10:15 Saturday Night, A Forest, Primary, 100 Years, Figurehead, A Strange Day, Let's Go To Bed, Shake Dog Shake, Inbetween Days, Just Like Heaven, Pictures of You, Fascination St., Lovesong, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, Want, Maybe Someday, 39, Bloodflowers

1st encore: If Only Tonight We Could Sleep, The Kiss
2nd encore: Plainsong, Disintegration
3rd encore: Boys Don't Cry

Duran, Interpol, The Cure, Soft Cell Invade SoCal

KROQ's Inland Invasion III - Glen Helen Hyundai Pavilion, San Bernardino, CA

Before Dark:

“This is the high point of my life, getting to be here with all of these great bands. This will never happen again
for any of us,” shouted Terri Nunn of Berlin as her band closed the second stage Saturday afternoon (9/20) at
the third annual Inland Invasion at the Glen Helen Hyundai Pavilion in Southern California's Inland Empire.
Her sentiment echoed throughout the day, as KROQ's line-up combined an impressive collection of nostalgic
acts like Berlin, Duran Duran and the Cure with rising bands, many of whom were obviously inspired by the
same veterans they shared the bill with. Some notable sightings throughout the day included Interpol bassist
Carlos Dengler bouncing along backstage to Berlin, Kelly Osbourne hanging out with the whole of Interpol late
into the night and Robert Smith of the Cure nodding enthusiastically to Hot Hot Heat.

The side stage proved a major draw early in the day with new Australian band Jet rocking the crowd followed by
a recently reunited Dramarama. But it was the southern rockers Kings of Leon who won over the crowd with
their blend of bluesy grit rock. The Kings tore through a serious set of songs from their debut full-length, Youth
& Young Manhood (RCA) including the crowd pleasing “California Waiting,” Spiral Staircase” and “Holy Roller
Novocaine.” With a drummer who looked like Jesus in long wavy hair and a full beard, the guys delivered a
precise, serious set as their roadie, who dressed like they did in tight ‘70s rocker style, stood by.

Berlin was up next, closing the side stage with zeal proving their lasting influence as Terri Nunn brilliantly
worked the crowd with classics “The Metro” and “No More Words.” Nunn even showed her nostalgic
appreciation closing her set with a rousing cover version of Depeche Mode's “Never Let Me Down Again”
that had the entire audience singing along.

It was rumored that the reason Berlin was switched to playing the side stage a couple of days before the event
(which actually did pose a security threat with so many people trying to cram into such a small allotted space on
the grass), is that Robert Smith refused to play on the same stage as the Los Angeles new wave band. The
numerous kids dressed head to toe in black, some with frizzed out Robert Smith hair, that looked on in 90
degree weather as Berlin performed probably had no clue. (False, see info at the end of this review)

In the meantime, Bow Wow Wow was making quite an impression on the main stage as Annabella Lwin told it
like it was in a commanding performance that included one onstage costume change and lots of encouraging
interaction with the audience. Drummer Adrian Young from No Doubt proved that it wasn't much of a stretch
to play with Bow Wow Wow as Lwin reminded us where the rocker grrrls of the‘90s, like No Doubt's Gwen
Stefani, got their moves from. It was indeed one of the most energetic, musically spot on, and best sets of
the day with some of the best sound. This set, which was the band's first in years, stayed true to Bow Wow
Wow's new wave/punk/ska roots in nostalgic hits like “W.O.R.K.” and “I Want Candy,” yet spoke to the
future through energy, vision and exceptional musical prowess from all four musicians including guitarist
Phil Gough and founding member bassist Leigh Gorman.

Surprisingly, it was Marc Almond of Soft Cell who was the dark horse  of the day. Wow, what a rock star, even
after all these years. The command of performance, grace and dignity of which he delivered ballad after ballad
of solo material and Soft Cell hits like “Tainted Love” proved to be one of the most delightful happenings of the
day. Almond delivered a superb mix of theatrics and melody. They just don't make solo performers like that any
more.

Next up were newcomers Interpol who turned in an intense performance clearly taking some of their cues from
‘80s bands yet establishing their own blend of guitar and synthesizer on intense numbers like “Untitled” and
“Obstacle 1.” With singer Paul Banks's voice and lyrics echoing dark, atmospheric sentiments not unlike New
Order, their mid-afternoon set excitedly won over numerous new fans. The minimal yet energetic approach of the
Violent Femmes stood out with their quirky over played songs like “Blister in the Sun” and “Kiss Off” bringing
many in the sold-out crowd to sing along. Gordon Gano looked more like a Wisconsin farmer than a lead singer.

At least when Echo & the Bunnymen came onstage, they were appropriately fronted by charismatic singer Ian
McCulloch. The quintessential British band seemed to practically came out of nowhere to remind the crowd why
their influence is still felt today with a memorable and relevant set, opening with the classic “Lips Like Sugar.”
McCulloch's voice was one of the most impressive on display, especially on “Nothing Lasts Forever” which
segued into a stellar cover of Lou Reed's “Take A Walk on the Wild Side.”

After Dark:

Hot Hot Heat, easily the most hyper band of the newcomers, mixed synthesizers, hooks and guitars to great
success. Whipping themselves and the crowd into a frenzy with “Bandages” and “Get In or Get Out,” the
Canadian band took full advantage of playing to a packed amphitheater – meeting the challenge came natural
to them.

Though the reunited Duran Duran suffered sound problems early in their set, the band and the eager crowd
connected by the end on popular tracks “Ordinary World,” “The Wild Boys,” “Hungry Like the Wolf” and
sing-alongs “Rio” and the ever-beautiful “Save a Prayer.” To many, Duran Duran represent the heart of new
wave ‘80s music in their romantic, fun style that was heard on every radio station across the country, as they
were one of the first MTV video bands to make a serious mark. On this night lead Simon Le Bon led Duran
Duran in an exciting set (even though he appeared angered while mouthing that the sound was terrible to
someone on the side of the stage on several occasions). Their performance made it easy to see why this
super group has such an avid fan base even today. It was indeed magical, especially as nearly everyone sang
along to almost every song.

But it was the Cure who drew the biggest and most impressive response of the night. Though the band played a
chronological selection of tracks from their 25-year plus career, it was the intensity with which they played that
was most striking. From early singles “10:15 Saturday Night” and “Primary,” to obscure fan-favorites “A
Strange Day” and “Shake Dog Shake,” and wide-appealing hits “Just Like Heaven” and “Picture of You,”
Robert Smith and company proved why they were closing the 11-hour show. Though influential the band
still continue to push their music in new directions with commanding intensity.

- Jeff Partain & Kim Taylor
September 22, 2003

Update: That bit about Robert refusing to play on the same stage with Berlin is false. A source close to the band says "This is not true...  in fact, Berlin were one of the bands that Robert suggested be added to the bill, and
KROQ did just that (and not just because Roger used to play with them!). Until we arrived in Los Angeles, we
were under the impression that Berlin were playing the main stage, the running orders between the 2 stages
changed so much, but the last ones that we saw before leaving the UK, had Berlin on the same stage as us... so
just the rumour mill working overtime again..."

80s Bands Flashback To The Future At KROQ's Inland Invasion

(9/22/03, 4 p.m. ET) -- Everything old was new again this past Saturday (September 20) at San Bernardino,
California's Hyundai Pavilion, where Southern California alt-rock radio station KROQ 106.7 FM held its third
annual Inland Invasion festival. An all-day event subtitled "Flashback To The Future," the concert featured such
new wave staples from KROQ's '80s playlist as the Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Berlin, Violent Femmes, Dramarama,
Bow Wow Wow, Marc Almond of Soft Cell, General Public, Echo & the Bunnymen, and the recently reunited
Duran Duran--not to mention a vintage video game arcade equipped with Ms. Pac-Man, Burgertime, Dig-Dug,
Frogger, Asteroids, and Donkey Kong machines.

Surprisingly, among the 60,000-plus fans in attendance were many teen rockers who weren't even alive when
most of the aforementioned artists were in their prime; perhaps they were attracted by the younger acts on bill,
like Fountains Of Wayne, Hot Hot Heat, Interpol, Dashboard Confessional, Kings Of Leon, and Jet. However,
even those bands were so decidedly retro in sound, and the teenagers' new wave/punk mall fashions so decidedly
retro in style, that it was still difficult to forget that this concert was taking place in 2003. The only clues to the
actual decade were the '80s artists' few extra wrinkles and gray hairs, multiplied and exaggerated 500 times on
the venue's giant video screens.

Among the newer bands on the bill, the highlights were Australia's Jet (this millennium's AC/DC), who rocked
the side stage with their surprise cover of the Arthur Crudup/Elvis Presley classic "That's All Right Mama";
'90s comeback kids Fountains Of Wayne (the modern-day answer to the Cars), who befuddled the young crowd
by playing riffs from '70s dinosaur-rock tunes like Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good," Kansas's "Carry On
Wayward Son," Foreigner's "Double Vision," and even the Cars' "Let's Go"; Interpol (dead-ringer Joy
Division soundalikes), who performed in their trademark black suits and ties despite the broiling desert heat;
and Southern-fried rock 'n' rollers Kings Of Leon, aka the new Lynyrd Skynyrd. But the new-millennium
standout of the Inland Invasion was without a doubt Canadian garage rock sensation Hot Hot Heat (currently
the number-one band on KROQ), whose frontman Steve Bays was a crazy, rolling ball of energy, his wild mop of
Sweathog-like curls flapping in the desert wind as he tottered about on his skinny pipe-cleaner legs, yelped like
XTC's Andy Partridge, and pounded his vintage keyboard like Jerry Lee Lewis.

The older bands, however, were really the main attractions of the day. One of the best-received artists was the
Psychedelic Furs, despite the fact that lead singer Richard Butler stumbled and fell while performing their
second number, "Ghost In You" (Butler laughed off the gaffe, joking, "I'm one suave bastard!"). The Violent
Femmes, still one of KROQ's most popular bands, wisely offered a crowd-pleasing selection of only their biggest
and most beloved hits, including "Gone Daddy Gone," "Add It Up," "American Music," and perennial favorite
"Blister In The Sun." Bow Wow Wow's revamped lineup featured special guest drummer Adrian Young of No
Doubt, who gushingly wrote in the concert's program notes, "It's a dream come true to perform with a band I
grew up idolizing. I feel like a kid back in the sandbox." And finally, Echo & the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch
boasted, "We're the best f--king band in the world...we should have been on last tonight," and declared Echo's
song "Killing Moon" to be "the greatest song of all time"--and no one in the roaring, delighted crowd even
argued with him.

Still, the biggest draws of the Inland Invasion were undoubtedly Duran Duran, whose original five-member
lineup recently began touring again for the first time in 17 years, and the Cure, who were returning to the stage
for the first time since the 2000 Bloodflowers tour.

