Curiosa in Atlanta, Ga. (July 29th, 2004)

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

July 31, 2004 Saturday Home Edition

BYLINE: RODNEY HO

The Cure: Black is back
Buzz is so thankful that the rain chose not to fall Thursday night on HiFi Buys Amphitheatre. The Goth crowd at the Curiosa Tour worked so hard on its hair dye and eyeliner, it would have been a shame to see the makeup running down their ripped black shirts.
The six-hour, two-stage show moved with the precision of a Swiss timepiece and featured Mogwai, Interpol, Muse, the Rapture, Auf Der Maur and Cooper Temple Clause. But almost everybody was there to see the Cure. When the '80s mope-rockers took the stage, the crowd suddenly swelled to five times its previous size.
We can report that while Robert Smith is carrying a few more pounds underneath his all-black ensembles, he still has that same bird's nest of hair and those same raccoon eyes. Most importantly, he still has the same anguished voice we loved in the '80s, when we were perhaps a little more svelte ourselves.
The band played songs from its latest CD, deep cuts off old CDs and what the crowd really wanted to hear --- hit singles such as "Lovesong," "Why Can't I Be You?," "Fascination Street" and the highlight of the night: "Pictures of You."

(Thanks Lenore)

I was so completely taken with The Cure's performance in WPB that I had to see another show. I was able to order an excellent seat at HiFi Buys
Amphitheater in Atlanta because if you order single reserved seat tickets online they can often be very close to the stage...like an empty seat between people who bought several in even numbers. Anyway, this was the 5th time that I would see The Cure live and the first time that I would see them play outside of Florida. The drive to Atlanta was a real haul, but completely worth the trip. I even got to hear Robert being interviewed on Atlanta's 99x FM as I was arriving in the city from Florida.

It was the first time that I had seen Faith performed live, except for on the "Cure in Orange" video. It was a truely moving performance....Robert had his face in his hands for some of the song. It was clear to see that it is difficult for him to perform. Charlotte Sometimes was an exceptional treat. I felt as if they really pulled out the rare gems for this show. It brought me to the edge of tears a few times. I didn't think that I would get to here any of the bonus tracks like "Going Nowhere" performed live but when Robert closed the show with this choice, it was just the cherry on top of the icing. So beautifully delivered. I hope that the band didn't face any reprcussions from going past the curfew of 11PM. It was a message sent to us that The Cure cares more about satisfying there audience than the rules. Thanks to The Cure for one more perfect night. 25 MORE YEARS>>>>MORE CURE FOREVER!!!

- Scott Virano

Well I must say I was extremely please with the show! I am so glad I decided I could not miss seeing The Cure even if I could not have my three hour show. We sat on the lawn and the sound was great and though we were not close to the stage we could see just fine. Highlights for me were Lost, I thought this was done really well live and it is becoming one of my favorites from the new album, A Night Like This was a nice surprise as I have not heard this one live in a long time. I was also happy to hear Jupiter Crash, I love this song and I thought it was done wonderfully. The biggest thrill for me during the main set was A Strange Day and 100 years, these songs were just totally unreal and hearing them together really made the main set for me. At this point I was yelling "Nothing left but faith" in the hopes that maybe it would be played, more on that later. The Promise was just amazing, this song is so intense and I think a perfect way to end the set. The first encore was great, especially since my wife was with me and is not a huge Cure fan but loves Lovecats so this really made her happy. When they finished the first encore I looked at my watch and thought we might be getting a second encore since Robert had said ealier that maybe tonight might be the first night they break curfew on this tour. When they came out and
he said he felt a "curfew breaking coming on" I knew we were in for something special. Charlotte Sometimes was just amazing, though many people where I was on the lawn did not know the song. I looked at my wife when it was over and told her I bet they play Faith, I think Robert said this is called Faith or something but I had chills run down my spine. This is my favorite Cure song and I think the last three Atlanta Cure shows they have closed with it so I was totally estatic. When they finished I thought that was it but they started playing something else. I had not heard Going Nowhere yet and I thought it was great, I wish it was on the US version of the album. The only bad thing I can say about the entire show was that during FTEOTDGS, it seemed they did not have Perry's guitar turned up. I could barely hear it and it seemed like the song started off slow. It picked up during the song and finished great but seemed strange. Overall I give the show an A++ and I will not make the mistake of doubting The Cure's ideas again. As for the other bands was not able to get there until Auf de Mur, due to kids and work issues, but I thougth Auf de Mur was excellent and Interpol was equally as good. One last thing I found interesting was Robert's last words of the night, "Thank You it was fucking excellent, we will see you again soon" I may be reading things into this but I wonder if maybe next year we might see An evening with The Cure tour?

