Setlist: Out of This World, Want, Club America, Fascination St., Just Like Heaven, Last Day of Summer, Inbetween Days, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, 100 Years, (2 minute break to change tapes, so the band did Boys Don't Cry), Bloodflowers, Wrong Number.

Some thoughts: The new songs are fantastic!!! Out of This World & Last Day of Summer reminded me of something off of Disintegration. Yes, they are really that strong! Long intros, beautiful keyboards and dreamy guitars. Bloodflowers begins with Pornography style drums, and features very emotional lyrics. Now I'm not saying that it would fit on the Pornography album, but it is very strong and probably the most intense of the 3. I was expecting heavy guitars and a faster tempo, but they were all mid-tempo and very beautiful. It was an incredible night, a fantastic show and we all had a wondeful time.

For those wondering about the new lyrics, here are a few that I remember (these are by no means meant to be official, they are my own interpretations):



The Last Day of Summer
 

Bloodflowers

This is the first line of the song: "This dream never ends you said"

Out of this World

"You only get to stay here so long, you always have to go back to real life."

There's a line in The Cure's new song 'Out of This World' that says "You only get to stay here so long, you always have to go back to real life", and for everyone at the HRL taping, no truer words were spoken that night.

The show was 70 minutes, but it felt like 20. Time flew by when all you wanted was to make it last a little longer, slow it down a bit. Unfortunately, that never works and it was over almost as soon as it began. The show was short, way too short. That's not a criticism, but rather a compliment. The band was ON this night and very focused on the songs they were playing. If there were any mistakes (other than a minor lyric change in Deep Green Sea), then they slipped by me. There was an intensity tonight, perhaps a bit of nervousness, as the band seemed determined to put on a first class show. And on all counts, they succeeded.

As you might expect, this was a different kind of Cure show. You got that feeling as soon as you walked into the studio. This place was small. Even smaller than it looks on tv. There were reports that it would be a crowd of about 350 people, but I would be surprised if there were more than 200 there. When we first walked in,there were about 8 people standing against the stage, but everyone else was sitting on the small riser that had been set up in back (no more than 20 feet from the stage. We thought that was great, but then everyone got up and moved to the floor, and we ended up in the 2nd row. The only disadvantage was that we had to create an aisle between us and those in the front row, in order for the camera crew to be able to get in and get their shots. So technically we were in the 3rd row.

Around five minutes to seven, an announcer came out to prep the crowd and get us to do an audio level check for them. Everyone clapped and cheered on cue, and he was gone. 5 minutes later we hear an announcement - "Ladies & Gentleman, please welcome The Cure". This was weird, no real buildup, no pre-show music (oh sure, we had the 'ahem' pleasure of listening to Pearl Jam before the show, but you know what I mean, no "Cure pre-entrance music"), just the recorded? announcement and then the band are walking on stage. Strange.

But before we get to the actual show, I want to talk about the whole pre-show line/ticket situation and the press conference. First, there was no press conference. All this talk about some announcement or press release saying that the band are breaking up and how this is the last album, are simply rumors. Maybe they were going to announce that on Monday, maybe they weren't. Whatever the case, there was no press conference. The general impression I have is that this incarnation of the band is having a good time, and are not about to break up anytime soon. I could be completley wrong about that, but if I had to place a bet on it, this isn't the end.

Now as far as the ticket situation, it's a bit confusing. Let me start by relating our experience. We originally e-mailed the HRL website just like everyone else, but when we didn't hear anything by Tuesday, we started to panic. We had heard from a few people who had received a call, but no one had asked for any extra tickets. That's when we decided to grovel and put something on the website asking for someone to request 2 extra tickets. Thankfully, someone (let's just call her St. Laura) made a few calls to VH-1, spoke to someone in charge and we were assured that we had 3 tickets waiting for us. While we were excited, it seemed like quite a risk to fly all the way to NYC simply on the promise of tickets from someone that none of us knew. Why would someone do that for us? What did they have to gain from it? Was it possible that someone was just being nice to 3 genuine fans? Well a few things happened over the last week before the show which at times made us feel more secure about our trip. And then a received an e-mail from someone who I felt knew what he was talking about and we all got very nervous. That report said that all tickets were being recalled and that everyone who had been contacted by Vh-1 and told that they had tickets, would be out in the cold by the time they got to NY. While that report seems to have been confirmed by actions at the studio on the day of the show, the blame was placed on the wrong people.