Unfortunately, Duran Duran frontman Simon Le Bon's voice was in disappointingly poor form (he kept scowling
at the sound crew and gesturing that he couldn't hear himself on the monitors--scowls and gestures that were
broadcast on the jumbo video screens for all the Pavilion to see), but no one seemed to mind; as long as he was
singing Old Romantic hits like "Hungry Like The Wolf," "The Reflex," "Save A Prayer," "Wild Boys,"
"Friends Of Mine," "Rio," "Careless Memories," and "Girls On Film," the fans didn't care how many bad
notes he hit. However, when Le Bon announced that Duran Duran were going to play a new song, "What
Happens Tomorrow," impatient spectators in the crowd actually booed audibly and cried out, "Noooo!"

The Cure closed out the night with a stunning greatest-hits set that was hands-down the high point of the entire
festival. Starting with "10:15 Saturday Night" from their 1979 debut album Three Imaginary Boys, they
embarked on a chronological journey of their remarkable 25-year career, including "A Forest" (from 1980's
Seventeen Seconds); "Primary" (from 1981's Faith); "One Hundred Years," "The Figurehead," and "A Strange
Day" (all from 1982's Pornography); their 1984 breakthrough single "Let's Go To Bed"; "Shake Dog Shake"
(from 1984's The Top); "Just Like Heaven," "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep," and "The Kiss" (from their
1987 double-album Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me); "Pictures Of You," "Disintegration," "Fascination Street,"
"Love Song," and "Plainsong" (from their 1989 landmark Disintegration); "From The Edge Of The Deep
Green Sea" (from 1992's Wish); and two final songs off Bloodflowers, "Maybe Someday" and "39." The
fantastic two-hour performance concluded with Smith crooning "Boys Don't Cry" while clutching a stuffed toy
cat given to him by an adoring fan in the front row.

In the chorus of "39," band leader Robert Smith sang, "The fire is almost out, and there's nothing left to
burn," but judging from this performance, the Cure have plenty of fire left in them. After thanking all the bands
on the bill and rightfully declaring the Inland Invasion to have been a "f--king excellent day," Smith promised
the audience, "See you next year!"--and at this rate, the Cure actually might be playing alongside Interpol and
Hot Hot Heat at the Inland Invasion in 2023.

-- Lyndsey Parker, Los Angeles

   "I thought it would be a great idea to tell you about The Cure show in E, California last Saturday when they
headlined the Kroq Inland Invasion III tour.  We arrived almost at 12 noon.  We had premier parking and luckily
parked a stones throw away from the entrance.  Now, to the review of the show.

    With a Kroq DJ telling the crowd that The Cure would be out in 25 because Robert wanted a tea break, I
couldn't have been more anxious.  The Duran Duran set lasted forever.  No offense, but I was there to see The
Cure for the 24th time.  It didn't seem like 25 minutes went by because the lights went dark and I could see The
Cure about to play.  10:15 Saturday night.  How appropriate considering they came on about then.  I was afraid
The Cure's set would be time constrained due to the curfew.  Luckily, I was wrong just like I was when they
played the Kroq Weenie Roast back in 1997 at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater.  Hearing it reminded me of their
appearance on The Craig Kilborn show.  I was suspecting they would open with Want or possibly Out Of This
World.  I was wrong.  Next was A forest.  It was wierd hearing this song so early consid! ering they pretty much
ended their 2000 Bloodflowers concerts with it...at least the 6 times I saw them.  I couldn't have been dancing any
harder during these couple songs.  I knew this would be a great set.  Primary was next which was a complete and
utter surprise.  I haven't heard it since the August 11th Los Angeles Forum show.  Next, Robert said, "We're
going to play four new songs." which delighted the fans out there including me.  I thought, "Wow, they're going
to play some new tracks from the upcoming album!"  But, I hear Jason's drum part and know instantly it's 100
Years!!!  This has to be, well From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea and A Forest, one of my alltime favorite
live songs ever.  While most of the people around me were just standing there like subjects in a painting, I
couldn't be any happier.  I was doing the mock guitar and drum parts like a conductor does with their symphony.
Next was The Figurehead...another Pornography song which alienated most of the people around me so much
that this couple said goodbye to their friends, packed up, and left.
Don't they know THIS was what being a true Cure fan was all about?  To make it even better, The Cure started
to play A Strange Day.  I never in a million zillion years would have thought or even imagined The Cure playing
three songs from Pornography IN A ROW!!!  It was like being at the Trilogy concerts which would have been an
amazing experience.  In fact, there was a guy who was wearing his black Trilogy shirt right behind me.  Can
anyone say jealousy?  Next up was Let's go to Bed.  Robert did his complimentary "You think you're tired now
but wait until six." line which ignited the crowd even moreso.  Next up was Shake Dog Shake.  I'm soo glad they
played this song that night.  I knew this would be a Cure fan's ultimate set and yet again I was not disappointed.
With Jason's drum introduction led to Inbetween Days.  I think the people, which I can only imagine was in
the 10 or 25,000, in general was grateful to hear a song which they knew.  Same thing went for Just Like Heaven
which ignited the crowd once again.  Pictures of You, Fascination Street with the television screens showing the
XXX motel, only made the song more memorable.  Lovesong was great as well reminding me of when Robert
Smith left the concert early to fly over to see Mary.  In fact, Robert said so When I saw The Cure at Irvine
Meadows on August 17th.  From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea was the highlight of the show for me.  This
was the song where the entire band completely rocked out. Robert swaying as he played his guitar.  Simon doing
his twirl and spin move as he hopped around like he always does during this song.  Roger was magnificent with
his keyboard parts making me dance even harder.  Perry just absolutely jamming and wa! iling away which
shakes my head just thinking about it.  And Jason pounding away on his drums like a madman possessed.
Intense song only accentuated by the band totally getting into it should be one of many reasons why Cure fans
should go see them perform live.  Want was next which signaled me to dance everywhere once again.  During the
set Robert said, "Three more songs." which scared me because of the time and noize curfew.  Maybe someday
woke up many people who stayed for The Cure's entire set.  Two more songs from Bloodflowers were 39 and
Bloodflowers.  I thought that would be the it.  Luckily once again, I was wrong.  The lights come back on as the
crowd, who for the most part have been there with me the entire day in the swelting sun, cheered approvingly
clapping like they never did before.  If Only Tonight We Could Sleep was the first encore followed by The Kiss.
You should have seen Roger virtually pound the keys like a telegraph machine operator desperately trying to
send an S.O.S. message.  It was something I will never ever forget.  Truly amazing!!!
The second encore was Plainsong and Disintegration.  Two songs that only brought this incredible night to
almost and end.  Because when I heard Disintegration, I knew the end of the concert was coming to an end.
Luckily, The Cure came back onstage and played Boys Don't Cry.  For all the people who stuck it out, they
were rewarded with good news from Robert Smith.  He said, "See you next year!" which erupted the crowd
because an upcoming world tour would become a reality dispelling the myths that the Bloodflowers tour would
be their last.  Start saving up your money folks.  For a Cure show will be in your area next year.  And to all you
who now have a chance to see them for the first time, ! DO NOT LET THIS PASS YOU BY ONCE
AGAIN!!!  As a new album is just around the corner, this upcoming tour will probably we even better than the
Bloodflowers concerts!!!  And that speaks volumes because I personally thought those concerts were some of
the best concerts out of the 24 I've seen.  If this summer concert was any indication of what's to come, then we
ALL are in for a special treat!!!"

"I stood for over 8 hours like a proud English toy Cure soldier & his little wooden umbrealla,that I paid 20 bucks
for to keep from passing out from the hot sun and the huge amont of drugs being blown my way.The lawn seating
is really pure hell for fans & most of us lawn seated fans had been zapped of all are energy.I was in shock & awe
when Robert came out attacking his guitar like"Godzilla having a major mad blazing fit in Tokyo City" Robert
did some great singing that night & Simon being the "Super Sexy Bass God" that he is,but you could not hear
the keyboards on most of the songs and the drumming kept clipping the speakers causing other things to get
washed out of the mix.The Cure are the best band in the world! & they made me proud to be a Cure fan that
night. ps Robert can you do a cover of "Opps! I did it again!" by Britney Spears the next time you play one of
these radio shows.(lol)"

"Well, we were close to Glen Helen Parkway around 4:00 (we were planning to see Soft Cells) but the exit line
was so long that we only came in around 4:30 something.  While driving we did the usual looking at the cars and
saying "they are going to the concert" and "they are not so going to the concert", we saw the yellow car with
young kids going for about 100 feet and overheating and waiting at the side of the road and then going for
another 100 feet and overheating again, the car with goths that drove by the side of the road passing everybody
and making cool signals and screaming and everybody joining in, and us cutting in front here and there and
smiling and everybody being very nice and letting us in.  Well, my friend and her sister were able to get in the
seated area, but my husband and me tried a couple of times and were sent out to the lawn.  And it was good that
they kicked us out because I got the chance to get my The Cure t-shirt (they were all gone by the end of the
show).  We also walked all over the lawn admiring how huge it was and how many people were there, some for
the whole day.  We sat down for a while looking at the people, at the all different Cure t-shirts they were wearing,
I was explaining to Juan about the goths and the punks and the different kind of music, about the bands playing,
and he liked Violent Femmes (good as always) because they kind of looked like computer geeks, and we were
looking at the stars and then I started to tell him about the "Little Prince" and about the planet he visited where
there was a man that counted stars, well it was really nice....  until we got stepped on and realized that it was time
to sit down, it was really dark, lighting was really bad and the place was emptying out (we were all the way on the
back, close to the Cuervo stand).

My friends did not like Hot Hot Heat, but I still like them, and right before Duran Duran we started to make our
way down to the front of the lawn, which was fun to do considering how dark it all was.  And then Tammy came
out and said the thing about re-living your teenage dreams and I said "what the heck is she saying!" and then I
realize that I was 30 and Juan 33, and that I was wearing jeans, tennis shoes and a white t-shirt (not black as on
my two previous Cure concerts), and that I was all "grown up" and not so different than some of the people we
were looking at at the lawn, but damn it!  when I heard on the radio that The Cure was going to be playing I said
"I have to be there" without a bit of hesitation, and I felt this peace inside, and I left work and I was there in front
of the computer at 12:00 o'clock to buy tickets at the pre-sale, and I had been dreaming for two nights in a row
that I had forgotten my tickets and I was driving back to get them, ... and I felt so proud of myself!  And that as
my friend says, I have "priorities", and that even thought many things are still not so clear in my life, at least
there are some decisions that are incredibly easy to make, that are so important that there are no doubts, no
hesitation and no regrets.  And seeing The Cure was the one.

Going back to the show, John Taylor as nice as ever, the years go well with some people (but not with Simon).
And I like DD somewhat, but after a few songs I was hoping they would finish soon so I could see Robert, and
they even had the audacity to come out for an encore!  I think I passed my feelings to my husband, he actually
kind of hate them.

