Hello!We're writting you to send you our feelings about the concert on July the 25th.

From the start, when The Cure played their first song ''Shake Dog Shake'' we straight away understood Robert didn't feel at ease - without taking into account the microphone wasn't well settled. He often felt unable to sing - when he didn't mix up the lyrics - so he was silent, staring at the public or behind him. In those moments, the audience sang for him.

Aware of his behaviour he was time to time dancing (moving on the scene or pulling those ticklish faces he does soooooooo well - it was so cute!). But some verses seemed impossible for him. The atmosphere was very particular thanks to the fans from Lyon who perfectly understood him - he was probably a little more drunk than usual this night - and was quite amused.

Robert managed - thanks to alcohol? - to get rid of his legendary shyness and went towards the public: touching fan's hands, looking to them straight in the eyes when singing......... which made a lot of people delighted. And it was not only a will to apologize for his condition, but a strong will to please people who made him famous and who still appreciate his music after all these years.

We also have to admit Robert appreciated seeing his fans adulating him. But the most touching point was that he was sincere; Robert really loves his audience, and he's grateful to them. As he was leaving the stage, after thanking the audience: "you're fantastic!", he looked back to the crowd with an embarassed expression on his face like if saying: "sorry, I really have to go".

Tonight Robert has given all he could to his fans, and it's the most marvellous gift he could have given us.

The music The Cure played was quite similar to the others festivals: "Wrong Number", "Fascination Street", "Sinking"........ Nevertheless we had good surprises like: "Like Cockatoos", "Lullaby"; songs not expected. But I prefer insisting on this strange atmosphere hanging over the Roman theatre, a perfect setting to see The Cure in live, hoping that others fans will bring more precise information about the music.

Setlist added Figurehead, Like Cockatoos, Treasure, Push, 130minutes long... once again Robert drunk, unable to play and sing... really sad!

I totally agree with Dominique Sureaud about the fact that it is really sad to see such a pitiful show of The Cure, despite the excellent set list.

To be honest, I didn't have the feeling that Robert was drunk, I thought he was sick (a throat pain or something, I don't know the english medical term).

Anyway everything went wrong from the start. They didn't bother to soundcheck (they attended the venue at 20 : 45 or something), even if they were headlining a 2 band only "festival ".

Accordingly, you couldn't hear Smith first words singing, I saw rogers' hands playing but couldn't hear anything, etc ? After a really miserable version of Fascination Street, the "soundcheck " was done, but unfortunately the PA was not set to full volume until 2 or 3 more songs.

As Dominique wrote, during the rest of the show, Robert sung out of rythm, sometimes out of tune (and did not play guitar), or he didn't sing and played out of tune. At first I thought that his guitar was out of tune, but I must say that in all objectivity it was not. It was really painful to hear and to see. Sometimes I wondered if they were going to stop earlier than expected. It was a real surprise to see 2 encores.

I was not convinced by Jason, because I still feel Boris drumming was more powerful, but I am not definitive because of the PA (during Wish tour, Boris had obviously a better sound due to the equipment).

I don't think that Teddy's playing is really a problem (as Any and Saby wrote). I think you must have 2 guitarists in the band, and Teddy is a good one.

Roger was OK.

Simon played really well, an amazing performance.

My conclusion is that the Lyons show was the first one I saw without Robert Smith, and it was the worst one. I sincerely hope that there won't be another one like that. If Smith wasn't OK, they should had shortened the set.

Just perfect! A very emotional show "dans un cadre si somptueux".The end (a forest)was marvellous...Robert & Perry didn't seem quite well at moments but Simon was really brilliant from the beginning to the end.Thank you!