- Scott Beasley

Mogwai was greater than life, and you can't appreciate them until you see them on stage. A wall of sound hits you in the face, and there is no
way to fight back. I have never seen My Bloody Valentine on stage, but I guess Mogwai is pretty close to their noise level. Great band, I want to
see them headlining a full concert.

I was amazed by Melissa Auf Der Maur. I was not looking forward to seeing her live, I thought this would be some kind of Hole crap. And was
I wrong! Melissa rocks, and some of her songs and moves reminded me of a Siouxsie Sioux from the Honk Kong Garden era. Well done, Lady M, I'll
keep an eye on you!

Back to the main stage for The Rapture. I may be too old, but I didn't really get it. The Rapture are like the result of a genetic experiment were the Frank and Walters were mixed with PIL. That didn't really work for me, but it was still enjoyable to look at. The guys can put on a show (what drugs are they on?)

Can anybody tell me why The Muse were on the B-stage instead of the main stage? These guys were giving so much energy and lyricism, I was jumping up and down with the kids. And I loved it.

By then, the amphitheater was filling up fairly quickly. Still, a lot of people missed the incredible performance from Interpol. I have never seen Joy Division live, but seeing Interpol on stage made me feel a little better about it. Don't get me wrong, the lead singer from Interpol is no Ian Curtis, and NYC is no Passover, but Interpol gave us a sober and beautiful show. No artifice, just the music.

I didn't see the last band on the B-stage (can't remember who there were). I stayed in my seat (the best seat in the house by the way) to observe the sound check and the roadies preparing the stage for the show. I always enjoyed watching that. It's like reading a book preambule before reading the main substance.

The light came out and the show started. Mr Smith came on stage followed by Simon and the rest of the band, picked up a guitar and started a
powerful rendition of Lost, followed by Labyrinth. This song was already my favorite from the new album, but now it's one of my favorite Cure
song, period! I can still here Robert screaming "IT'S NOT THE SAME YOU!" and feel the paranoid fear in his voice. This song did honestly give me the creep.

I cannot accurately remember the entire setlist, but I know that they played a mix of classical hits (Just Like heaven, In Between Days, Lovesong, Pictures of You, Fascination Street), dark hymns (A Strange Day and 100 Years back to back, thank you!), a beautiful version of At The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea, and several tracks from the new LP (Lost, Labyrinth, Before Three, The End Of The World, Never, The Promise). The combination of these pop and darker songs was near perfect. the only thing that got me confused was the inclusion of Jupiter Crash in the middle of the show. This was the only time I sat in my seat (have I already said I had the best seat in the house?).

The Cure left the stage after The Promise. At this time people were starting to leave. Now could someone tell me why people would leave a
concert before the end? Too bad for them they missed the best!

The first encore (yes, there were two of them) consisted of pop songs sang by a guitar-free Robert who was definitely in a great mood. Mr Smith was dancing (or at least, it looked like dance) and being silly with his microphone on Close To Me, The Lovecats and Why Can't I Be You. They then left the stage a second time, and more people left. I have one comment: A Cure concert is never over and done until the lights and the background music are back on. And sometimes, they even come back after that! Well, I hope that the poor souls who left before the second encore will never know what they missed.

If the first encore was joyful and colorful, the second one was a celebration of the dark lyricism of The Cure. Charlotte Sometimes, Faith and Going Nowhere. The perfect trio to end the show. Ite, messa est. La Messe est dite. Robert came to the microphone stand one last time before leaving and said to the ecstatic crowd: "Thank you! That was fucking great!".

Yes it was Robert, yes it was......

