Whatever band played the Patriot Center Saturday night, it
certainly wasn't the version of the Cure that keeps calling each tour
its last. No, the Cure that did show up -- and then played for more
than 2 1/2 hours -- had way too much fun, running through an
inventive mix of old and new songs with extraordinary verve.

The first clue that something was amiss, in a good way, came right
at the start: The Cure set its current album, "Wild Mood Swings,"
aside to open with "Plainsong," a sprawling, majestic, synth-driven
ballad from the band's 1990 album "Disintegration."

That song's grim grandeur translated surprisingly well to the Patriot
Center's confines, thanks to a barrage of lighting effects and the
group's baroque stage backdrops. 

That much effort devoted to presentation usually implies a rigidly
programmed set list, but the Cure's scattershot selection of songs
-- which, intriguingly, omitted one of its biggest hits in this decade,
"Friday I'm in Love" -- left few doubts that the band was making
up things as it went along. This helter-skelter set focused on oldies;
for instance, the Cure played a full six songs from 1987's "Kiss
Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me" album. 

Front man Robert Smith, normally known for his dour demeanor
on record, was in uncommon cheer Saturday, shimmying his way
through "Gone!" and wandering into the audience to sing "Close to
Me" and "Why Can't I Be You." At the show's end, he
pronounced it his "favorite concert" of the tour. 

The Cure better watch out -- any more evenings like this, and
people might start to think of this band as, heaven forbid, cheerful. 
                    

This show was a gem I might say.It all started with the soundcheck.Counted
ten songs with Plainsong twice and they ran through my favorite song,The
Figurehead,and another all time favorite,the Drowning Man,flawlessly.
About 8.45 the smoke began to plume.Then the bells started ringing.And there
we stood as the lights exploded to the opening of Plainsong (just think 
Picture Show).This was the one song of Disintegration besides Same deep
water as You that I wanted to hear.It was perfect.Then they rolled back into
the usual set with Want (where Simon got to his hopping),Club America,
Fascination Street and Lullaby;the latter two getting the crowd a little
more into it,but all four were amazing.Then "something they don't play very
much," everyone was excited until they realized it was Trust,a slow song.I
was happy.
Just like heaven followed,woke everyone up,they loved it,blah blah blah.
Great song but it's kind of funny to think this is the favorite song of
people painted like skeletons and dressed like vampires (nice teeth) and
scores of Robert clones.The crowd was thinking blah blah during Jupiter
Crash,but this has to be one of the most lyrically effective songs amongst
the new stuff.Round & Round was much much better live,Robert yelled the
"Go's." Lovesong was nice,the crowd remembered it was #2.Then Jason started
this slightly odd pounding and after about two crashes I felt like a freshly
squashed fly about to slip down into the floor.The Figurehead had begun.It
was incredible,unbelievable  phenomenal.I saw my favorite song's debut on 
this tour and a new meaning to just like heaven.The crowd just stood there,
not in awe but more like "what in the world is this?" This was a great
moment for me,completely mesmerized.
I don't even remember Strange Attraction which saved the crowd.Then on to
Mint Car.I used to not think much of this song but it's grown on me and I
have to smile.It was the best version I've heard, Robert slowed the first
line of each verse to a crawl.The crowd loved this one. A pretty good 
version of Catch got an unexpectedly big response from everyone. Then they 
seemed to forget what Like Cockatoos is.It was great with Robert shredding
noise over the F-F-C-C-F-F-C-C... But The Kiss was even Better.I could not
have imagined just how good this song could sound live.A hundred times
better than anything I've heard from 1987.Return,Treasure and Trap were all
strong.I'm liking Return more every day.Then another gem from Kiss Me,
a harsh (violent?) yet still majestic If Only Tonight We Could Sleep.Prayers
for Rain is simply awesome,cheers to the six string bass.only a 12 second
raaiinn!,had a great start but Robert got a little choked on something.
Inbetween Days may have actually gotten a bigger response than Just Like
Heaven,sounded great.Whatever,everything sounded absolutely amazing.
Then From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,what can be said about this song?
We all know so I won't say anymore.
Unfortunately Robert and the guys ran away after Bare,no Disintegration
(frowns,tears drop?).Robert kept reminding us that this was a weird set.