2 nights later, here we go for Lyon. A superb smaller venue Roman Theatre (this is diffrent than an Arena; it is half a circla, like Orange), some 4.000 people at the very max. While the intro played, suddenly one could see the band at the left behind the scene. And the crowd began to shout, embarrassing Robert. 9.30 show starts with Shake Dog Shake. Brilliant again. Like in Nimes, Robert couldn't keep upo with Lyrics. I am not too sure whether he was drunk or something, but i had this feeling he was so emotional... And then Like Cockatoos.. so brilliant again, he announced If Only but didn't play it. And during Disintegration.... just sitting on the left of the stage, singing for a bunch of people (they were so lucky) .At the end of the first encore, he was holding his head like 'I just can't believe this, this is a perfect venue, audience & concert' Someone had to carry him backstage. And then the crowd went nuts, and they came back (which was unexpected 'cause not on the playlist I've got from the PA). Robert congratuled France with winning the World Cup like 'Allez les bleus...', but warning that in 4 years it would be England... And then a confusing A Forest. I thought he was going to play Faith... but OK. What happened is that in the middle of the song when Robert starts jamming, suddenly all stopped, and Robert had to talk with Jason & Simon to explain what he wanted to do, which they didn't seem to understand (Robert really wanted to make this a good one), so Perry took off again, and joined by the rest, for a long sessions, with some additional lyrics ('It's so easy to say I need you, I need you... '). It felt really so emotional, and then as the seemed to mess a bit, Robert coming to Simon who was playing in front a Jason, putting his arms around him to tell him to stop... (after 15 min a a superb version again)

I must say, I'm still in heaven; i've never had such a powerful, emotional concert in the 16 i have seen. To quote Robert at the end: IT WAS FANTASTIC.

Oh, forget to mention Figurehead, at the first encore, brilliant drums & bass (wasn't on the playlist as well.

Well i wish everybody to see a Cure show like this once.

If you refer to the setlist that includes several changes, this was an amazing concert. But to be honest, it wasn't during the whole first part of the set.

The show started with a very tight Shake dog shake, an ideal for beginning. At the end of the song, Robert started to complain about his head. I don't know what happened but Robert's behaviour during the whole set was strange. He provided us with such comments as "you can't imagine how it is..." and some others I didn't really caught all along the concert. The first trouble came during 100 years, which is supposed to be a set highlights. Robert forgot the lyrics (OK, nothing new!) but also did not play his guitar part during the first half of the song and even forgot to sing sometimes. Trust and Pictures of you were OK, Robert seemed to get back on his feet again, playing a lot with the crowd. On just like heaven, he improvized brand new lyrics and Sinking was a real highlight, with Robert singing very well and providing us with a real guitar solo. Like cockatoos made the crowd very happy, so did Lullaby for people that didn't know much The Cure. On Wrong number, Robert seemed to be really lost, beginning to sing too soon, forgetting to sing on the chorus. Never enough was an average version but on From the edge, Robert was really somewhere else, forgetting to play his 12 string guitar, mixing up his lyrics and murmuring instead of singing. These last 3 songs of the principal set seemed to be a real torture to him. During the beginning of Cut, he walked all around the stage and did not find time to take his guitar, so his tried to sing holding his guitar in his right hand. But on Disintegration, he was really pathetic. He sang one word on two, and went on his knees trying to sing and obviously couldn't. He didn't even pick his guitar for solo and asked the others to end the song very quick. The crowd was really disappointed, it was very surprising to see Robert acting this way, throwing his microphone support away during the songs. Five minutes long, he seemed very happy to be there but suddendly, he seemed to be really absent. There weren't many screams to ask for an encore.

Fortunately, the encores were brilliant. Figuread was very tight, and 10.15 and Killing an arab were some of the more powerful versions of these songs I've ever heard. At the end of the first encore, the crowd was enthousisatic. Finally they played an amazing 15-minute-long version of A forest, very much sounding like the one they played in Kiel in 96. But the song was a perfect illustration of the set. The beginning was very tight and during the first slow part, Simon asked Jason to keep the rythm to start agin, which Robert didn't noticed. Consequently, there was a 3 seconds blank in the middle of the song and then Robert tried to rule the song, improvising a bluesy solo that didn't seem to be liked by Simon. On the whole the Forest version was very good but I've never seen such a nervous feeling on a Cure concert.

The concert lasted 2h10

The question is what was wrong with Robert? Obviously he was on his uppers. Is he already fed up with this summer festival tour? Was he tired?

I really hoped the gig would be better in Lyon, and it was the case!

