the cure tour review 2022

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

The Cure review – the doyens of doom

First Direct Arena, Leeds A devoted multi-generational audience aren’t disappointed as Robert Smith and band double down on desolations old and new

S uccess wears an Eraserhead T-shirt and applies its makeup in the dark with a liberal hand. Many conventional metrics of accomplishment do not apply to the Cure, 44 years in the game and now at the tail-end of a 44-date European tour . Currently an independent unsigned band finalising the release of their 14th studio album, this is their first time in Leeds for a decade – or so reckons crimson-lipped, smudge-eyed singer Robert Smith , the man whose dreams, nightmares, hopelessly romantic nature and peculiarly perky take on nihilism power this British institution. Helipads, velvet ropes, Bond themes: none of these outward signs of validation hold sway in the Cure’s universe.

This is a band who seem to be having their cake and eating it with remarkably few concessions. The Cure have a finished product, their first album of new songs in 14 years to offer to a new label as-is – and a devoted multi-generational audience ready to buy it and fill arenas worldwide.

Has any musician ever felt more secure in their own art as Smith? Decades past any kind of performance anxiety, he chats amiably between his songs of deep alienation, looking exactly as he has always looked, the years adding only a faint air of Miss Havisham to his signature back-combed cobweb of hair. (Multi-instrumentalist Perry Bamonte , back in the fold again, also has an impressive salt-and-pepper candyfloss “do”.) Tonight, Smith has a cold, because someone sneezed on him in Glasgow, he says. But his instantly recognisable vocals remain strong, even under all the reverb.

Quiffed and stripped to a vest, Simon Gallup, the Cure’s other constant, still wears his bass round his ankles like Peter Hook. He climbs up on monitors, ends A Forest with a squall of noise and repeatedly offers his instrument up to the gods, the band member most responsible for showmanship.

You do wish some of this punk-era energy might rub off on the rest of the band. Smith and his revolving group of co-conspirators set up early in Leeds – 8.13 on a Tuesday night – to unfurl great swaths of their back catalogue. The set list is liberally peppered with new works destined for that forthcoming outing, Songs of a Lost World . It’s a “relentless” record Smith has been trailing since roughly 2018. There is one more in the can as well, he has said.

The pace is glacially unhurried, with most songs taking multiple bars of keyboard-and-guitar foreplay to get going. Since 2012, the Cure’s other guitarist has been Reeves Gabrels , for years a mainstay of David Bowie’s bands; sometimes, tonight, a total of three guitars (Smith, Gabrels and Bamonte) beefs out the band’s sound. Superfan Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai once told an interviewer that you needed “strong ankles” to last a Cure gig. But this is excellent fan servicing: long, mutable set lists, and tour T-shirts priced at £20.

The Cure’s regard for passing musical fashion – or what you might loosely call artistic progress – remains heroically scant too. At this juncture, no one is really expecting a Kid A -style swerve; Smith is not about to discover the harp. Rather, the six-piece double down on desolations old and new, with a pop greatest hits set in the second encore.

But first: the news that everything must die, and that we all die alone. “This is the end of every song that we sing,” Smith declares on Alone, the very first track, flagging themes of despair, constancy and isolation that will echo down the set list. A brand new song that ramps up Smith’s signature mournfulness with what sounds like a farewell to all life as we know it, Alone is accompanied by a visual of planet Earth gradually falling away into the distance.

Soon after, some signature guitar tones and organ-like chords signal a shift into a more familiar starry-eyed melancholy, and one of the Cure’s most enduring love songs, Pictures of You . The band’s fluctuating set list has room for all shades of darkness tonight, from the magisterial, lysergic disgust of Shake Dog Shake to The Last Day of Summer , in which everything appears to be terrible and getting worse – and that was back in nice, safe, normal 2000, circa the Bloodflowers LP.

One of the longstanding enigmas central to the Cure’s canon has long been how a man happily married to his childhood sweetheart for so many years could be so riven with romantic angst. (To which the answer is always: we pay these people to be creative.) One of the new tracks the Cure play tonight is And Nothing Is Forever , whose ambivalent title disguises another heartfelt devotional to – presumably – Smith’s beloved.

