The adage goes: If something works, stick with it. Or in the case of The
Cure  and lead singer  Robert Smith,  lipstick with it. 
   Smith and his yet-again-retooled gothic British pop band made its
first-ever Music City stop at Starwood Amphitheatre Saturday night, quite a
feat for a group that's been around for going on 20 years.
 On a stage set reminiscent of part of the Tennessee State Fair midway a
twisted length of roller-coaster track adorned with multi-colored lights
served as backdrop The  Cure  tore through 15 songs in the first hour of the
2-1/2-hourshow. Many were from the new Wild Mood Swings album, including
Want and Club
America.
 
   The band Smith on vocals and guitar, Simon Gallup on bass, Perry Bamonte
onguitar, Roger O'Donnell on keyboards and Jason Cooper on drums also dipped
into the back catalog: Fascination Street, Love Song, Just Like Heaven,
Friday I'm inLove. 
   The stark stage presence (no interaction among bandmates, Smith's lone
vocal,O'Donnell's half-asleep look) didn't faze the crowd of more than
7,300, composedmainly of those in their late teens to mid-20s. Fo
r a band that's been around since the U.S. bicentennial, there was a
significant part of the audience that
hadn't.
 
   The B-sides and more obscure album cuts in the second hour showed the
band's commitment to performance. It could have been just a greatest hits
show, but wasn't, and the crowd appreciated it.
The  Cure  brought a welcome breath of fresh air to the Nashville  concert
scene.