The Cure
Seen at Glastonbury 1995, Earl's Court in June 1996 and
at Shepherd's Bush Empire, December 1997.
When I first saw the Cure in 1995, I was starting to get into their music and knew the Greatest Hits. Even I could tell that they played a storming set, with Edge of the Deep Green Sea being so beautiful that it grabbed me and made me note it down. A later Radio 1 broadcast of the set gave me my favourite version of that, my new favourite song! I had eaten a few of the "brownies" being sold in the crowd, and we were all in a great mood to chill out and sing along, although we were too far back to see.
Earl's Court 1996 was another story. The staff were harsh, insisting everyone stayed in their seats and physically moving people that they were unhappy with. While I appreciate the fire regulations, the staff were unfriendly and overbearing which meant we just couldn't relax. Every time you moved, e.g. to visit the bar, you were stopped and your ticket examined. The gig was a showcase for their least popular album, Wild Mood Swings, with a few old favourites being played. For sure, it was fun, but in such a large and defensive venue, there was no musical intimacy and no dancing. Not that we wanted to when we didn't know their new, lumbering songs.
By 1997 The Cure had got their act together and I saw them at Shepherd's Bush. I much prefer small venues, and this was a great performance. Rob trundled his way through songs, apologising for his voice, forgetting the words, and being unable to keep time on his tambourine (which he used to randomly tap against his torso and head) but the vibe was good, we could communicate - even leaving Christmas cards for Rob on the stage, we could dance and the band played all our old favourites (and hardly anything from the Swing set!) Deep Green Sea and Same Deep Water were moving, Killing an Arab, Friday and Lovecats were fun, and we danced, drank, sang along, and made friends with the audience around us. At last! The Cure should stick to what they are good at - blundering around in small venues with the love of the crowd around them - and we can all have a great time.
By the way, Rob has a great sense of humour - The Cure are hardly miserable - and I ended up with the drummer's set list as a souvenir!
When I first saw the Cure in 1995, I was starting to get into their music and knew the Greatest Hits. Even I could tell that they played a storming set, with Edge of the Deep Green Sea being so beautiful that it grabbed me and made me note it down. A later Radio 1 broadcast of the set gave me my favourite version of that, my new favourite song! I had eaten a few of the "brownies" being sold in the crowd, and we were all in a great mood to chill out and sing along, although we were too far back to see.
Earl's Court 1996 was another story. The staff were harsh, insisting everyone stayed in their seats and physically moving people that they were unhappy with. While I appreciate the fire regulations, the staff were unfriendly and overbearing which meant we just couldn't relax. Every time you moved, e.g. to visit the bar, you were stopped and your ticket examined. The gig was a showcase for their least popular album, Wild Mood Swings, with a few old favourites being played. For sure, it was fun, but in such a large and defensive venue, there was no musical intimacy and no dancing. Not that we wanted to when we didn't know their new, lumbering songs.
By 1997 The Cure had got their act together and I saw them at Shepherd's Bush. I much prefer small venues, and this was a great performance. Rob trundled his way through songs, apologising for his voice, forgetting the words, and being unable to keep time on his tambourine (which he used to randomly tap against his torso and head) but the vibe was good, we could communicate - even leaving Christmas cards for Rob on the stage, we could dance and the band played all our old favourites (and hardly anything from the Swing set!) Deep Green Sea and Same Deep Water were moving, Killing an Arab, Friday and Lovecats were fun, and we danced, drank, sang along, and made friends with the audience around us. At last! The Cure should stick to what they are good at - blundering around in small venues with the love of the crowd around them - and we can all have a great time.
By the way, Rob has a great sense of humour - The Cure are hardly miserable - and I ended up with the drummer's set list as a souvenir!
This page last updated: 01 September 2022
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