Lately, it really seems as though loss and finality have been squarely targeting this bard of bleakness. In recent years, Smith has been through many bereavements – both his parents, his elder brother (a key early influence on the younger Smith) and, during Covid, a brace of aunts and uncles .

I Can Never Say Goodbye is explicitly about Smith’s brother, and skewering lyrics such as “I can’t break this dreamer’s sleep however hard I try” leaves the listener in no doubt that Songs of a Lost World will pack a payload of hurt. All these leave-takings have prompted fresh reckonings with despair, from an artist who, over the years, has often wondered in interviews – and, more tangentially, in lyrics – whether he had anything left to say. He has.

• Kitty Empire's artist of the week
• Pop and rock
• live music reviews

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

Tuesday was gray, but for Cure fans, it was all love at the Hollywood Bowl

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Robert Smith stood onstage Tuesday evening and let the final notes of the Cure’s “A Night Like This” — in which the 64-year-old goth-rock icon promises, “I want to change” — ring out over the capacity crowd at the Hollywood Bowl.

“The last time we played that,” Smith told the audience, “I thought to myself: Do I really want to change?”

It’s hard to see why he would: Nearly half a century after the release of the British band’s debut single, the Cure is enjoying a moment right now, the kind coveted by pop stars one-third Smith’s age. Tuesday’s gig under cloudy skies was the first of three sold-out dates at the Bowl on a tour for which the Cure sought to keep ticket prices relatively low; Smith’s willingness to publicly criticize Ticketmaster — he even got the company to refund fans for a portion of its much-hated handling fees — has given him something of a folk-hero vibe on social media even as he gets accustomed to being a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted the Cure in 2019.

The tour is building anticipation for a long-promised studio album, the Cure’s first in 15 years; here the band played a handful of impressive new songs, including one Smith said it had never performed before. With its generous blend of hits and deep cuts spread over nearly three hours, though, the Cure’s current live show also feels like expertly designed fan service — this summer’s black-mascara counterpart to Taylor Swift’s splashy and bedazzled Eras tour .

Unexpectedly, two nights of classic goth and post-punk at Cruel World festival

After Saturday’s festival was cut short due to a threatening storm, Siouxsie and Iggy Pop returned on Sunday to perform for multiple generations of SoCal goths.

May 22, 2023

The Cure isn’t the only celebrated survivor from its generation of U.K. post-punk and new wave acts. Depeche Mode is on the road in very fine form behind its strongest LP in years, and just this past weekend Siouxsie (who once counted Smith as a member of her Banshees) made a celebrated return to the American stage at Pasadena’s Cruel World festival. In November, Kate Bush will follow the Cure and Depeche Mode into the Rock Hall thanks in part to last year’s discovery of her old song “Running Up That Hill” by young viewers of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”

Why exactly this stuff seems to be in the air comes down to some extent to fortuitous exposure like that and like HBO’s recent use of Depeche Mode’s “Never Let Me Down Again” in “The Last of Us.” But there’s also something about this luxuriously gloomy music — the way in which it honors the exuberance of misery — that means it’s always drawing new fans. Of course the idea of goth would continue to reverberate in an era when teenagers just have to pick up their phones to find a reason to be depressed.

Headlining the Bowl almost seven years to the day since the Cure’s previous visit — and wearing a black T-shirt advertising the defunct Hollywood Star Lanes bowling alley — Smith found as much feeling as he ever has in oldies like “Pictures of You” and “Lovesong” as he floated his lovelorn yelp over dreamy overlapping guitar lines. (Though Smith is the band’s sole remaining original member, the Cure’s live lineup — with guitarists Perry Bamonte and Reeves Gabrels, bassist Simon Gallup, keyboardist Roger O’Donnell and drummer Jason Cooper — is long on musicians he’s played with for decades.)

“Charlotte Sometimes” and “Push” were surging rockers riding muscular rhythm-section grooves; “Shake Dog Shake” showed off Smith’s childhood fascination with Jimi Hendrix. At times you could think of the Cure as a sort of emo-psych jam band, stretching out the likes of “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” to find untapped reserves of luscious melancholy.