On to the first encore:Gone:great,Robert acting like he could fly.
Let's Go to Bed:Robert flirts with the crowd,and whoa,makes up some new
lines.
Close to Me:Robert singing down on the floor.
YCIBU:Roger threatens to sing,Robert ends up lying on stage,they act gooofy,
it's all fun stuff.
2nd encore was good especially 10.15 and Killing an arab which were just 
unbelievable

Robert was wearing a jersey,couldn't really see it,looked like New England
Patriots? Simon was ina skirt with ponytail.
Roger had to use some keyboard defense tactics during Boys Don't Cry due to
a "Crazed fan" Robert Laughed.
He left the stage saying this was his favorite show so far.
It was the experience of a lifetime .
If only I'd gotten Disintegration and Forever.

I still feel like i'm high after saturday night's show at the patriot  
center, even though i wasn't.  After seeing them twice already on this  
tour- the first in Philadelphia, the second in Dallas- I must say that  
this show was definately a gem.  First off, the venue was a tiny 'arena'  
that held a capacity audience of about 8 thousand people. i mean it WAS  
an arena, but it wasn't cavernous and huge like The Spectrum, or Reunion  
Arena.  I also noticed that the stage set was different.  instead of the  
stage with the 'ice cream cone' shaped light things that move up and  
down, this one was an orange and red light thing that hung over the  
audience like fingers spread wide open.  also, the roller-coaster wasn't  
nearly as big as on the other set.  I'm almost certain that this had  
everything to due with the size of the place.  The only bad thing is  
that we missed out on the 'video' projections, like the whole 'planetary  
viking probe video' on 'jupiter crash'.  but the fish were there on  
'close to me', except they weren't as neon, and they also included a  
giant smiling octopus.  But the lighting were just as good as any other  
show.  anyway, the band was still doing their soundcheck when they let  
everyone into the arena, though you couldn't actually go to your seat  
until they cleared the stage.  They had let in 30 or so people who were  
there early to watch the soundcheck while the rest of us got to hear it  
all from outside.  oh well.  The show didn't actually start until 8:45,  
i was sort of miffed because 'fairfax county' has a noise curfew of  
11:00.... so i knew that they couldn't waste any more time, but all was  
well when the smoke machines went on and the lights went out.  Expecting  
to hear the recorded intro to 'want', i was a bit startled to hear wind  
chimes and to see purple and blue strobes flashing over our heads, i  
knew right away that it was 'plainsong', and my first thought was "holy  
shit! this is going to be a gooood show!!!"
the people standing next to me were like "hunh?  windchimes? what?"
and then after like 30 seconds, the band strolled onto the stage amid  
total bedlam, and they waited for the audience to quiet until everything  
was still and all that was left were the sounds of the wind chimes, and  
then the song exploded into the opening chords.  it was sooooooo  
coooool!!!  then they went into:
want- this time they played it without the recorded intro, which was     
   better than any other live version

club america- still a really good song, this was kind of lack luster     
       though.  at this point robert was in sort of a sombre mood.

fascination street- i really like how they re-did the intro, more        
  danceable.

lullabye- robert did his tradmark 'hand spider' thing that everyone      
      loves...

high- he finally said "hello" to everyone.  he wasn't as talkative as    
    the other shows, again he was in a sombre mood, but this song was    
    really good.

Trust- "hello again, as some of you have gathered, this is a really      
        weird set we're playing tonight, this song we haven't played in  
        such a looong time."  Roger really improvised the piano part, it  
        was really beautiful. 

just like heaven- this was the best version of this song i have ever     
               heard, simon and jason were really pounding out the       
               bass and drum lines.  everyone was doing the 'european    
                hop' it was a lot of fun.

jupiter crash- "back to the new album." really good. Roger's keyboards   
              were really good on this song. 

round & round & round-  again, the keyboards were excellent.  Simon      
            hopped around like a frog on this one.

lovesong- "this one's hard tonight."  Again Roger's keyboards were       
        excellent, i think it was the mixing and the acoustics of the    
      place that made them really stand out, cause i never heard them    
      that well until tonight.

figurehead- this one came out of nowhere... robert didn't even say a     
   word.... the majority of people were like "hunh, what the        
hell?" but the 'hardcorps' fans were FREAKING OUT.... roger added        
a keyboard part, and the drums were slow like on 'paris' but        
definetly much harder.

strange attraction-  i really missed the 'butterfly wings' projections,  
         they didn't even spell out 'robert' on the projection screen!   
    
mint car- again the best version of this song ever. robert was having so  
      much fun singing... "THESUNISUPI"MSOHAPPYICOULDSCREEEEEM"       
roger was doing the 'tambourine' thing behind robert's head. this       
one was similar to 'just like heaven' in the sense that simon and        
jason were really pounding out the drum and bass lines... more           
'european hop'from the audience.

