Concert Review: The Cure @ HP Pavilion, 5/28

The Cure playing "Lovesong" at HP Pavilion, 5/28/08

For a $100 a ticket, an audience member should expect something special, even something amazing. The Cure's concert on Wednesday night at the HP Pavilion in San Jose was just that: something special and amazing. First off, the concert went on for around three hours, something a band can do when they have released thirteen albums. (I've never seen a band or performer on stage for that long but kudos to The Cure.) It seems that most live acts nowadays reach about two hours (if they are lucky) and then usually perform a few encores. Two hours seems to be the breaking point, but not for Robert Smith.

The night did start off a bit shaky partly because there seemed to be a major sound-mixing issue. Not until the middle of the second song, "Prayers for Rain" did we hear Smith's vocals peak from under the extremely loud and repetitive guitars but sadly, it was only for a mere 10-15 seconds. It then it became mush again. As the night progressed the mix did get better, but it was disappointing that it didn't start off that way.

As "Fascination Street" started, Smith finally acknowledge that he was playing to a packed sold-out stadium but with only a sly smirk. You knew, he knew, he was good. Throughout the entire performance, Smith held his right hand to his ear to try to hear through the giant tsunami of sound. Finally, Smith was able to vocally break through past the guitars and drums in their new song, "The Perfect Boy," off their upcoming album, Freakshow. The song had a melodic structure that you could hear and hum along to (something that was lacking in the first three songs). I was so taken aback the first three songs by the avalanche of sound that I didn't realize what was missing on stage: the keyboards. The Cure changed their line-up for this tour and decided to get rid of the keyboards to replace it with a harder guitar-rock sound. We missed the keyboards. A lot.

The crowd finally started to get into it when they played their classic "Lovesong" and then "Pictures of You." That was a dream come true for some of us who have never seen them live. It also was the cue to the audience that they could finally start acting like they were in high school again: crazy-loud, obnoxious screaming fans. Now, you have to realize that the bulk of the crowd was a bunch of reserved thirty-somethings. Some even looked like they had turned "old & boring" and others returned to their goth days with black eyeliner and eye make-up. Either way, everyone was there because at some point in the last thirty years, they had fallen in love with The Cure - something that's not too hard to do.

One of my favorite songs of the night was a new one, "Sleep When I'm Dead." Though it was a bit spooky, the driving rhythmic guitars were smashingly good. We can't wait to hear it on the album.

Smith didn't look or interact with the audience most of the evening. He barely even talked to the audience but when he did, it was barely understandable. There was one point when he walked past his mic closer to the edge of the stage and looked stage-left and then stage-right; the crowd went wild. I think he was just making sure there was someone actually there. Of course, we were and for all three hours of it.

The Cure, once again, delivered an incredible performance just shy of brilliance.

Take the jump to see the set-list complied by The Spaghetti Incident...

Set List:

1. Plainsong - Disintegration
2. Prayers for Rain - Disintegration
3. Fascination Street - Disintegration
4. The perfect boy - Freakshow*
5. The Blood - The Head on the Door
6. The End of the World - The Cure
7. Lovesong - Disintegration
8. To wish Impossible Things - Wish
9. Pictures of you - Disintegration
10. Lullaby - Disintegration
11. Catch - Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me
12. Hot Hot Hot - Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me
13. The only one - Freakshow*
14. A Strange Day - Pornography
15. Sleep When I'm Dead - Freakshow*
16. Push - The head on the door
17. Doing the Unstuck - Wish
18. Inbetween Days - The Head on the Door
19. Just like Heaven - Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me
20. A letter to Elise - Wish
21. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea - Wish
22. Shake Dog Shake - The top
23. Wrong Number - Galore
24. One Hundred Years - Pornography
25. Disintegration - Disintegration
26. At night - 17 seconds
27. m - 17 seconds
28. Play for Today - 17 seconds
29. A forest - 17 seconds
30. Freakshow - Freakshow*
31. Close to me - The Head on the Door
32. Why can't I be you? - Kiss me Kiss me Kiss me
33. Boys don't cry - Boys Don't Cry
34. Jumping Someone Else's Train - Boys Don't Cry
35. Grinding Halt - Boys Don't Cry
36. 10:15 Saturday Night - 3 Imaginary Boys/Boys Don't Cry
37. Killing an Arab Boys - Boys Don't Cry

*Freakshow is their new CD

Friday I'm in Love is missing from this set list. It was played around 20-22. I thought I heard this, I must have gotten a bit high from the guys' smoking in front and in back of me!!!