- Pierre Coat

I must be too old, because the music was just way too loud on the main stage in Atlanta for me. Much of the sound was distorted and unintelligible to my ears. It could have been where I was sitting (section 206 - left of stage in front of speakers), or that my ears don't work as good as they used to, so feel free to dispute this. Coupled with the fact that the stages were 5 minutes apart in the heat and humidity, I'd have to say my overall experience was mediocre. On top of that, towards the end of the show my wife found herself standing in vomit from the drunk behind her. This is the second time that's happened to her at one of "my" concerts. Needless to say, she probably won't come with me again. All that said, I am glad I went and The Cure were very good.

Of the other bands, I agree with the Nashville reviewer that Muse was the best. From the little I'd heard before, I had written them off as a
Radiohead clone. Was I wrong! Although there are similarities, these guys are heavier and have their own sound. After the piano solo in Butterflies & Hurricanes, there's no doubt about the talent of the front man, and the rest of the group is right up there with him. It's funny: my wife said they were definitely influenced by Queen. I didn't hear it, but then I found this in a review at Walmart.com: "Absolution is a celebration of cultured, symphonic rock in the tradition of Queen and ELO." Shows how much I know. Anyway, I'll be picking up the CD tomorrow. Mission accomplished.

I also liked The Cooper Temple Clause and Mogwai. Interpol was a victim of the bad sound/hearing, and since I didn't know any of the songs, it's
hard to form an impression. Every time I hear The Rapture, I hear "Do the Hansa". They have an energetic youth about them, so I can see why
some would like them, but they are not to my taste. Auf der Maur didn't interest me, and we were too exhausted from the hikes every half hour to
pay attention to Thursday.

Now on to the main event. The Cure opened up with Lost, my favorite track on the new album, so it was a little disappointing that the full emotion wasn't there from Robert. The performance of this song was on par with the AOL session, but overall the show was very good. I normally don't care for the "pop" songs live, but after the exhaustion of the day, I found them very uplifting. The highlights for me were Pictures of You, A Strange Day/One Hundred Years back-to-back, The Promise (this is the song in its natural habitat), and Faith and Going Nowhere in the final encore. In spite of the problems, The Cure's performance made the trip from Nashville worthwhile.

- Joel

Robert brought in the second encore saying that he felt the curfew would be broken. The bouncers were pissed. The song that broke the curfew was
"going no where". We were blessed to have a second encore that ended in with "Faith". New song that were added to this wonderful event was "A
night like this", "Strange day", "Charlotte sometimes" and "Going nowhere" I really enjoyed the entire show.

I really wish I had a pen to right down the new version of "Faith" and not only that but it was extended and played with more emotions than
many others ever remembered.

Well someone will have the set list soon. I thought that the three new song by Interpol were great. Robert final words as he was leaving were
"again thank you again for making this a fucking excellent evening." All I can say is that the other three people I came with are completely
happy with the show. I am dying to know how the after party at MJQ went. Was Robert the special surprise.

- Sean Davis

After having been to the West Palm show, I was curious if things were going to get better or worse. They definitely got better in Atlanta. Closed with
Going Nowhere which was so beautiful!! I think they did a good job of meshing the new with the old, Lost Fascination Street, Us or Them, and even
Charlotte Sometimes and Faith! A real treat! I enjoyed it very much and cannot wait to see them again in Denver. Each show seems to be getting
better and better!

- Brett

Wow, my first Cure concert is in the books. It was an emotional experience. Fascination St. brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't believe I was this close to 5 men I look up to. We were standing in the second row right in front of Robert. It was nice to have two encores, and to hear fairly rare songs like Charlotte Sometimes, Going Nowhere (for the first time live?), and Faith. The band really seemed to enjoy themselves during Close to Me. This was great to see. It was also neat to see their mannerisms that have been engrained into my head. As far as technical problems go, Roger was having issues with his keyboard setup. I could send the setlist in, but I doubt it would be in the right order, so I'll leave that to someone else. Thank you Perry, Jason, Simon, Roger, and Robert for providing an unforgettable evening.