And then they came to stage.  And it was all so great!  I love 10:15 and A Forest is my favorite driving song.
While playing, and specially when they started to play the not-so-known, a bunch of people started leaving, and
even though I though, "what the heck are you people doing? ...this is what you all have been here for all day!"
I soon realize that it was for the best, that even though they were not going to enjoy a once in a life experience,
now we could see who the real Cure people was.  And Robert did his little steps, the "shaking like milk", the
"back to pop now", the bit of nervousness, and it was all great.  And Juan was so good he even agreed to
try to make a run to the seated area after security started loosing up, and there we went, straight face directly
to the middle of the seated area, and I was even happier, standing up, all singing and doing my kind of dance.
Oh, it was such a great night!  And I looked at Juan all smiling and he had this big smile too.  And he did not
complain, he did not say a thing, I knew he was just happy seeing me be so happy.  And I felt that with the
magic of that night, of that moment, I was also making him a believer.

Betina, I saw Marty up there and it was like one of us (all of us mortals down there) had made it to stage!  And
it was so good to scream and pound on the seats to have them back, and back, and back and Robert was all
smiles. And they were all so simple and nice, and Robert was so great rolling up his sleeve and playing the guitar
on The Kiss, and I got all emotional when he walk to the sides of the stage even though I was so far away, and
after all the applauses Robert bowed so low that my husband was all impress about his humility.  And "Boys
Don't Cry" was a great last song. And I partly understood what Robert said but Juan translated it as "You've
been a excellent audience!" with english accent and "See you next year", and I was even happier and I said
"Thank YOU!".  And I kissed Juan so hard, and he gave me a big hug, and I was so happy that I could not stop
smiling and tears were getting to my eyes. "

"thoughts on saturdays show....

general: i flew from nyc to see the show and hang out in la for the weekend...

purposeful economics means $10 beers? $13 soco shots? amazing. not even in new york does that happen.

parking. amazing. after the show i sat in one of the far off lots for 2 hours not moving. disgraceful that the
security wasn't on hand, if there had been accidents or any problems it easily could have escalated into an out
of control situation. the venue needs to plan security numbers commensurate with the amount of tickets they
sell. where they surprised?

show:

tried to time arrival with furs, saw them in new york the preceding week in front of only a few hundred,
great....interpol ok, marc almond needs to stop altogether, echo brilliant, hot hot heat insidious and unlistenable.
had to leave to stand in beer line at that point. femmes still the same. duran comical with sound problems but still
fun to hear songs i've not heard in a long time, new effort weak.

cure spot on. best pictures i've ever heard, great hundred years, excellent primary, shake dog shake.....very
tight show, proving once again why they are one of the best bands to ever perform live. fantastic musicianship,
every song captures the mood its meant to, terrific interplay among band members, simon as animated as he's
ever been, perry's guitar problems notwithstanding a great effort. looking forward to new album, material and
tour.

all in all worthwhile experience, although venue needs to do some serious contemplating about potential
problems....on several occasions it looked as though a helicopter was flying only a few hundred feet above the
crowd on the lawn. too great a risk to take for a few photos."

"Most of the reviews here sum it up, so I'll add my two cents and get to the point regarding The Cure.  If you
care to read additional comments, contine to read my entire review.

The Cure's set, great.  People complain about The Cure not playing to the crowd.  Now now, have The Cure
ever been know for doing what people want them to do?  So not playing all the singles at II3 was very fitting,
the band was in true from.

Primary: I think they flubbed the intro, but it's one of my favorites the rest of it was great.

Lets Go To Bed: Simon's bass was exceptionally riviting

Figurehead: A new live one for me, and a favorite song.  Not quite the form as it was on 'Paris', but still great

The Kiss: the highlight!  I've never ever seen Robert go so ballistic on the guitar before.  I was floored.  My
friend Dave Lossing (see his review below), summed it up nicely with "Retire that guitar!" Any guitar fan of
any music genere would have apprecieated how Robert tore it up.  Words can't describe it.

As for the venue, and being on the lawn...never never again at that facility.  I now know why the rioted at the
last Woodstock concert. As some reviews here state there wasn't any of the below, there actually was security
(however it was usless), there were sheriffs there (walked by me, but there wern't enough of them), there was
a medic staton (but only one, which wasn't enough, and wasn't really easy to find).  The only remaning food
available at the concessions after Hot Hot Heat set was nachos.  Crowd control was usless, I didn't use a
restroom for 10 hours because I couldn't get out of my space on the lawn because people had no where else
to sit besides the walkways.  Dave and I discussed that if there was a fire, we'd die; there was no way to
escape.  Obtaining water was a nightmare.  The design of the venue is fine (i've been in similar venues that
did not have these problems), but this event was completely mismanaged and understaffed.  The medical
helicopters were lifting off the top of the hill too many times that day.  This the lawn seating under under
this type of management is a death trap.

I've located some info on how to voice complaints.  Perhaps some changes can be made not only before we
see The Cure again (if god forbid they play that venue again), but for any further events there.

Assistant Fire Chief - Tracey Martinez  tmartinez@fire.sbcounty.gov

Tracey's e-mail address is the only one at the San Bernardino County fire dept's. web site.  She replied and
said she'd forward my concerns to Community Safety department, which info I found and happens to be:

http://www.sbcfire.org/fire_marshal/community_safety.asp

620 South "E" Street
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0179
909.386-8400 Phone
909.386.8460 Fax

Phil Gadsby, Assistant Fire Marshal

It wasn't listed, but my guess is that Phil's e-mail address is pgadsby@fire.sbcounty.gov"

"with a body recovering and a spirit rejuvenated, my words come to you from a sensibility still very much reeling
from saturday night’s nearly religious event. but lest it be thought that i came away from the show sickened in any
way, i’ll just get my main complaints out now: first off, i’m not sure who messed up and why but, at times, as others
have noted, perry’s guitar was altogether lost. secondly, and i really shouldn’t have been bothered by this since i
was expecting it, but “the shallow drowned lose less than we” seemed to describe much of the crowd.. throughout
the day, bands were deemed great or boring, by the people surrounding me, simply upon how “hot” the lead
singer was. in the evening, while waiting in an-hour-and-a-half-long line for water, i listened as the two people
directly in front of me marveled at the nearby karaoke booth (blaring linkin park, i might add) while dismissing
the violent femmes as a one-hit wonder. and later, as i watched kroq-head after kroq-head file (or in many cases
stumble) out of the pavilion following duran duran’s stage departure, i realized at once how so very many
unfortunate souls go their entire lives without ever really listening to music, without ever wholly surrendering
themselves to the epiphanic energy, oh say, two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist and drummer, can produce.
but, to me, these are the moments that make life worth living.

and so, for some two hours saturday night, nothing else mattered: i  gratefully succumbed to the soaring sounds,
feeling inextricably overpowered  as memories and emotions leapt, flooded and threatened to break from inside…

taking the stage much more casually than i’ve ever witnessed, the cure picked up their instruments and
immediately dove into “10:15 saturday night.” and since my most recent exposure to them playing live had been
their television performance on the kilborn show, i was surprised to hear that very song again so soon. usually
cure shows open with something more dramatic, something to instantly draw you into their
strange-yet-now-so-perfectly-familiar world.. “a forest” brought us in deeper into that cosmic space. then came a
much-reworked “primary.” to me, it sounded more sinister, loud and crunching than i have ever heard it. (can
anyone with a technical background explain this?? i’m at a loss.) but it really led up to the pornography set
wonderfully. and how unexpected was it for them to play one-third of arguably their least kroq-radio-friendly
album?! i was amazed and so very thankful…“one hundred years” was riveting, magnetic and sent the stage
aglow in black, white and crimson. the squalor so beautiful and the fervor electric, i was swept up in what seemed
a surreal early-morning storm—in fact, in those inexplicably transcendent minutes, i am quite sure that my feet
didn’t touch the ground. “the figurehead” was, of course, spine-chilling. and then came the opening notes of one
of my favourite cure songs ever, “a strange day.” it was just so hypnotic and perfect…with the way robert hangs
on to all of the “a”s in “a straaaaaaaange day.” drifting in the desert breeze just then was sinful and exquisite

with “let’s go to bed” came a transient poppier mood, only to dissolve without trace into “shake dog shake”—a
welcomed choice to be sure. suddenly, and sadly in only the second worst moment of the show for me, gyrating
hips thrust into my field of vision as two women a few rows in front of me wriggled toward the floor, swiveling
their butts all the way down…doing the “shake dog shake,” i guess…or maybe just the “dog”??…i still don’t
understand how the music before us could inspire such a spectacle, but i will admit that i too was doing some
shaking of my own..not sure if it was the cooling temperature or the feeling that i was leaving my body, but i
had begun to shiver from head to foot. after a long day in the sun, the sensation was glorious. (speaking of
shaking it, though, can someone please explain why the front men for soft cell, the psychedelic furs and duran
duran all felt so compelled to indulge in dance party 2003: the return of the booty? something tells me comedy
was not what they were going for…)

the band then proceeded to give the kroq junkies a taste of the beauty i was already submerged in.. and so,
five singles followed, tearing through the mid to late 1980s catalogue. while it’s always incredible to watch these
crowd-pleasing “hits” unfold live, part of me couldn’t help cursing the (and this will probably sound elitist and
unfair, but…) nonfanatic audience who, passively, only react to what overly commercialized kroq has spoon-fed
them all these years.

“wish” and “wild mood swings” were touched upon, for one song apiece. although “from the edge of the deep
green sea” sent many, now sated by a solid string of singles, toward the exits, thousands of palms still pushed
toward the heavens, as if choreographed or ritualized, while robert sang, “put your hands in the sky.” cheesy as
it may be, i felt as though the vespers were being sung among kindred spirits…and it all felt as perfectly right
as it was the first time i ever saw them.

next, the ever-crescendoing “want” just about drove me out of my head…and closing down (hehe) the set were
three from the album “bloodflowers,” which i’ll just go ahead and spoiled-child-like admit that the selections
disappointed me. i know they had to play songs from “bloodflowers” since they were playing songs from every
album and, besides that, it is their most recent, but i just don’t find the bulk of “bloodflowers” to be that
enchanting (“out of this world,” which they did not play, being the one major exception). during the song
“bloodflowers,” some frat-boy types, conveniently standing right next to me, started to get in one another’s
faces, screaming and seeming inches away from coming to blows. if i hadn’t been so scared of them taking their
aggressions out on me, i would have told them to shut the hell up..but then my mind is often saying things my
mouth is smart enough not to…..

much to my relief a few of the disrespectful idiots left and i was blessed to enjoy what followed..and happily, the
encores more than answered my pining for nonsingles as “kiss me kiss me kiss me” and “disintegration” were
revisited for four gorgeous songs. all i have to do is list them (“if only tonight we could sleep,” “the kiss,”
“plainsong” and “disintegration”) and you can imagine their intensity. but yes, like everyone has said, “the kiss”
was fucking brilliant, sharing a likeness to the loudness of fireworks exploding. as for the always shimmering
“plainsong,” suffice to say, it remedied all evils. (during “plainsong,” robert seemed most animated, greeting
fans in the pit and such, but even so, he, along with the rest of the band, seemed more reserved than usual.
intracure interaction was also at a minimum, and as powerfully as they came across musically, i, more than
once, felt that they weren’t entirely comfortable with their surroundings.) the epic “disintegration” would certainly
have been an acceptable choice on which to bid adieu, but when robert neglected to say the obligatory “thank
you very much and good night,” i knew the show wasn’t over yet. and sure enough we were treated to the
exhilarating finale of “boys don’t cry,” a song that nicely fit the time constraints of the event’s midnight curfew.

hands unclasping (for some reason, when seeing the cure, i’ve noticed that my hands often go into a locked
prayerlike position..to the point where i’ve bent my rings out of shape….it’s weird) and returning to reality, i
turned to my friend and we exchanged dazed looks. in our stupor, we wandered for the greater part of an hour,
trying to remember 12 hours back to when/where we parked the car. when we finally found it, the sole parked
vehicle in a dirt lot, with other cars being forced to create a diamond around mine, the thought of seeing the cure
again somewhere next year sank in…..and so, the waiting begins anew.."