Robert's voice was not loud enough, but this time there were no technical problems, the songs were ok, the setlist very good, and Robert was a real rock star, posing for fans that wanted to take pictures, dancing, talking to the crowd, he even sat on the left part of the stage to sing Disintegration to fans.

And the version of A FOREST was one of the best I've ever heard, with Robert's playing guitar as a guitar hero!!!

The Theatre Antique de Fourvière has a capacity of about 2,000. The view and sound were excellent from all angles in this small and intimate venue. The first thing I noticed on arrival is that the atmosphere was electric with a crowd of real Cure fans, and from the start people were singing, dancing and clapping.

There was a lot of interaction between Robert and the crowd, particularly when Robert sat down on one side of the stage and started singing for the people in front of him. He also moved around quite a bit, pulled a few funny faces and seemed to be having a great time.

As the band had finished their first encore they came back for an unscheduled second encore to play an extended version of 'A Forest'. This almost went wrong when everyone stopped playing at one point, but a few seconds later Simon told Jason to start drumming again and there was a long guitar solo and a few new lyrics by Robert (something like "... I need you"). This was one of the highlights of the show, together with 'Like Cockatoos' and 'The Figurehead'.

Overall, although a few lyrics were forgotten or not sung by Robert there were no apparent major technical problems and it all ended with Robert looking at the crowd and saying something like "this is fantastic"... and he was right !

Well me and my friends did 2200 km. to see the Cure in Lyon (the day before we saw them in Cernobbio, near Como) and everything has been wonderful. I agree with Dominique (ciao and send me your e-mail!) about the problems but the audience was spectacular in substituting Robert! The most part of the people under the stage were from every part of France and rest of europe (Spain, Italy, Germany, also Brasil!) and, finally, everyone knew all the words of all the songs!!! Oh yes, Robert was drunk or stoned, he forgot words but.... what a concert!!!

I was very impatient for this Lyon performance knowing it was only The Cure (with only one support act), that means more songs and maybe surprises. And really, people went there knowing what The Cure is and what they can do.

The crowd was a mix of goths, Cure fans with tee-shirts, Cure fans with hair and old Cure audience. I even noticed the precense of Nicolas Indochine's singer (Indochine is an old french band / They played pop-new wave in a Cure way in mid-80's).

The roman theatre was not very big, so it was perfect, more intimate than in Nimes, and everybody has a nice and not far view of the stage. Shake dog shake and Fascination street were similar to Nimes (weak version for fascination street), then Push takes place instead of A strange day and sounded cool (and finally is a better choice). Again, this absolutly FABULOUS machine+drums version of 100 Years, where everybody saw Robert was drunk or stoned tonight. He forgot to sing all the first lyrics and forgot to play time to time.

Trust, Pictures of you and Just like heaven came after that, then Robert announced Sinking, trying to speak French again, and the song sounded well with the echo on the voice. Like cockatoos was like in the Swing tour and was cool in this set, followed by Lullaby and Wrong number where Robert seems lost in the lyrics in the end, that makes an instrumental ending that sounded better than the original.

Never enough - Inbetween days (when we saw him realizing he was doing the intro with the guitar sound of Never enough, it was very funny!) - From the edge of the deep green sea (that suffered again from weak voice, Robert seems really unable to sing this one - did he get sick or what?) - the slow version of Cut - then Disintegration.

As the song started we saw Robert in a strange particular mood on this one. He was on the left side, looking at the audience, close to the edge, then fell on his knees, and continued to sing as the crowd raised their hands. I ran off my place to reach the front of the scene to see this closer. At the end he seemed to be able to shout again "how the end always always always ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS IS...".

I was standing there, in the front of the stage for the encore. It was the moment, I thought, to play specials songs. A few minutes and Robert said: we'll do The figurehead. YES! I wanted this one for so long that I wished to be alone in the theatre to hear that. That was a good version, but played in a professional way. Treasure came after that, but I was in The figurehead still. Robert then played the first notes of Boys don't cry, so I left to go back to my first place, at the limit of the dancing part of the crowd. 10 :15 and Killing an arab were very powerfull but were heard so thousand times.