catch- 'again....this is a pretty weird set tonight, this is from the    
     kiss me album and it's called 'catch'"  i was surprised to see      
     that everyone knew this song.  again roger's keyboards were         
     better than ever.

like cockatoos- "hmmm....this one is from the kiss me album as well,     
    it's called 'like cockatoos'"  ohhh yeah.... jammin'.....

the kiss- "and another from the....this IS a weird set isn't it?...kiss  
         me album...it's called 'the kiss''  robert went wah-nuts on     
      this one for like 7 minutes.... it was amazing.... 

return-  "oh. i. REEEEEELLY love it here!"  you do? 

treasure- still haunting

trap- robert wasn't having fun on this one, his guitar was sloppy and he  
      just shrugged.

if only tonight we could sleep- "this is yet ANOTHER kiss me song...if   
     only tonight we could sleep"  and some people did sleep....

prayers for rain- this one was excellent, the bass line was really heavy  
     and pounding.  only a 12 second "raaaiiin" though.

Inbetween Days- again, simon and jason were really jamming, more         
   'european hop' from the audience.  Robert and Roger were really       
    laughing on this one.  Simon was skipping around in circles.

from the edge...-perry was having a difficult time on this one, but made  
    up for it on the solo.  robert was really intense, lots of audience  
    participation "put you haaaaands in the sky..."

bare- really looong, absolutley the best version ever. robert didn't     
      even say 'thank you', he just walked off stage.

encores: they took like 10 minutes to come back on stage and robert  
belted out his "THANK YOU VERY MUCH."  but he was also holding a cell  
phone and he spoke into it and then said into the mike "everyone, i'm  
talking to my wife, so i want you to say 'hello'...." and everyone  
screamed, and he kind of smiled, then shrugged and handed the phone to  
someone off stage.

Gone- "now we're going to do soooommme....jaaaazzzzzzz..." roger had so  
      much fun on this one, then he and robert started to jam, and then  
      roger went on for a solo for like 2 minutes while robert fluttered  
      about the stage pretending to fly, threating to dive into the      
  audience.

Let's Go To Bed- i was so sick of hearing this song, because in Dallas   
     they did it really half assed, but the audience went beserk and     
   robert responded well.  he did his usual wander off stage into the    
    audience bit, but this time he came down the center a few rows and   
     everyone swarmed, everyone on the arena floor was standing on  
their chairs and waving....security went nuts.  he also messed up  
the lines and started to make them up as he went along  "I  
don't care if i DON'T.....cause....ummmmmmmmmm.......ummmm......If  
only i could remember the words to the fucking soooongg...."

Why Can't i be you- Jason and simon belted out the drum/bass lines       
  again, and because robert was still trapped in the audience, he        
 missed the beginning vocal part, so the song just kind of went on       
  for a couple of minutes, and roger went to the mike stand and         
started to sing the song, but found that the mike wasn't turned         
on. so he just laughed and shrugged.  robert sang the song while         
still trapped in the audience (it was like a riot, EVERYONE from         
the sides and back of the arena were running up to swarm around         
him) he finally made his way back on stage and then the band did         
the lovecats medley, with robert going "okaaaayy....let's         
get.....pssssychedellllic...."  and they went into a weird 'pink         
floyd' thing...all while robert was lying on his back, writhing          
about like a worm... then the song finished in it's usual         
fashion.

Boy's don't cry- 'i have some new friends..." this was agian the best    
      version of this song....the audience was still standing on their   
       chairs and some were sitting on top of each other's shoulders,    
     it was so strange.  and then someone made it up onto the stage      
   and came around roger 'mr tambourine man' o'donnell and tried to      
   hug him, but roger pushed him away REALLY hard, and then tried to     
    kick him but missed because the man came around behind robert and    
     saw that he was singing, so he just went over to simon and perry 
       and danced with them a bit until security grabbed him and TACKLED  
       HIM off of the stage...it was really unnecessary.

10.15 saturday night- robert and simon were jamming, and others from the  
audience were still trying to make their way on stage, but to no avail.

killing an arab- the most incredible version i have ever heard! robert's  
guitar was blisteringly loud and simon went nuts, hopping all over the  
stage.  jason was REALLY playing hard.....

after the final sounds of killing an arab were over robert waited until  
the audience quieted enough before saying "THANK YOU GUYS VERRRY MUCH!"  
more cheering, and he waited again before saying "Thank you, this was by  
far my most favorite concert for the entire tour and i mean it.  good  
night."

It was absolutely incredible.....