Live Review: The Cure

The Cure

Time Warner Cable Arena

June 16, 2008

By Anita Overcash

The Deal: British rockers The Cure visit the Q.C., performing a lengthy show full of hits from various eras.

The Good: This was one of the longest live shows I’ve ever seen. The Cure kept going and going, playing a ‘galore’ of hits including “Lovesong,” “Pictures of You,” “Lullaby,” “Just Like Heaven,” “Boys Don’t Cry” and more. In his all-black attire and make-up (red-lipstick and all) front man Robert Smith delivered a stunning performance, his vocals showing no sign of wear and tear (as he nears the age of 50) – he was as good as ever. The Cure played around a 3-hour show of 36 songs, including my personal favorite, the electro-spastic rock song “Wrong Number.” Other highlights included “10:15 Saturday Morning” from 1979’s Three Imaginary Boys, “The Holy Hour,” “Other Voices,” “The Drowning Man,” from 1981’s Faith, “One Hundred Years” from 1982’s Pornography, “Shake Dog Shake,” from 1984’s The Top and a mix of other songs from their albums. New songs “The Perfect Boy” and “Sleep When I’m Dead” were tested on the crowd (Hopefully these will be on The Cure’s 13th album, which is set for release in September). All night long The Cure was tight, filling the arena with impressive explosions of chaotic/melodic blended rock.

The Bad: It’s kind of hard to say anything was bad about this show. The Cure didn’t play “Friday I’m In Love,” probably because they’re sick of the well-known, radio friendly song. Either way I wanted to hear it, as well as “Strange Attraction” off 1996’s album Wild Mood Swings.

The Verdict: One of the best shows I have ever seen. It was definitely a show that had fans leaving with the feeling their money was well spent. Robert Smith presented a humble attitude during the entire show and he even exited the stage looking like he wished he could play longer.

This article appears in Jun 11-17, 2008.