"This was the first time seeing The Cure. I know that's pathetic since I've really liked them since I was 13
(1985). My first chance to see them was in 1987 for the Kiss Me Kiss Me tour, but my friend that had two
tickets took a girl instead. I didn't really put much effort into it after that, although i still followed them and
bought their music. I did lose intrest when they released Mixed Up. Anyways enough about that, I
"rediscovered" them after buying Pornography a few years ago after one of my co-workers had been raving
about it. So, I bought that and began to backtrack by purchasing Faith and 17 Seconds etc... on CD.

I took my fiancee to the show who is also a long time fan but hadn't seen them. I was in Loge 7 row U and I
thought the sound was great. Robert was in top form and the rest of the lads were on the money. I kept thinking
to myself that "Wow, that's Robert Smith up there" The whole set was an epiphany but my favorite parts would
be the opening with "10:15", the selection from Pornography, "Shake Dog Shake" and the encore with the
songs from Disentegration and Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. The Cure are awesome musicians. I look forward to
seeing them again. I thought the setlist was perfect for a Cure fan that was seeing them for the first time. There
was no stone unturned. I could have done without hearing "Lovesong" and had "Last Dance" in it's place. It
was fantastic all in all!!! Pam didn't like the songlist but still loved the show. It was late and she was tired.
I could tell when she didn't realize they were playing her favorite song, "Fascination St". *hehe*"

"Now that I’m finally home in Las Vegas it is time to put into words what I experienced at the KROQ inland
invasion:
I arrived as Bow Wow Wow were already playing. I don’t care what anybody says – they are one of the best, most
fun bands to see live. I just love their music. It was also a nice treat that they were using the drummer from
No Doubt on this show. Even though this was my third time seeing them live I would definitely make every effort
to see them again whenever/wherever they play. They are just that good (Anabella – if you’re reading this I love
you and please marry me!!).
Next came Fountains of Wayne which were very enjoyable – I even heard them sneak in a couple of bars of
“Carry on my Wayward Son” from Kansas and even “Double Vision” from Foreigner (Don’t bother asking if
you don’t know…).
Marc Almond was great!!! Loved every minute of his too short set!!
Then came Interpol – yawn…
Psychedelic Furs came next – also very enjoyable! My first time seeing this band and I was very satisfied!
Violent Femmes were OK – they just don’t seem the fire they once did. But they were still a lot of fun. The crowd
was really into them so it made for an exciting performance.
Echo & The Bunnymen were next – to tell the truth I took this opportunity to make a beer/bathroom run as the
first 2 songs did nothing for me. Little did I know that they would be finished by the time I got back to my
orchestra seat.
Hot Hot Heat – fucking horrible!!! Just hearing their name makes me want to vomit…why these guys were
scheduled so late in the day is beyond me. They sucked sooo hard that I went for another beer run hoping that
they would be finished by the time I got back.
Duran Duran came onstage to thunderous applause and I had high hopes for this performance. I’m still not sure
if I enjoyed it or not. I was expecting to hear nothing but their 80’s classics with this all-original line up.
Instead I got “Come Undone”, “Notorious” and “Ordinary World”. (Actually I like “Ordinary World” – I just
didn’t expect to hear played by the original line up). Oh well – the crowd really enjoyed them so I guess I did too.

And then – finally after what seemed like a half hour wait – the Cure took the stage. What would the first song
be? Then you hear that familiar guitar intro – can it be? No – yes it is “10:15 Saturday night – a total and
complete shocker!!! But it was only just beginning: “A Forest” – didn’t see that one coming either. Now I know
I’m in for something special! After reading all the reviews of the 2002 summer festivals (Special thanks to the
Chain of Flowers website!!)  I was extremely jealous – but now I’m not! Then came “Primary” – have not heard
this since the Wish tour!!! Fucking Great!!
“A Hundred Years” followed by “The Figurehead” and then “A Strange Day” – I’m starting to sense a pattern
here…
By this time the rest of the crowd was starting to feel like they weren’t in Kansas anymore (pardon the pun
intended) and started heading for the exits. Meanwhile I was about 10 rows from the stage in orchestra 2 (in the
center to be exact) and it was a party!! It sounded fantastic there – very powerful and in your face!! Just the way
I like it!!!
Let’s go to Bed – very cool to hear this one again and a crowd favorite!!
“Shake Dog Shake” – Fucking Awesome!!!! Simon’s bass had me grooving to this song – fucking powerful
version!!!
“Inbetween Days”, “Just Like Heaven” & “Pictures of You” – all crowd pleasers and very well played!
“Fascination Street” – there’s that fucking bass again – fucking great sounding and powerful in your face
version!!! Simon is the booty shaking man!!!
“Love Song” – another crowd pleaser that was very well played!
“From the edge…” – just plain awesome!!
“Want” – indeed!!! I wanted it and I got it!!! And then some…
“Maybe Someday”, “39” & “Bloodflowers” – a 1-2-3 punch in my opinion!!! All 3 were very strong but it
signaled the end of the main set. At this point I noticed a few more empty seats around me as another mass
exodus began. Little did they know the best was still to come!
1st encore: “If only tonight we could sleep” – possibly my most favorite Cure song ever!!! Fucking brilliant and
very powerful song that had me spellbound. No matter how many times I hear this song live it just keeps
getting better and better!!!
“The Kiss” – shocking is all I can say about this performance. Loud and proud – Robert tearing up the frets as
Simon pounded out those familiar notes on his way loud and distorted (in a good way) bass. This performance
was possibly better than Irvine in ’96!!!
2nd encore: “Plainsong” – now I’m in heaven!!! It sounded fantastic being so close to the stage. The keyboards
were just washing over me – very lush and powerful!!!!. Robert prowling around the stage at the beginning and
ending of the song – taking it all in!!!! Such a magical moment!!!
“Disintegration” – Simon’s bass again in my face and forcing me to move. Sounded wonderful – but then they
started to leave stage when it came to its thunderous end. I thought to myself, “WOW – what an exhausting
show!!!” But it wasn’t over yet…
3rd encore: “Boys Don’t Cry” – an excellent ending to an excellent set list that never ceased to amaze and
inspire. After it was over Robert came to the mike to say thanks and a rousing “See you next year!!” which
brought more thunderous applause. Then it was really over – and all I can say is Don’t let the Dream end!!!!!!!"

  " I often wonder what is missing from my life that makes me, at the age of 34, have such an obsession with a
rock band.  I’ve flown half way around the world to see them play, I’ve slept on the sidewalk to get good seats,
and I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of money on collectables that sit in isolation in a closet.  Why do I, along
with thousands of others, feel the necessity to go to such lengths for The Cure?  The Inland Invasion show was
one of those occasions that makes this fanaticism seem normal and perfectly reasonable.  From the pre-show
anticipation to the emotional highs that far outlive the final note, seeing The Cure play live, is one of those rare
moments in life where everything is perfect.  No thoughts of paying bills, another day at a boring job, or
relationships gone wrong.  One of those rare moments where you truly live for the moment.  After 25 years you
would think that the magic would fade, but The Cure seem to be getting stronger as the years go by.

    I loved the idea of the chronological set-list. It tied the theme of the entire festival together in one 2 hour
performance.  Opening with 10.15 and working up to Bloodflowers, touching on numerous highlights throughout
their career, they proved they deserved their spot on the top of the bill.  While normally, playing three songs in a
row from Pornography wouldn’t be recommended for a festival, the crowd rolled with the emotion of the band.
One minute 60,000 people were stunned by the intensity of One Hundred Years, The Figurehead, and A Strange
Day and the next they were on their feet dancing to Let’s Go To Bed.  Before the show started, I pictured a lot
of people filing out during The Cure’s set and it simply didn’t happen.  It was so gratifying to see so many people
loving The Cure.  Personal highlights included Primary, The Kiss, Pictures of You, and Plainsong, but of course
the entire show was brilliant.

    As far as the rest of the festival is concerned, I would have to agree with Robert Smith. It was “fucking
excellent”!  Interpol were fantastic as usual, as were the Bunnymen, despite Ian McCulloch’s pompous
exclamations of greatness.   He is right about “The Killing Moon” being one of the greatest songs ever,
although he said it was “the” greatest song ever.   I also really enjoyed The Violent Femmes, and The
Psychedelic Furs. Actually Robert stood on the side of the stage throughout the entire Furs’ set.  Hot Hot Heat
were more one-dimensional live than on their album and Duran Duran were pretty fun even though I spent the
whole of the 80s hating them with all my heart.  All in all, a fantastic day with ten hours of music filled with
memories and topped off by a two hour performance by the best band in the world, The Cure.  See you next
year..."

"As a Cure fan that has seen them over 15 times, both in concert for themselves and at festivals, this show
ranks last.  Don't get me wrong, they sounded great for a band that's been around for 25 years.  And the setlist
would have been perfect if it was a concert strictly for the Cure.  However, the setlist was inappropriate for an
event such as this.  As much as I'm a fan of the trilogy records and the darker album tracks, it would have been
more appropriate to play more pop tracks.  They may have pleased some die-hard Cure fans, but I doubt they
won over any new fans.  I probably won't gain any Cure-friends for my opinion, but I'm just being honest.
After spending an entire day out in the sun, and listening to band after band without extended breaks, it would
have been better with a set of hits with a few album tracks.  Although I do like hearing "A Forest" early in on,
and "Primary" with the new intro is sooo good.  But 3 tracks from Pornography and Bloodflowers at a festival??
I can understand 3 from Disintegration, as they had a number of 'hits' on that record, but they could have done
better with hits like "Close To Me", "LoveCats", "The Walk", "Friday I'm In Love", "Killing An Arab",
"Lullaby", "A Letter To Elise", "Hot Hot Hot", and "Why Can't I Be You?".  Remember, this was the Inland
Invasion Festival, not a Cure concert with tons of openers...as much as I wanted it to be the other way around.