So after some major headaches and lots of butterflies in our stomach, we were off to NYC on Saturday. We had a great time in the city on Sat. & Sun., while still trying to get some concrete info on a few things. Then on Monday afternoon, we met St. Laura in front of the place we were told to be. This part of the story will remain vague, because we're not sure if revealing too much would get someone in trouble. So after a tense 5-10 minutes, our hero came down and handed over the goods. He also let us know how hard it was going to be for people to get in. He said that Elektra had pulled all of the tickets and that anyone who didn't have a ticket already wouldn't be getting in and many people who did have tickets probably wouldn't get in either. But he assured us that if we got there at 4pm on Tuesday, we would be in. We left feeling very good and quite confident about the show. So Nadine and I went back to our hotel, took a digital picture of our ticket, debated whether to put it up immediately, decided to wait until Tuesday morning, and then we went out to explore more of NYC.

Tuesday morning came too soon, and we were all nervous. St. Laura met us at our hotel at 2pm and we all headed down Broadway and then W. 53rd until we came to the Sony Music Studios. There were very few people there, far fewer than I had imagined. We waited for our hero, and he told us that Sony didn't want people hanging about and that we should just take a walk around the block and be back for 4pm. So we headed up 10th Ave. and stopped into a Blimpie's to grab something to drink. We had a few discussions about what new songs would be played, what song we most wanted to hear and what old songs would be on the setlist. At 3:45 we headed back to the studio and our hero told us that everything was fine, wait in the line on the corner of 53rd & 10th and he would come get us when it was time for us to move. So we had a 15-20 minute wait in that line, before we were pulled out and brought over to the "VIP line". This is where things got interesting, as there were arguments between the folks representing VH-1, Sony, American Express, Elektra, and The Cure.

There was a tent set up on the sidewalk opposite the studio which contained the guest lists for each of the companies, so people would go under the tent, check to see if their names were on the list, and get their tickets or passes. There were a couple of arguments over who's list took precedent over the others. From what we heard, The Cure's list won out, with someone informing the people under the tent that the band insisted that everyone on their list be allowed in. After that, it seems like Elektra's list took precedent. This made us happy, since those were the tickets we had. We heard many people go up to the tent to get their tickets from VH-1 and they were all turned away. These people were told to go stand in the line on 10th Ave. and hope that they could get in. Before we left that line, we heard them telling everyone that there was a 99.9% chance that they wouldn't get in, because Elektra was bringing in so many people for the show.

Anyway, after waiting in the "VIP line" for what seemed like an eternity, and watching people starting to go in, we finally got the go ahead to enter the studio. So we jumped out of line and rushed in. The security was a joke! After announcing that there would be no cameras or recorders allowed, they decided that disposable cameras were ok (as long as we didn't use them). And all they did with bags and purses was to open them and look inside. No searches, no frisking, no metal detectors. I'm sure many people could kick themselves for not trying to sneak in their recorders now.

"Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome The Cure" - And so the band entered, with only a light spray from the fog machine. Roger and Jason were out first, followed by Simon, Perry and Robert. All were in black clothing (except Jason?), with Simon wearing his blue cap. I'm not a fashion reporter, so I'll let others cover that (St. Laura?). Robert stepped up to the mike, said hello, and said they were going to do some new stuff and some old stuff, and to be kind since they haven't played together in a long time.

"This is a new one, it's called Out of this World" - Wow! Not at all what I was expecting. The song began with an almost hip-hop type drum beat, soft and slow, before the keyboards and guitars kicked in. "Classic Cure" long intro, Robert on the 12 string acoustic (I think), very soft vocals and wonderful keyboards. And while it sounded like something from Disintegration, it didn't seem to be a re-hash. It still sounded fresh. I wish I could remember more about this, but I wasn't able to take many notes, since my pen ran out of ink. The lyrics were very pretty and very mournful, perhaps suggesting someone living two separate lives and realizing that one has to end? Probably not. I would estimate that it was 5 or 6 minutes long.

Then we move into the openers from the Swing Tour setlist with 'Want' and 'Club America'. I didn't expect either of these, and 'Want' was a welcome surprise. We all know this one so there's not much to say about it. It was excellent and the band performed it wonderfully. Jason was especially powerful on the drums I thought. And what can I say about 'Club America'? I've never liked and I doubt if I ever will. Still, the band seemed to have fun with this one and Robert loosened up a bit.

'Fascination St.' and 'Just Like Heaven' came next. 'Fascination St.' is one of my favorites and the band did a great job on it. Simon is the bass god! I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked, since I had either the boom camera or the camera man right in front of me for most of the song. I still enjoyed it, but as Jennifer said below, it seemed shorter tonight. Probably due to the time constraints. 'Just Like Heaven' got the crowd to liven up a bit, you can be sure that this one will make it into the HRL show.

