way, due to people standing on the chairs and blocking our view. Security were missing everywhere. This stadium is very new, they should increase their payroll and hire more quality people instead of hiring the rejects from the local ghetto Carson neighborhood. 

- Ignacio


Curiosa in Carcinogen, errrr - Carson, CA. For whatever reason, the show was held at the newish Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. As I understand it, this facility is primarily a soccer venue. I had never been there before, and was hoping it would be a decent location. But the last time I saw The Cure was at the Inland Invasion in 2003 at the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore, so frankly the Home Depot Center didn't need to do much to shine in comparison. Once there, we paid $20 to park in a lot attached to the Cal State Dominguez Hills facility next door. $20 bucks and it's not like we were right outside the entrance gate. But oh, wait, this is LA. This is to be expected. So after tromping across some Cal State campus area, I can hear Mogwai starting their set in the background. Grumbling ensures, as I really want to see their set and I have no idea how close we are. But sooner rather than later we arrive at the gate and make our way in as Mogwai plays Hunted by a Freak.

Mogwai was a band introduced to me through their presence on the Curiosa bill. Initially, I was geeked on seeing The Cure and Interpol, but didn't know much of The Rapture or Mogwai. Well, I actually didn't know them at all. That was easily remedied (thanks, iTunes music store!) and I soon became a big fan of Mogwai. Something about their album Happy Songs for Happy People really stuck the first couple of times I listened to it, probably the ebb and flow of the songs (soft/loud) and the melodies. So by the end of summer I had bought 2 more CDs and an EP, and was looking forward to them. I don't know what they played prior to Hunted by a Freak (thanks, LA traffic), but that song wrapped as our seats were located (facing the setting sun, yikes!). It was cool to see that quite a few people had turned out to see their set. I didn't recognize the next song, but the crowd was into it. Knowing that it was already close to the end of their set (short set + long songs), I found myself hoping to hear Ratts of the Capitol,
which seemed to be a likely set closer based on previous shows I read about. Sure enough, that was their next (and final) song. They crushed it. The song is amazing to hear live, the guitars building and building over time, the piano playing alongside, ending up with a powerful crescendo when the piano is abandoned and the guitars take over full-time. It seemed apparent even in the short time I watched them that Mogwai is a powerful live band and that an effort  should be made to them at their own full show soon.

Stage change, B-stage band, and then The Rapture. As with Mogwai, the Curiosa announcement was my real introduction to them. Unlike Mogwai,
no real connection was made to their music, so I was familiar with a handful of songs and not much else. The Rapture was decent enough live, but they may benefit from a smaller setting - or being played in a dance club. I think the people on the floor in the pit may have enjoyed their set better than the people in the seats. Of the songs I knew, Sister Savior was the highlight, as it is on the CD. House of Jealous Lovers was more interesting live than on CD and made a good set-closer because it seemed most everyone watching them knew it. Olio stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of the set because it was the only song where guitar, bass and drums were cast aside for a keyboard with vocals, and it was just for that song. It's a cool song though.

The subsequent stage change was the opportunity taken to line The Cure's pockets with more $, courtesy of the merch stand. My blind devotion to The Cure allows me to overlook the $30/shirt price and pick up 2 Cure shirts and a Mogwai shirt.

Interpol came on to an enthusiastic audience with the day finally changed to night (this allowed them to use the stage lights to their advantage). I've seen Interpol twice prior, once at a small club in San Francisco and once at the previously-mentioned Inland Invasion 2003. Interpol really is all that, and proved it at their club show. But the Inland Invasion show was disappointing (again I chose to blame the Hyundai Pavilion for their poor sound out on the lawn - but how good can it sound when you are so far away that the band is actually playing in another time zone?). Interpol proved at Curiosa to be a force to be reckoned with. Audience awareness was good, even on the new songs. The opening Obstacle 1/Roland combination was excellent (Roland seems to be a fave among most people), and even the new songs were warmly received. Slow Hands generated the best reaction from the new songs, and I think it's getting radio play so that makes sense. Leif Erikson is powerful live, and they closed the set with a great version of PDA. The pause midway through PDA seemed to go on forever but no one missed the beat. They don't always easily transition from song to song (sometimes seems like a longish pause before starting the next song) but when playing, they are tight.