Dramarama were amazing.  It was refreshing seeing a band like this make a triumphant return in front of such
a large crowd so early in the day.

Interpol put on a solid set.  Although their set would work much better in a darker and more atmospheric
setting, they made due with the daylight.

Psychedelic Furs' performance was spot on for this event.  A strong setlist of hits peppered with a few album
tracks for flavor.  Highlight was when Richard Butler tripped over a monitor but recovered with class.
"Heaven" was just pure magic.

Violent Femmes were the perfect band to fill up the crowd as the sun died down.  The thing I liked about them
was that they don't take themselves too seriously.  They understand their novelty and played their hits like the
crowd wanted them to.  Who cares about their album tracks...they sure didn't.  Pure fun.

Echo & The Bunnymen were great.  If you didn't know them, it'd be easy to slag them off because of Ian
McCulloch's apparent pompousness.  But it was all good fun, he's just taking the piss.  "Lips Like Sugar",
"The Killing Moon", and "Walk On The Wild Side" Lou Reed cover were definitely highlights of the set.
Much like the Furs, their setlist was perfect, with a string of hits seasoned with a few album tracks for good
measure.

Hot Hot Heat was definitely a crowd-pleaser.  They're a young band with a lot of energy.  They knew what kind
of crowd they were performing in front of and delivered their two hits.

I want to say Duran Duran were great, but their constant sound problems and Simon LeBon's anger towards
the soundmen put a damper on their set. Nevertheless, it was good to hear their hits with the original lineup
and "Girls On Film" was truly amazing."

"I hate being the voice of dissent and I very much love the Cure...I drove 1500 miles to see them in this
concert...But I must admit to being a little disappointed in the show.  Although I loved the fact that they veered
from the "Greatest Hits" routine and played to the true Cure fans.  And they played their own songs which is
always a plus (Echo anyone?).  I had to smile at the people pouting and leaving early because they weren't
be-bopping to "Friday I'm in Love".  One fellow near me even griped "How about playing a hit?"  I was
thisclose to saying "You heard "Tainted Love" and "Blister in the Sun" so shut and go home already".

But I digress.  As much as I loved the songs we heard, I have to say the Cure has seemed to resign themselves
to a select list of songs.  There wasn't one song played that wasn't played a number of times during the Dream
Tour.  Well, except "Lets Go To Bed".  But The Cure has so many other excellent songs to choose from for
a little variety.  When was the last time anybody heard "Letter to Elise" or "Three Imaginary Boys" or "How
Beautiful You Are"?  Don't get me wrong.  Robert Smith could be singing the yellow pages in Latin and I'd
pay the $50 to see it...But I was hoping for something maybe a little different...Or maybe just one of the new
songs.

"Let me start by saying that I flew to California from Illinois for The Cure show. (My friend flew from out East
though so he has me beat). Like so many others, I really did not expect to see them live again EVER so this was
a rare treat. I enjoyed the entire show, and did not regret one single momet of it... except for the $10 beers of
course. I had never seen them play 10:15 on a Saturday Night so I was excited from the begining of the set all
the way through to Boy's Don't Cry. The band played all the songs I wanted to hear and then some. I think what
I enjoyed the most from the concert that since they really were not here to promote a particular album, it allowed
them to showcase more of the older songs, which is a treat for us older fans. I really do hope the band follows
through and we will indeed see them next year..."

"I decided to write in this time around because I feel the terror of Hyundai Pavilion should be known. My
experience was nowhere near as bad as Jennifer Booth's, but it was pretty close.

The day started with an "event-staff" worker in the parking lot with a bullhorn scolding people for bringing
things that were not allowed in. "Ahh....look at all that beautiful water you brought. Too bad you can't bring it
in", he said. Sick.

This was my 4-year old son's first cure show. I wanted to make sure he stayed cool, and had enough food and
water to make it through the day. They refused to let us in with our umbrella, water bottles(empty), and
sandwhiches. All of these items were for sale inside, as were cameras. What a sick, greedy trap they sucked us
into!

We set up camp halfway up the lawn next to a lane that was meant to be kept clear. As the day progressed the
lane filled up completely with throngs of drunks. The few security guards I saw were right there drinking beer
with them! There was no way out most of the time. All I can say is thank goodness there wasn't any sort of
emergency. The lawn was a complete solid mass of people. At night it was very dark, with only a few lights
around the perimeter of the lawn. This place is ripe for a stampede disaster!!

It seems that if they are going to have such massive concerts in the middle of the desert then they should do
a lot more to make it safe and enjoyable for their customers. Call me crazy. At least let people bring empty
water bottles in!

In the end though, the cure were the bright light at the end of the tunnel. I've devoted so many years of my life
to the cure, and it meant a lot to me to bring my son. I held him as high up as I could during JLH so he could
see the massive sea of people singing and dancing. The look in his eyes made it all worth it. Cheesy but true.
They even played his favorite song, Shake Dog Shake!

My neverending thanks to The Cure!"

"The show was incredible for those who had seats...the Hyundai Ampitheatre is the most evil venue for those
poor souls stuck in lawn..at least this year there were no fires (events at this venue usually end if flames,
literally) and after reading some of the posted stories here, I am thankful there wasn't..

But on to the positives..from my seats, the entire day's worth of show was really great..general public,
psychedelic furs, interpol, hothotheat, and especially echo was great...I was appaled at the lack of reaction
echo got from the crowd..they were amazing but its seemed that the crowd only appreciated, in Ian's words
"bands that go 'goo ka chooka chooka'" referring to the rapturous applause the Violent Femmes received
before they went on (underservedly so in my opinion)

Anyways, on to the Cure..After seeing lots of Cure tees on lots of people I expected the place to erupt, but I
was quite underwhelmed by the reaction, at least in my section (directly in the center of the seat section)
It could have been from the setlist which was very obscure for the casual  fan..they expected Let's Go to Bed,
Love Cats, Why can't I Be You, etc..instead, they got, 100 Years, Bloodflowers, A Figurehead, and Shake Dog
Shake! I loved it and really enjoyed it... Lots of people began trickling out during the middle of the set and by
the end of the show there was LOTS of empty seats...
Their loss because Robert and the band really went bonkers and delivered some incredible music..The Kiss was
amazing and Boys don't Cry is always a load of fun..I really feel for those poor souls in the grass who would have
appreciated the vacant seats that were left in the wake of Shake Dog Shake...

by all means a great night for the seated fans.."

"we flew to LA from indy the day before, met with some long distance friends friday night and visited a local goth
hideout called helter skelter. we arrived to the festival grounds on saturday  just before berlin started their set on
the second stage. it was nice to see terri nunn looking good, the songs sounded great (even the new one i heard
was kinda catchy) and the audience agreed.. probably everyone was there because of another band and seeing
berlin was good entertainment while waiting for the big names.

we wandered off to see the t shirts and stuff and to my disappointment, cure shirt was black, had the cure in the
same font as in last years europe tour shirt plus the date underneath it... that was it. i am fine with black but some
effort should have been put into it.. so i passed the shirt and used my $$ for lemonade instead. and believe me it
was needed: we spent most of our day in the scorching sun on the lawn. obviously we had lawn tickets.. we spent
most of the afternoon behind section 8.. about 15 ft behind the fence.

and onto the main stage..

heard some marc almond (indeed.. where was sex dwarf?). my verdict: ok background music.

heard some new joy division... uhm interpol. i would have probably been more impressed if i had heard them in a
indoors setting. my verdict: ok background music.

heard some furs. even the kids knew the lyrics and sung along. my verdict: very cool.

heard some violent femmes. i am a bit femmed out at the moment.. considering i just saw them two weeks ago in
another festival... but the crowd loved them.. so everyone raised their plastic beer cups and sung along 'let me go
ooouuuut..'. my verdict: ok background music.

and then echo and the bunnymen.. i knew they were gonna be good. i saw them in a club a year ago and these
guys have aged like fine wine.. songs sound even better than the original versions. my verdict: loved it.

and then hot hot heat... what the heck is hot hot heat? never heard of them before. first song (probably their
radio hit) sounded kinda interesting and different so i was not turned off or anything.. kids around us loved these
guys. then the next song sounded like the first and the third one could have been either of first two.. etc. so, id
say one song was cool.. one song stretched into a cacophony lasting a set not cool. but the guys had a lot of
energy and effort and they were definitely not average nor boring... so my verdict is ok. not my thing but fits the
bill.

and then duran duran..aaahhh.  ive been a fan since beginning and i was ecstatic to hear things like friends of
mine and careless memories. plus all the hits of course. the new song was very average and i wish they would
have skipped it. as far as i could tell, the crowd loved them.. (except this idiotic cure fan next to me.. he stood up
like a stick and sulked for the entire set). it helps when you have a multitude of hits that everyone knows..
whether they wanted or not. and dd surely has that advantage. they had some technical difficulties.. but i did not
care. my verdict: loved it. my bitch and moan: why didnt they show roger in the screens and close ups? what
does he look like these days?

and then the cure. my personal favorite ever. and my 13th time seeing them (i think). i am a long time cure
fan.. saw them in 83 or 86 the first time (gotta check the photos in order to be sure) and imho they cannot do
wrong. my wishes before the show was to hear figurehead (or better yet, faith) and not hear fascination street.
although i was pretty sure it was going to get played.

so, a great start with 10.15 and a forest (odd but great).. probably the shortest forest ever. and then some moody
stuff for the old skool fans. and then switching from odd to pop and odd again. i loved the setlist but i was going
to be happy just seeing them play something. i definitely think they should have gone with a pop setlist.. there
were 130000 ppl (read it somewhere) in the festival.. and a fraction of them had heard primary or the kiss
before. i can understand how they took the lesser known songs. when they played just like heaven, everyone
jumped up and they knew the lyrics word by word. cure could have kept that momentum up for the entire setlist
with different choices for songs. playing things like 39 or the kiss is a bit tough for the mere mortal.. you cant
dance to it.. you dont know the song.. all you can do is stand (or sit) and wait for the next song.  playing a
festival gig for 130000 is very hard if you want to please everyone. my verdict: loved it.

kudos for kroq for free parking (ticketmaster made their advertising sound like it was $20 regardless.. those
bastards). we had no problems with the location.. it is california, you cant get anywhere without a car and lots of
time. yes, there were lots of people but it was very professionally organized... the beer was hideously expensive
but that was to be expected. trafficwise i thought we would be sitting in traffic for an hour before getting out.. but
much to my surprise, it was a snap.. lines of cars moved very fast and in 5 minutes we got from the parking lot to
interstate 15.

a disclaimer... just in case: english is not my first language, so you just have to work around the weird grammar
errors :) "

"First of all I would like to preface this review that The Cure is absolutely the best band to see live and they
will always be my favorite.  However, the Hyundai Pavilion is an absolute nightmare.  I flew in for the day from
Oakland and had no idea what to expect and it was horrifying...the parking, food, heat, no lights etc.  I will never
see another show there ever.