A forest was the second encore. I thought they would have played Faith.

the setlist was so good, it should have been a brilliant concert. But unfortunately Smith was so drunk, he kept forgetting the words, the lines, the rythms, everything. Friends from the first row saw him drink whisky all the time.

During Disintegration and Treasure he started crying. Totally agree with Jean Pierre, wonder what's going on with him.

The others did what they could to save the show, did a great job. Except for Roger who made such a horrible face during the whole concert or only made fun of Smith. Gallup was excellent, and Jason starts to be impressive. Perry inexistent partly due to his friend, who couldn't be followed.

The Lyon show started with a opening band which seemed to be afraid of the audiance. But this audience was very great and applauded this particular band for their four (long) title (they seemed like Dead Can Dance wih percussions and female voice but not so good).

So The Cure (Roger, Jason and Simon was seeing Ekova during their show) started their concert at 9:30 PM. Classical start with Shake Dog Shake (great drums), Fascination Street (big bass), One Hundred Years (perfect) and a surprise: Push. They will play again and again. So great.

Before Sinking Robert said "this is a song we didn't play since, I don't know, ten years". At this moment Robert seemed strange: he didn't sing very well (after the second title he apologised himself) and forgot all his lyrics on Just Like Heaven and Pictures Of You. He was not at the show but somewhere else (where?), he kept his head on his hands. So I think he was very drunk or he was ill and took some pills + wine = bad!

So during the first period of the show he was not very well and the songs were, sometimes, not very good (specially Wrong Number). Fortunatelly Simon and Perry were very great during the show and terrific.

At the end of Disintegation Robert was sitting on the stage in front of the audience (on the left of the stage). Unfortunately for me I was in front of Perry and Simon, so on the right, and Robert didn't come before us and he didn't stop to go to the left of the stage to see someone or I don't know what. It seemed to me that he talked with this part of the audience.

Well at the end of Disintegration two people of the staff keeped Robert and helped him to go out! At this moment I thought that the show was finished because Robert was very bad. But no :"We try Figurehead". Great version with beautiful drums just like before (not as Boris did it). Robert seemed to be well now and the first encore was good and very hot.

A Forest was the second encore with a strange and long version: during the track, Robert and Jason played an impro or maybe it was a new title. Strange. At the end Simon exploded and played great. On the last notes of the bass Robert kept Simon on his arms by the back. So beautiful. Big friends. Well, at last a great moment and a beautiful show with a special venue.

Well I would like to say anything more but I speak french and not english, so it's hard for me. Oh, a great mention to Perry who play better and better during the years and to Robert who said before A Forest that France was a great team during the World Cup and it's true.

well just for the record... i was at Lyon too.... all the way from Greece.... i have mixed feelings about it...yes it was too emotional, and yes Robert was not himself at least not Robert i saw in December in London.... BUT i can't say which i preferd the most... the Lyon gig left me with a strange taste... i don't want to be repetative.... i just didn't see Treasure mentioned at the setlist, which was the last song they played after a forest and i really think it was sort of symbolic... i think Robert sang that he didn't want us to remember the sad side of himself ....i don't know if anyone else felt the same about Treasure ending the show... anyway...just thought i'd mention it...

Consequently to the many reviews sent about this show, we're writting back.

First, we would like to make clear that in our opinion, there is no problem with Perry's playing (as Jacques Bensemhoun said we said - guess you meant Perry when you said Teddy-). We will add that The Cure without at least 2 guitars would be now unthinkable (and we really like Perry).

Then, we're also looking hoplessly for some pictures of the concert.

Finally, we would like to congratulate Lorenzo Contucci for his last sentence, which is a marvellous summary of the concert.

I was lucky enough to catch the Zeebrugge show and Lyon the next week with my boyfriend. If not for the Belgium show I think would have been disappointed with the show in Lyon. But now I can realize that it was just a physical (maybe even mental?) problem with Robert on that particular night in Lyon.

Before the show he announced something about his condition, but all I could comprehend was "it's my own fucking fault" or something to that nature. I think he had a cold in addition to his hangover, but who knows. He was very ill and he kept holding his throat.