- Stan

Of the three Curiosa concerts I've attended so far (Tampa, Nashville, Atlanta), Atlanta was by far the best, both for setlist variety and quality and for the actual performance.
The Atlanta setlist was almost identical to Tampa's up until the encores. The only differences were that instead of playing Lullaby and Taking Off, The Cure played alt.end and possibly another song. I cannot be sure of the order of the setlist.
All the songs sounded just as powerful as the previous nights, with the exception of Before 3. Robert really needs to work on getting the lyrics right to some of the new songs. I'm not sure if it's purposeful, but in some cases it seems sloppy. I like when he improvises lyrics sometimes, but when he changes huge sections of songs, it can be a bit annoying, and reflect laziness on his part. Before 3 was probably the weakest of the new songs. Alt.end, however, was nice - I really like the punky energy of this song.
    The Promise is what stole the night for me. I hear echoes of Mogwai all over the place in this song. The emotions that this song evokes live are an inexplicable tangle of rage, desperation, and sadness. It is a huge slab of sound that rips and pounds itself into you. Robert's screaming really complements this song well, adding to the layers of feeling. And Jason's drumming is never more pronounced than in this song; it's truly modeled for his frenzied hard rock style.
Perry is sounding really excellent these days. I am not sure if he's been practicing a lot or is simply more relaxed, but his guitar parts sound sharp and punchy. The exception, again, is Before 3. The guitar on the album sounds crunchier, fuller, and more Hendrix-like, but in concert it sounded a bit thin, almost nu-metal.
    Simon was in top "punk" form, with a severe expression, simply pounding away at his bass and bouncing around angrily. Roger was a bit more subdued than he was in Nashville (where he played with the audience a bit, throwing out silly faces and smiles), but he did get carried away during Never and almost knocked over his keyboard. It was quite humorous!
    Robert seemed bent on winning over the Atlanta audience, so during the first encore he turned up the boyish charm to amazing effect. During
both Close to Me and Why Can't I Be You, he danced around goofily with the microphone and walked close to the audience, tossing out smiles
and sexy poses. The women were absolutely swooning, and Robert seemed to revel in it. A couple of young girls next to me were delirious with
joy, saying things like, "He is so cute I can't stand it." Robert also added in a lot of vocal and lyrical embellishments to these and other
songs that made the crowd wild with adoration.
    Robert also seemed to be in a chatty mood during much of the concert and seemed particularly pleased with the fact that they were "breaking"
curfew and doing two encores instead of one. I think this may be de rigeur for the big city concerts.
    During the second encore, however - which was explicity tailored for the die hard fan - the band relaxed back into serious and melancholy
mode and delivered a gorgeous Charlotte Sometimes, a haunting Faith, and an unexpected and aching Going Nowhere. Hearing these songs in
sequence was a spiritual experience, and I do wish more of the shows would focus on these melodic moments.
    Some people would not appreciate this, as they prefer to view The Cure as a band rather than solo act (and of course they are a band), but
Atlanta's concert could have easily been dubbed The Robert Smith Show. All the shows I have seen have focused on him, but none so blatantly.
It was entertaining, if mildly disconcerting for the band.
    At the end of the show, Robert, beaming with smiles, said, "It was fucking excellent." I agree.

- Alison Ross

This was my 8th Cure concert since the Wish Tour. I have mixed emotions about it. The best way I can compare this show to the others is to
mention the Singles tour they did during the promotion of Galore. This was certainly a singles show.

The set list was similar to the others, so after about the 3rd song I knew what the rest of the night held as far as selection.   I’m sure others will give the set list but I will mention the good and bad of the show. First the bad…

The show seemed rushed… I think Robert and the guys realized the time constraints and just wanted to play as many as possible. There was not
talk between songs, just bam bam bam song after song, it just didn’t have a relaxed and natural flow.

The set list was single-oriented, and in my opinion the songs lacked soul. They were played correctly to be sure, but they lacked spirit.

And to me, a Cure concert is just not ‘right’ if it doesn’t feature the 6 –string sound heavily. And this was all but 6-stringless.

Now the good…

Some of the songs from the new album sounded better live than on the record. Case in point is Lost. Roger’s keyboard was full and the song
took on a new power. Very nice!The other new songs were good live as well, with the exception of TEOTW. That one seemed a bit disjointed.

Lighting…I liked the set up, even better than the Bloodflowers set up. The big single video screen in the background was nice.

Finally, I got to the show late because I didn’t know or care about the other bands playing, as I was strolling in I heard this very nice sound,
haunting, beautiful, coming from stage 2. I stood and watched these 3 guys just tear the place apart…come to find out they are called MUSE. Hahaha I’m sure many of you already know this group but I live in Thailand and so they were new to me. I loved their sound, so now they have a new fan.