'The Last Day of Summer'- This was my favorite of the new songs. One thing I did want to mention was how hard it was to hear the new songs in this setting. Usually I like to be alone, with the lights out, and let the songs seep into me, but there were many distractions here. I found myself wanting to close my eyes at several points in the new songs, but not doing it because I didn't want to miss anything. This is a sad song, and I actually got a bit teary-eyed. I would compare it to 'Treasure' maybe, but much stronger. Perry was doing an excellent job on the 12-string acoustic and Robert was creating "that feeling" on the black Gretsch electric. Again, this song would not seem out of place on Disintegration (or Wish), but it is not Disintegration "warmed over". There was a very distinct difference (probably with the drums) that sets this apart from the old stuff. A wonderful song, with strong lyrics and a beautiful melody. I want to hear it again! This one was about 6 minutes long.

Next up was Inbetween Days, which lightened the mood and the band were enjoying themselves on this.

And now the intensity level is kicked up a few notches with the surprise of 'From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea' and '100 Years'! 'Green Sea' has become a live classic, and the band did a great job on it tonight, with Perry doing a nice solo. I'd still give the edge to the Swing Tour versions of this, but still very strong. '100 Years' was announced and we were all pretty surprised. Nadine and I had thought that it would be a "singles show", but we were happy to be proven wrong. This version was much better than the Christmas shows from 97, with Jason noticeably improved on the drums. Robert & Perry were really pouring it on in their playing. Very intense and it helped set the mood for the next song.

Unfortunately, someone came onstage and whispered something to Robert and he had to announce that they were going to have to take a 2 minute break while the camera crew changed tapes. Robert mentioned that this was just like a real concert, according to Milli Vanilli. Robert decided that he probably couldn't entertain us with "entertaining chat", so he huddled with the band briefly. During this time, fans were shouting stuff like "play 'Jumping Someone Else's Train' ", "When's the tour?" and "Tell jokes" to which Robert replied "We really don't know any jokes, which is why we play music". Acrew member ran out with some towels for the band to dry off with and someone in the crowd shouted that we needed some too, so Robert took one and threw it into the crowd.

Finally, they decided to do 'Boys Don't Cry'. I don't know if this was filmed, but it appeared that the cameras were rolling. This was what you'd expect, a great version of a great song. Roger disappeared briefly during the beginning of the song, and then re-emerged with, you guessed it, his tambourine. Fun song and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. Perry was having fun and Simon was even laughing at one point.

'Bloodflowers'- A close runner-up for best new song. The band were very serious and focused during this one. It seems to be about the end of a relationship or possibly someone dying, and how we sometimes kid ourselves about things lasting forever when we know that they can't. Out of the 3 new songs, this is Robert's strongest vocal performances, very heartfelt, very intense and at times a bit angry. As soon as this song started, Nadine whispered to me "this sounds like something from Pornography", and she was right. The drums have that heavy sound to them (maybe a bit like Short Term Effect), but with more finesse. Overall, the song reminded me of 'Disintegration' or 'End'. There's one brilliant part where Robert sings "These flowers will always DIE!" and the music swells up and explodes when he says DIE. Fantastic! This was another one of those songs that you felt deep in your soul almost immediately. I can't wait to see this one with the full light show, should be amazing.

I thought they would end it there, but instead they did 'Wrong Number'. I'm not crazy about this song, but it's a lot of fun when done live. They did a perfect version of it, and I thought it was better than the 97 versions. And yes they had the recorded "I'm sorry you have the wrong number' bit. While this isn't the song I would have chosen to close the set, it was a satisfying end to a brilliant show.

Robert apologized for the show being so short, but promised that they would be back very soon for a real concert. As the band was walking off stage, someone shouted to Robert for a copy of the setlist that was onstage, so Robert walked back, tore it off the stage and handed it to him. We tried to get one from the crew, and St. Laura eventually got one too. Should have a scan of that soon. St. Laura also managed to snap a few photos before we left, so I might get a scan of those as well.

There was no encore, which was disappointing, but not surprising considering how weak the crowd was. I know this wasn't a proper show and that the room was filled with many "industry types", but come on. The band had just put on a brilliant show, debuted 3 amazing new songs and I would be surprised if more than 20 people were clapping and stomping to get an encore. Maybe the band wouldn't have been allowed an encore anyway, but its the principle that counts.