I got there in time to see the last two songs of Psychedelic Furs, who were awesome.  I was blown away by
how good the Bunnymen are live after waiting half my life and the planets aligning to see them.  Then as the
sum set and Duran Duran went on the sound people must have went home because not only did Simon have
problems with his monitor and microphones, but it was turned up so loundly that much of everything was
distorted.  I had center seats in section 6, which were not bad seats, but the sound was horrible.  I was hoping
that they would fix it by the time my beloved Cure came on, but they really didn't.  We could barely hear Roger's
keyboarding, and Perry's guitar was barely audible.  But they had Robert's mic turned up so much that it would
distort and get washed out during the "harder songs" like"Forest", "100 Years", "Shake dog shake", "Want"
etc.  My ears are still ringing from all the distortion.

As far as the set goes, it was quite odd, but the idea of taking their albums in order was great.  Of course I loved
every minute of it considering that in 2000 I thought I would never see them on stage again, but it was a mix of
songs for the pop fans and the hardcore fans.  I thought for sure they would do lots of singles to keep the
masses happy.  And by the time "Stange Day" was played people in my section were leaving and/or sitting down.
By midnight when they did "Boys Don't Cry" there were few people around us.  It was strange...not at all like
the Dream Tour.  But the encores were just insanely amazing.  Even with the lack of/turned down guitar and
keyboard parts "Plainsong" was just as amazing as in 2000.  I was moved to tears.  And "The Kiss" is worth the
price of admission even if they came on stage to play that one song and went home.

Most memorable song for me was "Pictures of You."  It was so powerfully sad.  I hadn't heard that one since
'96.  Most unexpected song was "Primary"...hadn't heard that one since '92.  But "Disintegration" and
"The Kiss" take the cake.  Just pure musical genius with the current line-up."

"I'm having trouble thinking of a concise way to say this, but it's not working.  So forgive me if this is
long-winded.

The Cure seem to have 3 large groups of fans- those who only enjoy their pop side, those who only enjoy their
dark side, and those who enjoy both.  Personally, I'm in this last category.

A show like II3 is designed for bands who are content with playing their singles to an audience who may ONLY
know their singles.  There were certainly a number of people there who liked the Cure but whose knowledge of
their music was limited to whatever they heard on KROQ.  The Cure, however, obviously draw a large contingent
of their hardcore fans to any show they play, and thus the crowd mix was divided between the 3 fan groups
mentioned above.

I think the Cure would have been better off playing a mostly-singles show.  As some have mentioned, it was
quite bizarre having a number of the band's singles sprinkled throughout the show, while also playing 3
Pornography songs in a row.  It had a VERY uneven feel, & I felt they were straining to keep their 3 groups of
fans happy.

I think the Cure has done a great job of keeping the pop-Cure fans happy with greatest hits albums and whatnot,
while keeping the dark-Cure fans happy with their live shows, Trilogy, etc.  Because they are perhaps the
most manic-depressive band in history, I think their attempts to meld their dark side & their pop side together
have been some of their least successful efforts.

So, basically, I didn't think this was their best show, primarily because of the setlist.  The chronological idea was
an interesting concept, but their selections were everything from obvious (Shake Dog Shake) to incredibly
puzzling (the Figurehead).  Plus, it took some of the fun away to know that each song would be one of 10 or so... I
wasn't that surprised by any of the songs.  In short, I think it would have been better if they resigned
themselves to the type of festival that it was and stuck with the singles."

"Until The Cure went on, a very lackluster show.  Interpol disappointed, Bow Wow Wow and Psychidelic Furs
lived up to the indifference they inspired.  Fountains of Wayne and Marc Almond (no Sex Dwarf???) were pretty
pointless, too.  Out on the lawn, people couldn't be bothered until the Violent Femmes came on, and they were
great.  Then there was mystery (as in, why are they here?) band Echo & the Bunnymen, playing songs no-one
really knew, imposing their self-importance on 130000 helpless ears.  Any thoughts of 'Echo' being an poohead
were thoroughly reinforced, as he ponced about, not smoking a cigarette.  Hot Hot Heat, while not my thing, were
really good, putting on a good show.  I would gladly have had them perform for twice as long, thus taking away
from the time of the 5 fat sods who followed them, but I think they played their album twice to fill up 30 minutes.

I should mention here that during Echo's set, I went into the VIP are and followed our Roger around for 15
minutes until he stopped talking to people, at which point I thanked The Cure and he for their music, and that
we are greatly appreciative for their coming all the way out to the boonies to play for us.

Hot Hot Heat's set ends, and a strange feeling arises in my gut.  It's Duran Duran time.  Oh, God, please
fashion a sharp painful thing out of a blunt thing and use it to poke it through my skull.  The aforementioned 5
fat sods spent some hour-and-a-half showing off their freshly-Botoxed foreheads to screaming, middle-aged
women.  By far the down point of the day.  They even had the audacity to do an encore!  And if that weren't
enough, Jed the Fish informed us The Cure wouldn't be on for 25 more minutes.

And then The Cure went on.  By this time, we were near the orchestra section, and we would stop at the railing
until security guards told us to keep moving.  The Cure were absolutley fucking brilliant!  They luckily had
the fortune of going on after Duran Duran, so even if they had stood on stage making omelettes, it would have
been a better show.  Starting with 10:15 was an interesting twist, and the entire main set was a curious joy.
I have to agree with others that singing along to Just Like Heaven with 60000 (the Duran Duran fans left by
then) is a truly wonderful feeling.

After Bloodflowers, security had grown more lax, and we went into the orchestra.  Once If Only Tonight We
Could Sleep ended, I bobbled like a giddy little school girl: Robert rolled up the sleeve and we knew what was
coming.  A very kindly security guard, noticing my glee, tapped me and let me into the pit.  From the back of
the lawn to the front of the pit.  Security Guard, I love you.  The Kiss started and it was the greatest live
musical performance ever.  What can I add to the reviews.  Simon exerts so much power over his bass, it's as
if he were trying to rip the neck off.  And Robert.  My god, the best performance EVER.  Watching his face
contort, his lips tighten, his eyes float back, is a religious experience.  A live performance of The Kiss
defribillates the soul.  The second encore was magical, Disintegration was very intense.  Boys Don't Cry was
the perfect end to the perfect evening.

Throughout their set, Robert was extremely chatty, and intelligibly so. I think he took both profound pride
and selfishly indulgent pleasure in knowing that, despite this being a KROQ thing, despite the other bands,
the country's largest amphitheatre sold out in record time because of The Cure.  He was humbled and
invigored, and he invested that into an amazing show.

Thank you so much, The Cure.  See you next year."

" Unfortunately, I've only been able to see The Cure 5 times now (last night was 5), but they never, ever
disappoint me.  Last night was no exception.  Talk about an awesome set.  My God, I seriously thought I was
going to pass out watching Robert just destroy his guitar in the opening solo for "The Kiss."  For a moment I
thought he was channeling Hendrix... I'm not kidding, it was that good.  My friends and I have a saying "God
Damn That's Nice!"  That was all I could think last night.

It was hot as hell, and a good portion of the openers were forgettable.  However, it was well worth the wait (and
yeah, I got there right when the place opened).  A definite highlight also was Robert affirming that he will see us
next year.  I know everyone has been saying that, but it's just nice to hear it from him.  My friend Mike and I
left the show with the agreement that we will do whatever it takes to get front row next time around.  So far the
best we've done is 5 rows back (the incredible Hard Rock Hotel show in LV on the Dream Tour)."

Wow from reading everyone eles show report it seems like everyone else got a great show.....I however
received something quite different.

Let me start off by saying that the Cures setlist and performance was a great one, especially to play up the
years to Bloodflowers.  However,  I couldn¡¦t get to the show until the Duran Duran part and to show up @
7PM and see the entire venue area even in the Loge full and not a spot to spare what I sight to see.

I sat in Loge "area 5" about 200 feet from a second set of speakers.  It was appearant even during the Duran
set that one could hear low annoying humms and the constant feedback from the changing of guitars.   You
could even see Simon mouth the words "it doesn¡¦tsound right" from the video monitors on the wall.   The bass
wasn¡¦t even bass.  It was so overpowering that you could constantly hear the "clipping out" of sound from
the bass.

The Cures set was great!  The sound board techs tried to make the best I think of what was left of the
speakers.  Im sure that they and others were hearing something entirely different (sucks to be me).    The
sound and the constant feedback (also when bands stopped their set it seemed that the sound board was shut
down and difference of the silence and the music was blatenly obvious)  was a very "Bad Show" from an
entertainment/professionalism side and was not worth the money that I paid to see.

I understand that the speakers were playing all day and probabily did have some damage happen to them.
That¡¦s expected, but the sound was so bad that I considered going down to the snack area and watching it on
the CCTV's to be out of the bad sound range.   Its obvious that no one from KROQ came around from their
viewing areas backstage to the "suckers in the LOGE area" to hear the sound quality.  SHAME ON KROQ!!!!

I compared the show to the Irvine (bloodflowers) show still in the Loge area and Irvine sounded 10 times better.
This was bad experience from a "radio is a business" standpoint and has chosen my fate never to go radio
sponsered multi-talent concert again.  This experience shows me why I switched to XM radio and not to listen
to "3 ring circus" KROQ hosted.

In my opion for those who couldn¡¦t afford the expensive tickets, you missed a great performance by Robert
and the gang, (as always) however, the sound sucked....what a shame!"

"It was 9:45 pm  and Jed the Fish (of KROQ radio) came out to introduce the Cure and said they'd be coming
out in...25 minutes.  WTF?  We'd gotten spoiled by the quick turnaround on bands.

However, at 10pm the lights went out, and the Cure opened with... 10:15 Saturday Night!?  Wow.. I knew
something was up.  I thought, "OK, let's hope they read the crowd because Duran Duran pretty much got them
pumped up."  Next up was A Forest - another shocker to be so early in the set.

Followed by.. Primary (first I've heard that since 1996)?

Ok, I'm seeing a pattern.  They're either doing 1) singles in order or 2) songs from each album in order.  Robert
acknowledged my second  thought - they're playing some songs from each album in chronological order.

From Pornography, they jumped into 100 Years, much to the crowd's dismay.  They were certainly expecting it
to be an all singles night, or at least for god's sake play something we know!

The 7+ minute song then slowed down to The Figurehead, and the crowd's hopes sank lower as the hardcore
fans like myself sang along to "I'm a vision of hell, I laughed in the mirror for the first time in a year."
Ok, I thought, they have to bring it up with Let's Go to Bed, from  1983's Japanese Whispers (as that was for
sure the next album).  But no, Robert launches into "A Strange Day" from Pornography, as I hear groans
and moans from the crowd that was growing listless.