So anyway, the show as average at best, rushed, but then again if you go to Curiosa you will know this ahead of time. I think the setlist will
develop as time goes on, and that’s good for you guys at the end.

- Kyushin

Atlanta’s Cure show last night was the most commanding performance I’ve ever witnessed. The crowd was incredibly enthusiastic, and I got the
palpable sense that those who were not yet curefans were thoroughly won over by the performance. Each song was sheer beauty and power. The
light-show was more symmetrical than the DreamTour, but was synesthetically brilliant as ever, visually illustrating the songs to perfection. I’ve heard some big cheers at the ten shows I’ve attended, but have never, ever heard so many people screaming, clapping, and banging their chairs as loudly as I did last night.

"Pictures" was a very touching performance, taking the "sweet" interpretation witnessed in the "Trilogy" shows even further. "The Promise" was the most intense Cure performance I’ve ever seen. Roger’s cathedral keyboards were simply blaring (in an great way!) and Robert’s wah guitar, though thunderous, didn’t drown out the other instruments as it sometimes has in the past. It topped every "Disintegration (the song)" and "The Kiss" performance I’ve ever witnessed live (or on DVD). The songs were all note-perfect but played with voracious intensity.

Robert didn’t talk much, but before one of the encores, he jabbered quite a bit. I couldn’t really understand what he was saying, but he seemed to be describing a backstage argument regarding what songs they were going to play next. He was very animated and it was just hilarious.

The first encore was a series of genius surprises. From the first drumbeats of "Close To Me," I could tell we were in to something special. Everyone all over the ampitheatre forgot their jaded coolness as all were dancing, clapping and having a great time. Robert messed up the verse toward the end, and everyone laughed along with him as he tried to improvise. I couldn’t believe my ears when Simon started the bassline for "Lovecats!" Perry played the "Lovecats" guitar parts album-perfect and Robert used his incredible range to really play up the jazz-aspects of the song. "YCIBU" was so-so in comparison. I don’t really think they’ll ever beat the Show version of that one. As you might imagine, Roger’s keyboard’s were masterful in these songs–he was even nailing the brass/sax parts in "Close To Me!"

Robert’s voice has never sounded better, and he seemed to enjoy using its full range and power, adding extra and longer notes to virtually piece, from "Never" to "Lost." He was really into it as well, occasionally doing a little jigs with his guitar a la Simon and Perry. All the new songs were very powerful live, sounding more full and overwhelming than the album, which, while "live," was still live in a studio and not a huge ampitheater with like 8 billion decibels of sound.

Jason’s drumming matched, or even exceeded, the brilliance displayed on the new album. Simon was as energetic as ever, but there was more urgency and aggression in his playing than I’ve seen before. Perry performed with a lot of force as well, pulling off a confident and moving solo on FTEOTDGS. His six string bass sounded great too. Unlike other tours, Perry’s "six" was never drowned out, chiming gorgeously during "Faith" and "Going Nowhere," the latter of which was a wonderful surprise as everyone thought the show was over after "Faith" (which did have extra words). When Robert grabbed his acoustic, everyone screamed all the louder. I thought it would be "Boys Don’t Cry" or something (okay, I know, an acoustic would be the wrong guitar for that, but...) and was very surprise when the chimes and first notes of "Going Nowhere" rang out. Robert sang it beautifully, softly. Perry’s "six" and the piano fused perfectly and it complemented the sentiments of "Faith" perfectly. I was certain they wouldn’t play it in the states (since you can’t buy it here!) but I’m delighted beyond words that they did and it was a perfect way to end a perfect show by the greatest band of our time.

- Jeff Kovalski

The main set was so full of passion! The band gives the same energy on every song, and it was very exciting to see that even the younger people
knew the old songs like 100 Years, or Faith. I have to admit that I could'nt hold my emotions and I felt my eyes drowning for a few seconds
during A night like this. The first encore was such a surprise, I never expected to see them do Love Cats. I waited to see The Cure for 17
years, and the euphoria from finally seeing them is still running in me. I really hope to se them again soon.

- Holbach Perez

If you missed the Atlanta concert.....YOU missed a great concert Thanks robert! and thank you patti y for the best icket in the house!

- Bill N