Anyway, we hung around for a few minutes trying to find certain people (Chris White where were you?), and then they ushered us out. We exited out the main entrance on 54th St., took a couple of photos outside the studio, and then decided to head over to 53rd to see the band leave. By this time, the Bush fans had assumed the positions that were being held by Cure fans a few hours ago, so there were very few fans waiting around. We walked over to the barricades by the entrance and noticed a red van that seemed to be waiting for the band. After a 15-20 minute wait, Roger came out and we all called out to him. He was nice enough to come over and sign a few autographs (he signed St. Laura's setlist) and chat briefly. Meanwhile, the rest of the band hurried into the van and Roger had to go, as they had some radio business they had to take care of.

And so an amazing night came to an end. If these 3 new songs are indicative of what the new album will sound like, then we're in for a treat. And the touring rumors have already started, with someone claiming that Robert said the tour starts in March. Who knows if that's true, but whenever they do tour, I think the shows are going to be incredible. And with the right setlist, it might approach Prayer Tour levels. Yes I'm going out on a limb with that, but I'm excited. More excited about The Cure than I've been in a long time. Remember that feeling that washed over you the first time you listened to Disintegration? That's the feeling I had after each of the new songs.

"You only get to stay here so long, you always have to go back to real life". True, but only until February. : )

(Thank you Nadine, Laura, W and R for making all of this possible. I had the greatest time of my life and none of it would have been possible without you.)

My Cure Diary

Wow-what a wild experience. It all started Oct. 16, 1999 at 11:30am. I borded a plane from Albuquerque, New Mexico and headed for New Yok City to see The CURE- no tickets just a promise.

Arrived in NYC Sat. night-traveld to the Bronx to stay with a friend of a friend. No furniture in the apartment-that didn't matter it was a free place to stay.

Woke up Sunday morning and headed for the Bronx Zoo-great place. Then off to Times Square. Sunday night called Nadine and Craig and finalized plans for meeting on Monday to pick up the tickets at the Sony Music Studio. Met Craig and Nadine at the Sony Music Studio at 12:35pm. We went in did some magic and came out with VIP tickets!!! I spent the rest of the day sightseeing in NYC. I also spent the late night dreaming of the concert that was to take place the next day. The funniest dream was The Cure and Sara McLauglin on the same stage!!

Anyway,- woke up Tuesday-the day of the show, put on my new dress, wish necklace, and sandals!!. I headed off to meet Craig and Nadine at their hotel at 2pm. We walked to the Sony Studio expecting to see lots of fans-so such sight. There were about 20 people scattered around the street not doing much but looking. We consulted our inside source and were told to come back at 4pm. We walked down the street (10th street) to Blimpie's. We hung out there for about 40 minutes which seemed like hours! 4pm rolled around and we made our way back down 10th street to 53rd avenue. We were told to line up there. We hung out there for another 30-40 minutes. We were then escorted to the VIP line (on 53rd by the "tent") and there we waited-oh we waited. It was very cold waiting out there. While waiting we observed lots of confusion. Radio winners were being sent to the end of the general admissions line (those people had no chance of being admitted), VH1 ticket holders being told to go home and lots of other people turned away.

I don't remember how long we stood in the VIP line but I think it was about an hour. While waiting in line we heard parts of the sound check-Fascination Street, Club America, and Just Like Heaven. By 5:30 pm people were slowly being admitted. I think we got into the studio around 5:45pm or 6pm.

My first impression of the studio-TINY!!! We rushed to the second row and there we stood and waited (the theme for the day). We didn't notice lots of die hard fans but there were a few filtering into the studio. 6:55pm-VH1 producer man gets on stage and pumps up the crowd.

7:00pm-The Cure come on stage (Robert last of course). The were all dressed in black except Jason who had on a forest green v-neck. Robert had on a black long sleeved v-neck with black cargo pants and "Bunker" platform black boots with 3 huge buckles. Simon had a cute little blue hat on sideways, black high water tight jeans, black tank-top and the same shoes as Robert. Roger looked so cute!! He had a black long sleeved shirt, black pants with lots of zippers, and black boots-not the same as Simon and Robert. Perry-black shirt, black pants, black shoes-nothing special.

Robert then steps to the mic and introduces "Out of this world". The song had a long intro. I don't really remember the words but I know they were wonderful. I did get the impression it was about all things do eventually come to an end.

Second song-"Want"-done with lots of feeling as well as "Club America". Robert didn't make eye contact very often-he was hiding behind his big bangs (which were down below his nose).