At times it was painful to watch him, you could see that he was really struggling, turning his back to the audience, shaking his head in disgust at his inability to perform at times. When he came out for the first encore he announced "hung over, you have no idea, I have no idea either, so I'm going to TRY...try...the Figurehead."

But what impressed me was his genuine desire to go on and give it his best. I also thought that he would end the show abruptly, just throw his hands in the air and say "enough!", but he pressed on, and overall I was impressed with his ability to perform under such conditions. He truely wanted to give something to the crowd. Maybe it was evident to Robert that the audience in Lyon were die hard fans. It was nice to be amongst fans who could appreciate such a set list as we heard that night. But the one thing that bothered me to no end was the constant humming of Play for Today, like on the Paris cd; at every opportunity, they sang that. Then Robert said in response, "if only..." and didn't play it.

There were people holding up signs for Lament, but he also didn't give in to that request. But I was still very happy with Like Cockatoos, Figurehead, Trust, and then the other "standard" songs performed with alternate lyrics.

He began Just Like Heaven late because he was chatting up with some fans from the left side of the stage (where he spent most of his time--I wonder who was there in the crowd). During Disintegration he sat there and basically sang solely to them.

Although the set list for Lyon was incredible, unfortuntately it wasn't a superb performance. But I can't compain too much about it, i mean, come on--the Figurehead! A 15 minute Forest!

Hi, I just add my own point of view of the Lyon show. I read that I wasn't the only one to feel like I did, so here is my report :

How to start ?... Great beginning till "Wrong number" when Robert forgot a lot of the words, he really couldn't sing it correctly ! The show was totally brilliant (no bad songs, only the best and the rare ones!) Powerfull "Shake dog shake" as start- up (like usual), "Push" sounded quite good and "One hundred years" version was explosive (better than the Shepherds Bush nights). I was really happy to hear again "Trust" which was emotive I think.

The first big surprise was "Sinking" ("a song we didn't play for maybe... ten years"). Then we had the chance to hear "Like cockatoos" (good as the Bercy version) and the crowd became mad with... "Lullaby". As I said, Robert seemed to be in a very good mood, the set list was like a dream, old and recent best songs. But "Never enough", "From the edge..." and "Cut" didn't sound good at all: too slow (maybe not "Cut"), too noisy and Robert couldn't sing on it !! He seems to be ill or just... depressed.

The most sensible moment was during "Disintegration" (one of my favorite songs), Robert came right near to the front of the stage. He improvised lyrics while he was looking at a girl from the first raw. He seemed to be captived by her, he didn't turn his eyes from her while he was singing. Sometimes he brushed a tear from his eyes... I thought he was really down like he could think to himself "What am I doing here?" It became pretty "hard", a very oppresive atmosphere.

We thought the show was over, it couldn't be any encore... We were wrong, Robert came back and just said "We try Figurehead"... Considering what happened before, I just screamed and then I've been captured by the entirely song which I thought it's the best Cure song (since a very long time). The version was the best one I ever listenend to, better than the Bataclan version. I suddenly understand what this song really means, its power, its words ("I will never be clean again", "Too many lies..."). Robert sometimes just said it, the musical part was perfect. Terribly sad and dark. After that, I couldn't say a word. I understand why the Picture Tour and the Fourteen Tour were so hard for the band, how it was oppressive for them and for their crew and crowd.

Anyway, we were in 1998 so they played "Treasure" instead of... "Faith" (it would have been perfect to finish this way after "Figurehead"). And Robert finally "woke up" with "Boys don't cry", he said "...suddenly POP !! " The last song was "A forest" which I didn't like the Jason's versions. But this one was really impressive, the band was powerfull like in the beginning of the show. They played "Forest" at the right speed (fast!) and made it last. At the end, Simon asked Jason to start it again, so he did !! The band made an improvisation, not a forever-version I think. It was quiet good (slow then fast) and it ended with... "A forest" !!! It last more than 15 minutes and it was the summary of this show: splendid, disjointed, emotive, powerfull and most of all, exceptional.

Well, it's done ! And if you know how to get the tape or the video of this show, PLEASE E-MAIL ME !!!!!