I noticed some people were starting to leave.

But then - Let's Go to Bed! Yay!  A single some people knew and a few stood up and danced around!

Would he keep up the pace with the Walk, also from the album? NO!

Certainly he wouldn't choose The Caterpillar from 1984's album The Top, because THEY NEVER PLAY IT.
So, as I thought, he jumps right into "Shake Dog Shake," with lyrics like "As stale and selfish as a sick dog,
spurning sex like an animal of God" to REALLY get the crowd, um, scared, I believe.

More people leaving..

"Back to pop now," as they jump into Inbetween Days.  And OH MY GOD - Just Like Heaven, and they all
stood up and danced around like fools. Hooray!  They're thinking, "The song I wanted to hear was played!"

But wait - "Pictures of You!  I'm sticking around for this one as well!"

An excellent Pictures of You, I might add.  The sound mix for the Cure's set was excellent, although a bit
distorted. Robert's voice was at the front of the mix, and you could hear the lyrics quite clearly.

"Fascination Street" followed, and a few more people were trickling out. We glanced right and the long lines
to get out were growing.

"Sticking with Disintegration, this one's called Lovesong" - and they were on their feet again!

Followed by.. High?  or Friday I'm in Love? NO! "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea," the 7+ minute
masterpiece that had more people leaving.  :(

Next album would be Wild Mood Swings, and the excellent "Want," which I hadn't heard since 1996.

More people leaving now, as some might have been expecting the 13th or Mint Car.  Um, nope.

And finally jumping into the last 3 of the set from Bloodflowers, Maybe Someday got a couple people that
were still here on their feet, followed by 39, my least favorite Cure song on Bloodflowers.  And finally, the
song Bloodflowers.

First encore was If Only Tonight We Could Sleep, following by a crushing The Kiss.  The screaching, wailing
guitar of the Kiss was too much for some - I looked around and tons more people were heading to the parking
lot.

Plainsong and Disintegration were the next encore, and we left when Disitegration started because 1) i've
heard it a dozen times and 2) it was 11:55 and time to G.O.!  Turns out they played Boys Don't Cry as
well for the 3rd encore, which I've heard a dozen times as well - no loss there."

"I don't know if anybody else has written about this, but I thought it be well worth mentioning... during the first
encore, when they played The Kiss.. right as Robert Smith did his trademarked "AOWWWWW"...... a falling
star fell completely in sync with it. And although I've seen The Cure before, that moment right there became
my best Cure moment EVER!! It made those 800 miles worth it because it just confirmed that Robert Smith is
truly heaven sent. "

"hi, here's a quick review of our experience at the LA show. We were fortunate enough to be backstage for the
entire show. The atmosphere beforehand was pretty tense. Simon couldn't find his hairband and threw a bit of
a fit. he had to borrow one of the security guards! Perry was a little nervous but was trying not to show it.
Robert as usual spoke to no one and twitched in the corner. Roger was his happy self despite his slight head
cold, grinning and trying to make everyone laugh before simon nicked his shoes.
The show itself was pretty ok, everyone was lively and in to their playing. Simon told us afterwards that it was
"Bloon!". The guys particularly enjoyed playing Pornography and Strange Day. Perry had some technical
problems during Friday I'm in Love but I don't think it was noticable. Over all it was a good show and look
forward to the next."

(Note from Craig: Pornography & Friday I'm in Love were not played at the show)

"Inland Invasion was a great success! I cannot comment on the first part of the day…but what I did experience
was extremely wonderful. The theme for the first part of my day…as I jokingly thought later finally getting in to
see the Bunnymen, "You will wait until…they give the list to them…" sung to the tune of Killing Moon of
course…haha. I fist want to say that this show was just enormous! I was in row X, center orchestra, 10 or so rows
in front of the sound board. Every time I turned around to take it all in, I just couldn’t believe how many people
were there! The place was packed. I can’t even imagine what it must have looked like from the lawn.

Before I get to The Cure….Echo was of course great…the sun had just gone down thank god for that. I really
enjoyed Hot Hot Heat…but personally I think that slot should have been for Interpol! Then we get to Duran
Duran. I am a huge DD fan, so this meant so much to me to see them reunited. They couldn’t wipe the smiles
from their faces..they were truly having a wonderful time on the stage. I feel that they won the whole crowd over…
it must have been nostalgic for them to play in front of so many people at this point in their career. John Taylor
said "this is a great day for us"….and later…"we love you, and we really mean it when we say that". I
believed him. But what you’re really here for…..

There was a 20 minute break between the set…Jed the Fish came out and said some nice things about The
Cure’s longevity..and that Robert was watching the show so far and needed a pee break…so we had to wait!
There was a rotating stage before this and the bands came on one right after the other…hardly a minute between.
Then they came out without introduction and tore into 10:15. It was only 10…but close enough! My first thought
was how strange to start with this…but as we progressed, it became clear what they were doing with the order of
the set list….songs in order from every album. Next was A Forest. Very good…greenish lights on the huge white
backdrop behind them…strange to hear so early…but we now know why. Then Primary…I was thrilled! Of course
there were primary colors for lights…but the yellow was a bit orange…hehe. At this point it was clear that many
people in front of us had no clue. I would say that my area was "peppered" with cure fans. 100 Years was
next…nothing out of the ordinary so far…same projections from the Dream Tour….a few less swirling lights…but
powerful none the less. I was really missing the intensity of a packed cure crowd screaming…it doesn’t matter if
we all die…but I thought it was performed wonderfully. Then to my utter surprise…Figurehead. I just didn’t think
they would pull out a song like that with this crowd. I felt good about it because I know so many die hard cure fans
made their way to this show. This is one of my favorites. Then Robert says "We’re staying with Pornography for
one more" and we get A Strange Day. Oh and let me tell you it was! I was extremely happy at this point. I never
thought I would have that feeling so early in the set. I thought, screw all these KROQ fuckers that don’t know
what the hell is going on…this is for "us"!

"Back to pop" Robert says next…I laughed to myself after my previous thought. Let’s go to bed of course…and
Robert did his little dance…a bit nervously, but it was there. The crowd was jolted out of their stupor a bit
here….and then it’s back to a great non "pop" song with Shake Dog Shake. Great as always…then we have a
crowd pleaser In Between Days. Went over well….then of course Just Like Heaven…and you all know what
happens here. Huge crowd response, and I loved to see it. Did I forget to mention just how huge this crowd was?
hehe Then we get pictures of you…very sweet…emotional. At this point I knew Fascination Street was next.
Same projections…great performance…powerful as always. Then just as with Pornography, Robert says "one
more from disintegration" and then Lovesong. At this point I’ll mention that the cameras were very focused on
Robert…as well as all the other leads in the previous bands. We didn’t get very many shots of other band
members. Lots of close ups on Robert as he sang. I couldn’t quite make out facial expressions from my seat..so
that was nice to see…but I would have liked to see more of the others just to have an even overall impression.
Especially if I had been on the lawn. Then of course the projections from the D Tour were replacing the live feed
on the monitors…so I wonder if the huge lawn monitors had the same thing…or did they always see what the
camera saw?

So I wondered what we would have from Wish next…and of course we get Deep Green Sea. This is always a
great live song…but damn they needed to turn Perry up! I couldn’t make out his solo that well, and that is a
huge defining moment in the song. Still really good however…I became personally emotional at this point which
I was happy to be…so moved in this mass of people around me. Then we moved on to WMS with Want. My
personal anthem in a way…so I loved it!

"We’re going to do 3 songs from Bloodflowers now" Robert says. Maybe Someday was first….on to 39, and
then Bloodflowers of course. Same projections as usual…very solid performance. (I was hoping for Last Day
of Summer…because today is, and I thought of that before this trip. BTW there’s a Jupiter Crash today too)
Robert let the flowers fall and they left the stage…..it was 11:36…

When they came back on for the first encore, Robert says thank you to the audience…and did so in the
following encores…but what’s cute to mention is that he had this sort of nervous giggle in his voice every time.
Hard to explain…but it was very humble in a way. Before going into If Only Tonight, Robert dedicated the song
to all the bands that played today…and said something about the whole show being "Fucking great" or
excellent…or something! All I remember is the Fucking part…haha. He then stepped back to the mic and added
that it was for us too…sort of apologetic as if we were offended…haha! By now many people around me had left
which was strange…but all you had to do was look around during a song like this to find the real fans standing,
dancing and singing. There was a nice cool breeze…stars above us…and this beautiful song. It was a moment
where you really appreciated the enormity of the event, and the relief of the day coming to an end only after the
torture of dehydration a nd exhaustion….not that you wouldn’t want to stay and hear more! But that was the
moving part…that you wanted more, but could you push further on? Everyone just sort of swayed to the
song…very lovely. I wanted to be in that deep black water. Now it’s time for Guitar God Robert to show off a
bit with The Kiss. He really put everything in it. This song is one of the best live…they have it down so
perfectly. You couldn’t help but admit that Robert kicks ass! It’s 11:50……

The Cure come back for the second encore with Plainsong….giving Robert the chance to visit the sides of the
stage as always…very shy, a bit nervous. And then Disintegration. Emotional, powerful, always…always…
always! No crashing sounds if you know what I’m referring to. I’ll also mention that Robert didn’t change any
words or forget anything tonight….maybe there was one or two things…but I can’t remember…nothing different
is what I’m getting at. They leave again…it’s almost midnight…

They immediately come out again and Robert tells us that they have been told they only have 3 minutes and that
he didn’t want to "waste the time shuffling back to the dressing room". So there’s only time for the last encore
with Boys Don’t Cry. The show ends with Roger’s last shake of the tamborine in Robert’s mic….then they wave
and smile…all leave the stage but Robert…..

"See you next year!"