Third song-"Fascination Street". Excellent job!!! I was beginning to notice that there weren't many fans near the front of the crowd because only a few people were singing and dancing. Robert then introduced a song that we would all recognize-"Just Like Heaven".

The highlight of the show for me was the next song-"The Last Day of Summer". I was almost crying. The lyrics are so beautiful and the music dark-"The Last day of summer never felt so cold, The last day of summer never felt so old". Oh this song is wonderful.

After "The Last Day of Summer" Robert said something about how the new album isn't going to have any pop tunes and then introduced a "pop" tune-"Inbetween Days"

The second highlight for me was "From the edge of the deep green sea". I love this song and it was perfect. I think Robert messed up one line but nothing super obvious. Jason looked really cute back there playing the drums during this song!!

Next followed a big suprise-100 years! Robert was singing with so much concentration and feeling. At the end of 100 years they took a 2 minute break. Robert came to the mic and told us he needed to fill some time. People were screaming for him to tell a joke but then he said he didn't know any. It was a cute interaction he was having with the crowd. This older woman gave him a rose and he gladly accepted. They then went into "Boys Don't Cry". Roger walked off stage and then came back with a tamborine and for the remainder of the song he played that-it was really cute!! After the song Robert said something like "That will be good for you guys with the walkmen under your caps".

"Bloodflowers" was the next amazing new song. Not as laid back musically as the other two new ones. It seemed much faster. Excellent lyrics once again. The coolest thing was Robert had little flower stickers on his guitar while he was playing the guitar. Meanwhile Simon had a sticker that said "White Trash" on his bass!

Last song-"Wrong Number". Perry played a glitter guitar for this song. They all were really into it and Robert really seemed to be enjoying himself during the song.

After the song Robert said that they would be back real soon to do a real concert and then they walked off and that was the end of the show. Before Robert completely made it off stage a fan asked for his setlist that was taped on the stage and he bent down and tore if off and gave it to him. I thought that was such a great jesture.

I really wanted a setlist so the VH1 guys were tearing them up and giving them to people. I was lucky enough to get a setlist!! It even has the wrong date on the top-14/10/99! -What an amazing experience.

We waited outside for the band to come out and sure enough Roger was the first out and came over and signed my setlist. He mentioned they were on their way to do some radio stuff and that he would see us all in Feb. Roger was much taller than I expected. He was very handsome. All the other band members rushed into the van. I thought it was really nice of Roger to come over and sign autographs. Robert better be careful or Roger is going to become my favorite!!

Autographed setlist in hand we headed over to Ellen's Stardust Dinner and discussed the show while being entertained by the wait staff singing "The Rose" and "He's a Rebel"-not a very good encore after The amazing Cure show we had just experienced.

I had the most amazing experience in NYC. I can't wait until Feb. and the tour. I'm now back in Albuquerque dreaming of the wonderful time I had in NYC. I don't regret a thing. Warren, Craig and Nadine-Thank you for the memories I will never forget.

"Me and my girlfreind arrived at about 4pm on tues. afternoon, we went to the show on a prayer that someone would be kind enough to accept cash or our first born child :o)......upon arrival we are told that no one with tickets is getting in, even though there is a line of fans with tickets they say that the capacity is 325 and there is 450 people on the vip list alone !

well my girlfreind did what any loyal female fan would do, cry. well she was crying by the side stage door where the cure was currently soundchecking...some guy has the nerve to tell my poor girlfreind to "get moving" ....to put it nice..my girlfreind told this man how she felt about him and his statement. He realized that he was wrong and gained sympathy for my girlfreind...she explained her perdicament to the man and told the man that she had planned on buying tickets here....the man replied "how much is it worth it to you to get in that show" thats where i came in...i told the guy that i had $300 on me and it would be his if he could get us in....he told me "no problem" took the money and told my girlfreind and i to come with him...he put us in a room inside the building with monitors...

by this time its 645...im bugging thinking that the guy brought us to some room and left....but the guy came back and proceded to walk us towards the stage entrance...on the way to the stage he gives me my money back and tells me who he is, the head of security for viacom! (the company that owns mtv and vh1) he walks us to the front row and and tells us enjoy!! if that wasnt enough of an adventure...the cure took the stage next!!!

the guys walk on stage and say "excuse the way we sound its been awhile since weve played in front of people" then they break into "out of this world" a beautiful song from the new album...the guys seem nervous but are playing extremely well....they all seemed a bit stiff esp. roger who didnt crack a smile until rob busted out with an improv version of boys dont cry and roger grabed the tamberine and did his thing! once the guys loosened up they played amazing...alot of newer stuff was in the selist had a wild moos swing feel to it want and club america made there usual early show appearances both sounded amazing with new flavor to each....the guy also played some old tunes like 100 years and the aforementioned boys dont cry....robert made a funny comment midway through the show on how he suggessted that the tell stories between songs but then said he didnt have any stories ready anyway!