The Kinks’ Ray Davies on the song he wants played at his funeral

Davies leads a guided tour through his band’s catalogue of classic hits, near-hits and the songs that makes him think about his mum and dad.

May 24, 2023

The Cure’s new songs were both the stormiest and the most sentimental of the night, with florid keyboard licks against synthesized strings that called to mind Aerosmith’s late-’90s power-ballad phase; indeed, the seeds of the grandly emotional “Another Happy Birthday,” which Smith said the Cure was playing for the first time Tuesday, are thought by the group’s most devoted to date back to 1997.

As the clock ticked toward the Bowl’s 11 p.m curfew, Smith and his mates wham-bammed through their biggest hits — “Friday I’m in Love,” delirious with agony; “In Between Days,” shuffling and funky; “Just Like Heaven,” a mad, passionate tumble — before closing with “Boys Don’t Cry,” where the pride Smith still takes in a sense of vulnerability could bring a tear to your eye.

When it was over, the frontman stuck around onstage for a few minutes, soaking up the crowd’s adoration — a renewable resource, it turns out, but not one he sees fit to squander.

More to Read

Aerosmith farewell tour is back on with new L.A. date, months after Steven Tyler injury

April 10, 2024

Joni Mitchell Announces Joni Jam Concert at the Hollywood Bowl in October

Jan. 30, 2024

Actor Kate Micucci says she’s cancer-free: ‘I don’t need to do any other treatment’

Dec. 19, 2023

The biggest entertainment stories

Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Mikael Wood is pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Mike Pinder, Moody Blues keyboardist, dies at 82

This is what Billie Eilish talks about when she’s not promoting ‘Barbie, Barbie, Barbie’

World & Nation

Iranian rapper who came to fame during 2022 protests sentenced to death, lawyer says

April 25, 2024

Judge won’t dismiss Travis Scott from lawsuits filed over deadly Astroworld crowd crush

The Cure at Wembley Arena

Pictures of You, Disintegration, Lullaby

Gracing the stage amidst a thunderstorm soundscape and starry backdrop, The Cure perform the penultimate night of an extensive European tour, warming hearts on this cold December eve.

Playing Alone , off forthcoming album Songs of a Lost World – their first since 2008 – the group sound as fresh as in their heyday, with no sign of Robert Smith’s lost voice as rumoured; the singer also remains aesthetically unchanged from his signature crop of backcombed hair, white powdered face and red-smeared lips. He loves the crowd and they adore him, as we see the frontman receiving flowers from a fan.

Taking us back to 1989, the beloved Pictures of You produces an almost painful joy. There is a deep awareness of what makes a performance worthy, which the band understand well, presenting a setlist spanning decades in which there is something for everyone. The New Wave group increase the energy for Lovesong , while displayed in a hall of mirrors. None of the members can be faulted tonight, and all play like they are at their peak. Drummer Jason Cooper is a force to be reckoned with during Burn , while Smith and long-standing bassist Simon Gallup play their guitars back to back, sending fans screaming to their hearts’ content.

During Push , the atmosphere is electric, cameras angled towards the 12,500 capacity crowd, while green lights submerge the musicians for A Forest , fans clapping in synchronised fashion, a beautiful silhouetted scene. Keeping the red and green colour scheme, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea is another stirring gem; The Cure are absolute aficionados when it comes to deeply felt lyrics driven by catchy, timeless melodies. Their new material is just as appealing as anything the band has released over the decades, and Endsong is no different, Gallup holding his bass unmoving upright, while Cooper thrums out a great drum beat.

Bestowing us with not one but two encores, The Cure perform another new single, I Can Never Say Goodbye , a dedication to Smith’s late brother. This plaintive tune carries well into Plainsong and Prayers for Rain , the former backed by their signature chimes. Surprise highlight Disintegration ends the first encore, echoing its unmistakable smash of glass and heart–in–throat lyrics.

There are an innumerable number of exhilarating parts in the impressive 28-song set, which of course includes classics such as the highly seductive Lullaby , pop brilliance Close to Me and Just Like Heaven , with its jangly guitars, while Boys Don’t Cry bookends the concert, male fans clearly moved by the truth in the track.