For whatever reason, during the stage change for The Cure, everyone had to empty the pit and re-enter, but that didn't seem to delay anything. And close to 9:15 PM, The Cure took the stage to a pretty full house and an enthusiastic house at that. Having slavishly followed the concert reviews of previous shows, I had a pretty good expectation as to what I would hear. Of course, I had my own personal wish list, but was ready for anything. The opening trio of Lost/Plainsong/Labyrinth was not unexpected. Lost and Labyrinth didn't seem as good as their studio versions. In particular Labyrinth seemed to have the vocals buried, but musically it was very good. Plainsong is a great song to play near the opening, if not actually *as* the opening song. I could not see if Robert was wandering around stage like I have seen before, but the crowd was really into the song. Something about it is very
communal and gets the crowd together. Deep Green Sea was another early highlight. A trio of popular songs was played pretty early on, Lovesong/Inbetween Days/Just Like Heaven. I will admit to being one of 'those' Cure fans who really pines to hear things like Seventeen Seconds, Sinking, Cold, The Drowning Man, Halo, and Piggy in the Mirror. And when I listen to Wish, Friday I'm in Love is almost always skipped. But I appreciated the pop songs last night, even Friday I'm in Love. In fact, I probably never liked Lovesong as much as I did at the show. There is something  to be said for what other reviewers have mentioned previously - it is nice to go to a Cure show and have the crowd really into it. The positive energy a happy crowd can provide is something to enjoy. So while I really enjoyed hearing Siamese Twins and Closedown later on in the set, I completely understand that there are all kinds of Cure fans, and many of them go to to Cure concerts. To see the people dancing in the aisles and singing Just Like Heaven out loud really did bring a huge smile to my face. Of the other new songs played, alt. end seemed much better live than in studio, and Before Three was decent, but nothing spectacular. Pictures of You was, as usual, a near-perfect rendition. The two 'not-as-often-played' songs mentioned previously, Closedown and Siamese Twins were treats; Siamese Twins in particular.

Spectacular was reserved for the guitar epics that closed the main set - Disintegration, One Hundred Years, and The Promise. Disintegration is
played often, and like Deep Green Sea, never seems to wear out its welcome. It also effortlessly flowed into One Hundred Years. This song seems to get better every time I hear it live, which doesn't seem possible since I've always loved the song, but there you go. The Promise closed the main set. I was hoping to hear and see it performed because of the guitar work in the song. Sure enough, it killed. Very, very powerful and Robert absolutely attacks the guitar. After this show and after witnessing The Kiss at other shows (and on the Trilogy DVD), I have a new Cure show requirement. At every Cure show I go to now, if I don't get to see Robert flex his guitar playing muscles I will be somewhat bummed (attention metal-heads: playing fast != playing good). The overall sound quality of the Home Depot Center was good for a venue of that type, and it really showed itself to be capable during this section of the show.

There ended up being two encores. In the first, the Seventeen Seconds was well-represented by M/Play for Today/A Forest. M was so good to
finally hear live, although it's kind of an updated version, or just more guitar-heavy than on record. Both Play for Today and A Forest were highlights also (I'm wondering if Robert didn't change some of the first verse of Play for Today however). The 2nd encore, Friday I'm in Love (Robert couldn't resist I'm sure since it was a Friday after all) and Boys Don't Cry was a real crowd pleaser and left the audience, from what I could tell, both satisfied *and* wanting more. A nice trick.

I have watched The Cure play several different types of shows live. Their own tour, on a festival bill, and now heading their own festival. All have their own merits, and you can nit-pick each type (not long enough, didn't play x, shouldn't have played y, etc.). But at the end of the day I will gladly go to any Cure show I can, regardless of setting. Curiosa was, to turn a phrase on Robert Smith's closing comment, a fucking excellent idea, and I'm so glad to have been able to go. It's nice that Robert Smith and The Cure as a whole have the ability to take their commercial viability and give back to the fans with things like the Trilogy DVD, Join the Dots, and Curiosa. It would probably be simpler to sit back after so many years and do nothing but
re-issue the same old songs in new greatest hits packages). But fortunately The Cure seem to be enjoying themselves and the fans are getting to reap the rewards with tours and new material. And as long as they care, so will I.

See ya Sunday August 29th in Sacramento!

PS - Getting out of the Home Depot Center sucks. After sitting for 35 minutes in the car and not moving, I heard a voice from the front seat
- "And I'm still waiting."

- Kevin


Curiosa ends for me at least.  Having been to just two shows, Chula Vista and Carson, I would have to say Carson was far better.  Not sure if it was because I was in pit front center as close as you can get.  I haven't been in pit in awhile so I forgot how close you really are and that you actually get see spit come out of their mouths when they are singing.  I only seen spit come out of Robert's once but the previous bands especially Rapture was known for this.  What was up with the OP shorts on the cow bell guy for Rapture (one of the many things you notice when you are that close)?  I guess I am getting too old.

For Chula Vista I had assigned seats 2nd row center so I just showed up to watch the band and had to deal with the typical people talking while the show is going on.  Really ruins the experience luckily we moved to a more enjoyable location away from them.  In Carson, since I was in front there was no one to get in my way or ruin it for me since you have to be a diehard fan to be in front.