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHOW TO ME WAS BLOODFLOWERS....I THINK THIS WILL END UP BEING IN THE SAME CATEGORY PRAYERS FOR RAIN AND EDGE OF THE DEEP GREEN SEA CLASSICS....THE SHOW WAS ALL IN ALL NOTHING SHORT OF FANTASTIC AND EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS NO SPECIAL LIGHT SHOW OR STAGE EFX THE SHOW WAS VERY INTIMATE AND PERSONAL....WE MANAGED TO GET A SETLIST WITH THE TRACK TIMES ON IT AND ROBERTS PICK! THE SHOW DIDNT FILL THE TOTAL CRAVING FOR SEEING THE BOYS LIVE AGAIN BUT UPON WALKING OFF THE STAGE ROB SAID "WE'LL SEE YOU SOONER THAN YOU THINK TO PLAY A "REAL" CONCERT. I THINK IM GONNA HOLD MY BREATHE STARTING.....NOW."

"I arrived from La Guardia at the studios at approximately 5:45pm. This was due to a mistake in my itinerary for my flight. *sigh* But I got there. Gotta love New York Cab drivers!!!

I spoke with the VH1 crew and let them know that I had been told that I was on a list for VH1, and that I had flown all the way from San Diego to be here, and asked where do I find the tickets. My friend I was with waited in line in the standby line while I went and talked with officials and checked the lists for my name. I spoke with Chase, who informed me that yes, indeed, Elektra had snatched up all of the tickets, however, that if I waited in the standby line, I would probably get in. She checked inside the studio for capacity and told me that it looked like everyone would be getting in. So we waited.

At 6:30, a gentelman came out and told us that the studio was full and that was it, with only six people left in the standby line. We were crushed. So I decided to play a trump card and go back to Chase. I explained to her what had happened, and she was immediately on her handset to see what she could do. After about 15 minutes, she told us to go around to the front entrance and Cindy would let us in to a 2nd VIP viewing room. WELL!!! This was better than standing out in the cold, forgotten. So we went around and about 5 minutes later, Linda came around with 2 people from Elektra. I asked her about Cindy, and she escorted us in on Cindy's behalf.

By the time we got in and seated, it was 10 minutes to 7. Several industry people were standing around trying to figure out where they belonged. They were then escorted to another room and then there was a small handful of us, then only three.

There was a 37" Sony Digital TV fiber optic cabled into the studio. There was also a DAT recorder and some new type of video recorder that I don't know what it is. The sound was run out through a mixer into studio monitor speakers. A crew memeber popped in and adjusted the sound for us and turned it up as loud as we wanted. He also directed us to the free food and beer!! The band then went on at precisely 7.

The band members were all fairly muted, very serious-looking. Maybe a bit nervous. They also looked tired. Robert started off with a "be gentle on us" comment regarding the frist time some of the songs were ever played live.

Out of This World started out with light drums, 12 string acoustic guitar. There was a long introduction and the song sounded a little like Plainsong. The lyrics were difficult to understand, and the band seemed a bit tight. It was a very poignant and pretty song.

Want sounded a bit changed, but then I haven't listened to it in quite a while. The introduction was longer, the guitars were much more plaintive. Robert also loosened up quite a bit and was more expressive.

Club America was very jazzy and they seemed to have a lot of fun with it. The band seemed to be more comfortable, maybe because it was older material.

Fascination Street was one of the best live renditions I've heard. There was a LOT of power in both bass and guitar. Robert also poured a lot of emotion into it. The problem was that it seemed too short!!!

Just Like Heaven was a very very beautiful acoustic version, simple and pretty.

Last Day of Summer... This was a bit of a switch with Perry on the 12 string (Robert played it until now) and Robert on the electric. Roger was featured heavily on the keyboards for this song. It was another long introduction, creating one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. I was shaking in my seat, holding my breat as to not miss a note. It sounded a bit like Treasure and Last Dance. The song is wrought with heartache, and Robert displayed just that. It may be about breaking up, I need to catch more of the lyrics to determine. Here is a bit of the refrain: "Last day of summer never felt so old, last day of summer never felt so cold"

In Between Days had Robert back on the 12 string, for a very happy bouncy version of this song.