"I think Robert Smith summed it up best, "THIS WAS A GREAT FUCKING DAY!"  Holy crap! It was
unbelievable!  There was a perfect blue sky and an energetic feel good mood all around.  The whole show was
fantastic.  All the bands were great, especially General Public, Marc Almond, Interpol, Violent Femmes,
Psychedelic Furs, and Echo and the Bunnymen.  All the bands were there to impress and they did.  Now, the
awsome thing about this, is that even though these bands were incredible, playing some of the greatest music
ever!  When the Cure came on, they blew everyone away.  They frickin' rocked hard!  If there were any doubts
out there of who the greatest band in the world is, the Cure answered loud and clear last night.  I knew they were
the greatest band around today, but after last nights performance, I think they have reached greatest band ever
status!  I've seen them play live about six times before, but after watching the Trilogy show and watching them
make history last night, I think the band have reached a level that they had not reached before, super human
rock band level.  Even in a huge open air venue where sound isn't that great, the band sounded awsome.
Robert's voice sounded great and he wasn't afraid to push himself.  I've felt before in previous concerts that
he's held back a little, but last night he was not afraid to let it out.  Another thing that Robert proved last night
is that he is also one of the greatest and most intense guitar players around.  I couldn't believe it when he
rolled up his sleeve right before, "The Kiss."  Now you know folks, when Robert Smith rolls up his sleeves,
he's not fucking around.  Talk about INTENSE, I think the ghost of Jimmy Hendrix entered Robert Smith
last night.  Robert and that guitar were one, I was waiting for his guitar to spontaneously combust when
he finished.  It was one of the greatest Cure moments ever!  Another highlight, and there were many,
was when they sang, "Pictures Of You."  It was one of the best performances of that song I've ever
seen.  The crowd got really cuddly, I even think I saw two raccoons off on the side slow dancing in the bushes
(maybe not, but that's a funny mental picture).  And, "Just Like Heaven" was just like, amazing. Imagine the
biggest outdoor amphitheatre in the United States with a sold out crowd singing a long to every word of "Just
Like Heaven," it's amazing!  That's something I have to mention, of the thousands of people that were there,
I'd have to say that at least 75% were there to see the Cure.  There were Cure T-shirts everywhere.  It was a
beautiful thing.  Anyways, I could go on forever, you've seen the setlist, it was an unbelievable show.
Unfortunately, they didn't play any of their new material like we expected, but that's okay, because Robert said
he'll see us next year.  Cant wait.  Until then, thank you Robert, Simon, Perry, Roger and Jason.  Another
memorable Cure night that many will treasure forever."

"I have seen numerous incarnations of the Cure over the past 18 years and feel that the current lineup is the
best it has ever been. Last night proved this to me again.  They sounded great.  High points were: an outstanding
Primary, 100 Years with the lead guitar right on, a totally unexpected and excellent Shake Dog Shake (hadn't
heard that one in a while), a very emotional Pictures of You and a riveting Kiss.
As a long time fan I enjoyed the song selection tremendously.  I can never get enough of the dark and psychedelic
side.  But, I think it was the wrong set for the audience.  I am not suggesting that the Cure pander to
Neanderthals but this was an end-of-summer nostaligia rock festival and fun was the order of the day.  I was
dissappointed when the Cure played a greatest hits set to hard-core fans at Legion Hall and I am a little
dissappointed that they didn't bust out more pop for the festival crowd.  I know that the band is in the process of
cultivating their dark side and I can't wait to here what is next but there is a time and place and this wasn't it.
The Cure will always be alive and relevent to me but I want them to be so for new generations of listeners as
well.  I hope that they intrigued more new people than they alienated."

"I've been to several shows including American Legion Hall and recent Hyde Park. I spent all day trying to
figure out the opening song.  I was thrown back when I heard 10:15 and realized Robert was starting from the
begging of time. It was an amazing performance and set list.  I had seats between Loge and Orchestra on the
Handicap section so I had a decent view of the show and Marty the Cat.  We were laughing as we seen a stuff
cat being waved around and finally ending up on center of stage facing the crowd. I'm glad Marty made it back
home.  Measuring the crowd I could honestly say most people stood up and it got really loud when cure took the
stage.  I now look at the event as a cure show with many warm up bands.  Roberts hair is getting long again
almost like the Wish era, he looked and sounded better than ever.  The band played over 2 hours long ending
with some favorite Disintegration songs and Boys Don't Cry.  The only song that slowed down the set was 39.
For some reason it dragged in this set list.  I think 39 sounded better in a Dream Tour Set List.  Kroq still sucks
because they still wont play cure music after this event. "

"The funniest thing I saw all night? A group of yuppie Duranies drunkenly line dancing to a Hundred Years.

The show was the best I have been to yet (although I have only been to five other shows including the Legendary
Legion Hall show). I really enjoyed the chronological order of the songs played although I wished they would
have played Cut Here (or more songs from Wish). Most of the opening bands weren't half bad either (alright,
the Violent Femmes set kicked ass too)."

"I'm *highly* upset with Hyundai Pavilion and Clear Channel, *AND* KROQ (but who isn't).  I bought tix
during the presale and still ended up with lawn.  The reason for this is because they had MAYBE 16 rows of
seated area.  This means at the most 5,000 people had seats, all of the 45,000 other people had lawn.  We got
there at 11:20, even though the website said the gates opened at 11, they didn't open until almost 12:30.  It took
us another 20 minutes to get through security.  Girls were passing out from the heat and dehydration because
they wouldn't let us have any water even in line.  I had called ahead to see if we could make arrangements for
our friend who is blind and disabled.  Nothin' going.  Sooooo... we finally made our way in and got some great
lawn seats.  Things were *great*... we were surrounded by good people and it was pretty easy to get around.
General Public was really cool, but it took forever to get the crowd going.  The best bands that I got to see
were the Femmes, Interpol and Psychedelic Furs, and let me put in a plug for Hot Hot Heat.  I was not too into
this band, but they *really* surprised me with their live show.  We went for a food run about 5, and it took us an
hour and a half to make it up to the food locations and bring the food back to our friend.  The lines were *so*
long everywhere (except poddies!) and they were running out of supplies even by 6.  Charging $4.00 for a cup
of water is bloody communist!!!  Fortunately, we kept our soda bottles and cup and refilled them at the water
fountain! :)
The sun went down and things started gettin' hairy.  People were crashing down through all of the people on the
lawn that had been there all day, falling on them, tripping on us, kicking my friend in the head.  And this
was all during Echo and the Bunnymen!!!  At this point, we started wondering if we could make it through Duran
Duran to the Cure.  There were so many people crowding the entrances to the lawn areas, just poised to swarm
down to the lower levels when their favorite bands came on.  Fights were breaking out, and people were getting
hurt.  Craig, there was *NO* security at the lawn level.  No police, no Event Staff, nothing; and did I mention,
not a SINGLE first aid station???  And worse, there were NO LIGHTS!  People couldn't see where they were
going.  During Hot Hot Heat, things started getting really weird, and people got even more out of control.
People were drunk and puking and passing out, and their friends let them just lay there and get stepped on.
My dear blind friend was such a trooper!!!  He tried so hard to make it, but he started freaking out really bad
when the crowd started pushing us all around.  Out of concern for him and his well-being, we started pushing our
way out, which was no easy feat.  We tripped over drunks and fell twice, and stumbled many times and got
shoved around by rude people who wouldn't make way for us.  We left before the Hot Hot Heat set was over and
it still took us 20 minutes to make our way out to the plaza. I am heartbroken beyond all belief.  I did not drive
2 1/2 hours from San Diego to get bullied around and beat up by drunk and inconsiderate people.
The people who were doing acting like this were NOT Cureheads, Duranies or the standard Goth crowd.  They
were all the rest of the people that just went just because, or with their friends.  I have been to Coachella,
Street Scene, and other festivals here in SoCal, and have never seen anything so awful.  *cry*  I can only hope
that I will get to see my 2 favorite bands next year sometime.  I do know that I will never trust KROQ to throw
an event of this caliber again."

"Wow, great show. All the bands were excellent.  I was thrilled with the whole affair. I was a little trepidatious
when several of the bands were having sound difficulties. Duran Duran shot looks that could kill in the general
direction of the sound guy.  Luckily everything seemed to shape up on time for the Cure. I could see Robert
watching some of the bands from the side. He seemed to have a good time, but then who can tell when you are
only so close. Luckily the Loge seeting I was in wasnt too bad. I cannot complain.  I will send more when I am
home tonight after my fligh. The band was great, really sharp. They did a sort of chronological set, I am
guessing Robert wanted to keep in spirit with the flashback to the future theme.  One sad thing, the T-shirt
booth told me they didnt have enough cure shirts becuase the band put the date on them, then underproduced
them incase they didnt sell them all. Sadly they ran out abou t 6 hours before the end of the show.
well out of time, so hope everyone ejoyed it at much as I did and I will send a review."

"I just got back from the show....I had amazing seats!  The Band did a great job, really tight musically, and
Robert was pretty animated and active on stage.   They were just really good last night, and they all seemed
to be having fun...
Also, the other bands were all good too, I really liked Hot Hot Heat....they rocked the house, lol.  And of
course Echo, the Femmes "

"It’s 2:45 in the morning and I just got back from seeing The Cure in San Bernadino, I’m a little tired and
hungry so please excuse me if I don’t make sense.  This was the best I have ever seen the guys, maybe because
I haven’t seen them in a while.
Any way I originally had Loge level seats, but when I saw how far away I was I knew this wasn’t going to do.  So
I hopped a fence, lied to a security guard about having an orchestra level ticket and made my way into the pit.
The people in the pit sucked, they didn’t know any of the songs and just stood around until the pop songs came
along.  I was the only one around me singing and dancing.  As usual I had my stuffed cat Marty with me.  He
goes to every Cure concert with me and even has his own Cure t-shirt, which has been autographed by Perry and
Roger.  So he was dancing and being noticed by the guys and having a good time.  Roger noticed him and smiled
to acknowledge our presence, Robert gave a little smile in our direction, and even Perry smiled with glee to see
Marty.
Then Plainsong came on and knew what was going to happen.  So when Robert walked over to our side of the
stage I screamed for his attention and waved Marty in the air until he noticed.  I wanted Robert to sign his
T-shirt.  He gave me that kinda nervous look that he sometimes gives like he wanted to but wasn’t sure if he
could.  Then he signaled for me to hand Marty over, so I passed him on and tried to throw a sharpie to Robert,
but since I was also trying to get a picture, I threw the sharpie up but not over and it hit a security guard in the
head.  But Robert had Marty, and he looked at him in wonder, maybe because one of his ears is missing.  He
had an expression on his face like it was the weirdest gift someone could have given him, because who would
give a ratty stuffed cat with and ear missing.  But he hugged Marty anyway and then walked back over to the
mic and placed Marty on his front monitor facing the crowd.
I couldn’t believe it, my stuffed cat that has been through so much with me was on stage with The Cure and
during Disintegration too, my favorite song.  Then I began to panic because what if Robert really did think it
was a gift and took it home to England with him, I would never see Marty again, but one of the security guards
asked me if I had waited all day to give that to Robert.  I told him that Robert wasn’t supposed to keep it and I
just wanted and autograph, so the security guy said he would get Marty back for me.
The guys went off stage and I didn’t know if that would be the end or what, but then they came out for a third
encore with Boys Don’t Cry and Marty was still sitting on stage in front of Robert.  The camera got Marty onto
the big screens on the sides of the stage so the whole venue got to see Marty on stage with The Cure; he’s
famous now.  When the guys finished the security guy got Marty back for me, but people around me tried to grab
Marty, they thought he was a souvenir like the set list or a pick, but the security guy was able to safely place
Marty back into my hands.
I was able to get pictures, which some say are worth a thousand words, so I’m not upset at all that Robert
didn’t sign Marty’s t-shirt.  Hey this way I figure it’s like having a thousand Robert autographs."