I almost died when I spent almost 5 hours securing my front row location and before the Cure are about to come on they announced everyone would
have to leave the pit area because fans were getting out of hand in the back then we could come back in.  At first I was like what?  Just have people move back, there is no need to have everyone leave then come back in.  Then I realized what was probably going, there were probably more people in pit than there should have due to people sneaking in.  I was screaming bull shit and everyone else was pleading for them not to screw us over because if we left we wouldn't get our prime location back.  There was one nice lady in particular that was like we can't do this to the people in the front.  Then the guy thought about it and said except for the people in the front and we all got happy again.

Another thing I notice, since the stage was on a high platform they had to put what appeared to be glow in the dark tape along the edge because
they had said someone had falling when they were singing at a past concert.  Good thing they did because Robert would had fallen during
Plainsong. : )

What I missed the most from Cure concerts is Robert changing lyrics, changing the music, playing his guitar between songs, Robert torturing his guitar and screaming like there is no tomorrow.  I didn't think I got any of that in Chula Vista, don't get me wrong Chula Vista was an excellent concert but Carson had it all.  Maybe it was because I was so close I could feel it.

Favorite songs live at Carson, The Promise, 100 years, Disintegration, Closedown  and Pictures of You.

That concludes my review, I felt like a little kid again especially when they first opened up the gates and I ran all the way to the pit.  The whole time I am thinking man I am 34 years old still running around like a little kid!

Thanks to Cure for making me feel like I am young again.

- Albert Ruiz


The Cure's Carson show at the Home Depot was 100% on-the-spot tonight. Robert Smith came out with the full Cure arsenal of ammunitition
including such famous hits as Lovesong and Pictures of You.  But, he also included many of the "hardcore fans" earlier songs like M, Siamese Twins, and Play for Today.  There was something for everyone.  More importantly, everyone got a little bit extra from this performance.

Smith opened with Lost and Plainsong, and then followed with a few upbeat hits (EOTDGS/Inbetween Days).  But, the show grew in intensity at about the halfway point, when Robert Smith sang Disintegration, 100 Years, and A Promise in rapid succession.  The crowd was completely engulfed in the music, the mood was set, and the full moon solidified it.  This was Smith at his absolute best. His voice was "on", the band was "on", and everyone was mesmerized. The crowd swayed and Smith's guitar screamed a wailing solo during Disintegration, the likes of which may never be heard again.    Robert Smith wailed and screamed with an emotion that has made him a poster child for so many. It was as if the crowd had become part of the show.

This show ran the gamut of feelings, from the top emotional highs to the most intense angst-ridden lows.  It was a Cure show for everyone, any age, and any background.  Looking at the crowd, one thing was for sure..... there is no typical Cure fan today.  Cure fans now come from every walk of life.  They range in age from ten to seventy.  They are rockers, goths, preps, retirees, and school kids. However, when they are together for Smith's two-hour journey of emotion, they are frighteningly similar.   Robert Smith's musical genius seems to have effects on just about everyone.

Notes:

Cure played from about 9:20-11:20pm
First verse lyrics of Play for Today changed.
During Closedown, the audio guys were sleeping, and Smith's guitar could barely be heard.
Home Depot Soccer Stadium appeared to be at about 65-70 percent of full capacity.  Seats behind the stage not used.
Tickets and parking were extremely expensive.  Parking $20 for a dirt lot.  Tickets $75 each after all fees.  Beer: $7
Most attendees showed up only for the Cure, and chose to miss the opening bands.

- Travis VanDenBerg


Yes I noticed that Robert sang different lyrics to "Play For Today".  What a real treat! He was singing the 1979 version of the song that they
used to perform in clubs before the album came out. I was all excited when they performed it. AMAZING SHOW!

- Jon


The Show was great despite being very predictable. It is the eight time I have seen the Cure and I do hope to see them more.
Hightlights:
1) the (almost) full moon made the show very dream like
2) Lost/Plainsong are awesome openers- two very different songs that compliment each other very well
3)FTDGS- has never lost it's edge although I didn't see a lot of hands in the air
4) The Pop Nightmare Section of the show is still very fun: these are songs that hooked me on to the Cure originally and it's always fun to hear a
staduim belt out Just Like Heaven
5) Friday I'm In Love on a Friday
6) Tasty Churros...MMMMM
7) The Disintegration Songs- five from this album! Almost seemed like Trilogy. Wish I could have heard more from the Head on the Door
8) The People were actually dancing in he aisles
9) I bought six shirts; how am I going to pay that overdue phone bill?
10)  A completely and totally awesome show

Thanks for playing guys- it's my only show on the tour since I can't afford to follow them all over the county (or state). Hope to see you all soon

- The Catterpillarboy


Not an official review, just a comment: Just returned from the Carson show - it was awesome! We had seats up on the side but it all sounded
great especially Disintegration, 100 Years and the Promise. We'll see if anyone comments on Robert changing the words to Play for Today? We
don't think he forgot the words. I couldn't tell what he said though.

- Greg
 


Back