From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea was also acoustic. The guitars and keyboards were very strong and the song was very very pretty. Robert seemed to pour his soul into the performance of this song, which is a difficult song to play live.

A Hundred Years was incredible. This is one of MY favorite songs, and their performance of it left me in awe. Heavy drums and guitar, very clean and powerful.

Intermission - the crew needed to change the video tapes, so Robert took this time to engage in some "Entertaining Chat". Someone asked him to tell some jokes, to which he responded "We don't know any good jokes to tell you"! Someone else shouted out to tell about the tour, and there was no response. The band dried off a bit with towels, and Robert tossed it out into the audience. Then the broke into Boys Don't Cry. It was very upbeat and bouncy, and they were having a great time with the song.

Bloodflowers. Wow. This was THE best song of the night. I am still awestruck by this song. The intro was long and there was a beautiful keyboard solo. Jason backed him a bit with of drums but nothing more. The song was so beautiful and strained with heart. It may well be their masterpiece. I don't know. But right now, I can't think of another song that compares. I want it played at my wedding!!!!

Here is a bit of the song, chorus, bridge, and refrain:

Verse 1 "These flowers will never fade" "These flowers will never die"

Verse 2 "These flowers will always fade" "These flowers will always die"

"Between you and me it's hard to know who to trust"

"Between me and you, it's hard to know how to always what to think, what to choose"

"Never fade, Never die"

"Always fade, Always die"

"Flowers of Blood" -- Please note, these may not be 100% accurate.

Wrong Number was a great version, but also a bit different. It was scratchy, the guitars were very powerful, a bit techno. Robert had a LOT of fun with this song as well.

And then that was it! There was no encore, because it was 8:15 already, and the studio had to be cleared for Bush's performance at 9.

We didn't stick around afterwards. I was already on a VERY tight schedule, we were starving, so we took off. We did snap a few pictures in front of the studio and around the area."

The Cure Preview Blood Flowers in NYC

Robert Smith is the only forty year old man who can wear lipstick and raccoon eyeliner while whining aloud like a petulant child and avoid being simply pathetic. Smith returned, albeit briefly, to the stage last night with the latest incarnation of his now-twenty year old band, the Cure, for an hour long taping of the VH1 series Hard Rock Live in Midtown Manhattan. Sporting his famous black rat's nest hairstyle, Smith lead his band through a set heavy with material from their upcoming Blood Flowers disc (out in early 2000). The new material, like "The Last Day of Summer," "Out of This World" and the title track recalls the darkly romantic milestone Disintegration and just plain dark Pornography, and Wish. Cure classics were not in short supply as Smith, in great voice treated the crowd (equal parts goth fans and industry folk) to "Just Like Heaven," "In Between Days," "Fascination Street," "Boys Don't Cry." For the true Cure cultists, he pulled out the Pornography gem "100 Years." The Cure segment of Hard Rock Live is set to air in the Spring. Check Rock-On-TV for details.
 
 

Cure, Bush Preview Albums In TV Tapings British bands do back-to-back shows for 'Hard Rock Live.' Staff Writer Christopher O'Connor reports:

NEW YORK - The Cure sang keyboard-driven songs of darkness and despair with stone faces and Bush crashed manically through a set of guitar rock in back-to-back television tapings Tuesday night during which the two British bands previewed upcoming albums. The concerts were taped in front of audiences of about 200 each at Sony Studios on Manhattan's West Side for VH1's weekly series "Hard Rock Live."

The cable channel's publicists said air dates for the Cure and Bush shows were not available. As the title of the series implies, each band rocked hard in the studio, which was dressed up to look like a concert hall. They also maintained a light rapport with their crowds.

"They're changing the tape. Just like a real concert. According to Milli Vanilli," the Cure's bushy-haired, brooding singer, Robert Smith, joked during a break. He was referring to the '80s pop duo who were stripped of a Grammy Award after the disclosure that they didn't sing on their own album. Bush's dapper frontman, Gavin Rossdale, told fans about taping another television show in Germany a week earlier. "It was like a supermarket there," he said. "It had no f---ing atmosphere. So you guys rock compared to that."

The Cure, who helped make Goth-rock a household word in the 1980s with their combination of dense pop melodies and electronic ambiance, performed first. They're scheduled to release Bloodflowers, their first studio album in three years, on Feb. 15.

They played several of the new songs, which Smith said made up "hardly an album of pop hits." The songs, including "The Last Day of Summer," "Out of This World" and "Bloodflowers," were heavy on landscape, with keyboard effects and feedback driving them. They were expansive, melodic and dark. "You only get to stay here for so long," Smith sang during "Out of This World." "You always have to go back to real life."

Levi Pervin, a 32-year-old fan from Manhattan, said the new material reminded him of songs from the Cure's 1989 Disintegration, many of which, like all of the new ones, used long musical introductions. Smith has described the new album as the final part of a trilogy that began with Pornography (1982) and continued on Disintegration (1989).

"It's great they're doing stuff like that again," Pervin said. "It's atmospheric, very dreamy. I can close my eyes and really sink into it." While many in the crowd were VIPs, others were fans off the street. Tickets for the shows were free, and admission was on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dressed in black shirts and pants, the members of the Cure smiled and appeared relaxed only between songs. As they played, they were focused and showed no emotion. They lightened up only as producers changed tape, at one point playing an impromptu version of their hit "Boys Don't Cry".

The Cure's fans were respectfully contained, but not Bush's fans. Women screamed between songs and during them, and continued even as producers changed an audio reel.

"Hard Rock Live" airs Saturday nights on VH1. An episode featuring rock bands Sugar Ray and Smash Mouth airs on Saturday. Other upcoming shows will feature the Cranberries, Bad Company and Meat Loaf, according to a VH1 spokesperson.

(SonicNet's parent company, Viacom, also owns VH1.)
 
 
 

Long-running goth-pop group the Cure's upcoming album, Bloodflowers (Feb. 15), could be their last.

Robert Smith, who founded the band in 1976, was scheduled to make a "major announcement" Monday in New York, according to an Elektra Records press release dated Oct. 11, but Smith's press conference was canceled last week because of what a source said was the band's overbooked schedule. He had planned to discuss the album and tour plans, the source said.

Earlier this month, Smith told the Los Angeles Times that the album, the band's 13th studio effort, would be the final part of a trilogy that began with Pornography (1982) and continued on Disintegration (1989), and may be the band's last.

The Oct. 3 article quoted Smith as saying that Bloodflowers consists of "long, dark songs." The British band's most recent studio album was Wild Mood Swings (1996).

Some longtime fans dismissed the scotched announcement as just another in a long line of false breakup scares from the group. "I just think that they'd be announcing what will be the new single for the upcoming [album]," wrote 20-year-old fan Armin H. Ausejo of Seattle.

Ausejo, webmaster of the unofficial Cure site "Prayers for Rain," said fans have weathered this type of uncertainty before.

"We've had these rumors since 1980 ... and they've never proved true," Ausejo wrote. "It's a perpetual thing we Cure fans have to deal with whenever there's an upcoming album. We had rumors flying about a breakup when Galore came out a couple years ago too, so frankly, I'm sick of it because it's not going to happen."

The Elektra spokesperson would not comment on rumors of the band's demise. The Cure are scheduled to tape an episode of VH1's "Live at the Hard Rock" in New York on Tuesday (Oct. 19). The show is expected to air around the time of the album's release, according to the source.

In an Oct. 1 posting on the band's official website (www.thecure.com), Smith wrote that sessions for the new album took longer than expected. He also said the Cure decided to postpone the nine-track album's release until next year.

"The album was wrapped up in May and mastered at Metropolis [in] London in June," Smith wrote. "Although a fall '99 release was considered for a while, it was eventually decided that a 'post millennium frenzy' date was probably the best option ... and anyway, I wanted the break!"

Smith reported the group had recorded demo versions of 17 songs in early summer 1998 at a studio in Sussex, England, but the band felt the songs needed to be played live at some European summer festivals. "We thought it would be a good idea to 'play ourselves in,' " Smith wrote. "The festivals certainly helped to loosen us up, and they reminded us how to play as a band."

The singer - known for his towering black hair and deep red lipstick - also hinted that music from the new album would begin appearing on the band's website within the next month.

The dark, new-wave group, which formed in England as the Easy Cure, has built a rabid following over the past two decades, with many fans adopting guitarist/singer Smith's morose, ghoulish look.

The Cure's music has evolved from the edgier sound of such early songs as "Killing an Arab" to more mainstream downer pop tunes, such as "Mint Car" from Wild Mood Swings. A singles collection, Galore - The Singles 1987-1997, was released in fall 1997 and featured the new song "Wrong Number".

The full track listing for Bloodflowers, according to the website, is: "Out of This World," "Watching Me Fall," "Where the Birds Always Sing," "Maybe Someday," "The Last Day of Summer," "There Is No If ...," "The Loudest Sound," "39" and "Bloodflowers."

(SonicNet's parent company, Viacom, also owns VH1.)