The Cure remain iconic, and after 44 years in the music scene, are still worthy stalwarts selling out arenas.

Selina Begum Photos: Nick Bennett

For further information and future events visit The Cure’s website here .

Watch the video for the single Just Like Heaven here:

More in Live music

Kaiser Chiefs at Troxy

Hollow Coves at the Forum

The Hives at Hammersmith Apollo

Johnny Marr at Hammersmith Apollo

Ellie Goulding at the Royal Albert Hall

The World of Hans Zimmer at the O2 Arena

James Blunt at the Royal Albert Hall

Underworld at Alexandra Palace

Griff at Roundhouse in pictures

• Other Music News
• Live Music News
• Webzine News
• Artists A-E
• Artists F-J
• Artists K-O
• Artists P-T
• Artists U-Z
• Parties Germany
• Parties Europe
• Parties Rest of the World
• In my own Words
• Specials 2024
• Specials 2023
• Specials 2022
• Specials 2021
• Specials 2020
• Specials 2019
• Specials 2018
• Specials 2017
• Specials 2016
• Specials 2015
• Specials 2014
• Specials 2013
• Specials 2012
• Specials 2011
• Specials 2010
• Specials 2009
• Specials 2008
• Specials 2007
• Specials 2006
• Specials 2005
• Concert Photos
• Festival Photos
• Recruitment
• Promo Policy
• Imprint & Disclaimer

Latest Reviews & Interviews

• Live Review: David Garrett Trio - Hannover 2024
• Live Review: Depeche Mode - Cologne 2024
• Live Review: Scooter - Dortmund 2024
• Interview: Sweet Ermengarde - April 2024
• Gallery: Depeche Mode - Cologne 2024
• Live Review: Die 80er live - Gelsenkirchen 2024
• Live Review: Impericon Festival - Oberhausen 2024
• CD Review: Garbage - Bleed Like Me (2024 Deluxe Expanded Remastered Edition)
• Interview: Hiroszyma - March 2024
• Interview: Buzz Kull - March 2024
• Live Review: Neuroticfish - Hanover 2024
• Interview: She Past Away - March 2024
• Gallery: Enslaved - Leipzig 2024
• Interview: Then Comes Silence - March 2024
• Live Review: Kielectric 2024 - Kiel 2024
• Live Review: Madsen - Münster 2024
• Interview: Aaron Van Wonterghem - March 2024
• CD Review: Greyhawk - Thunderheart
• CD Review: FKÜ - The Horror And The Metal
• Live Review: Pothead - Jena 2024
• Interview: Vaselyne - February 2024
• Gallery: Idles - Esch sur Alzette 2024
• Live Review: Rick Astley - Berlin 2024
• Interview: Czarina - March 2024
• Live Review: E-tropolis Festival - Oberhausen 2024

Latest News

• DIARY OF DREAMS - “Under a timeless spell” new album with Leipzig Philharmonic
• LINKIN PARK - Greatest Hits album ‘Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000-2023)’ out now!
• E-TROPOLIS FESTIVAL 2025 - Solar Fake, Rotersand, Empathy Test & more bands confirmed!
• Hurricane and Southside 2024 - The line-ups are final
• ISAAC HOWLETT - Debut solo single by frontman of UK synth-pop act EMPATHY TEST out 28.02.2024 & tour March & April 2024
• APOCALYPTICA - Announces a new tribute to Metallica “Apocalyptica plays Metallica, vol. 2“
• EISBRECHER - Noel Pix leaves the Band
• THEN COMES SILENCE - Swedish post-punk trio to release ‘Ride or Die’ single.
• FOR I AM - To release brand-new Single "Power Behind The Throne"
• GARBAGE - Announces details for the expanded re-release of “Bleed Like Me” on April 5, 2024 via Stunvolume/BMG.
• THE CASSANDRA COMPLEX - Announces “Death & Sex” Album
• COMBICHRIST - Official music video “Planet Doom” on February 8th, 2024
• EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN - New album “RAMPEN (apm: alien pop music)” on April 5, 2024 & Tour in the fall
• XMAL DEUTSCHLAND - New releases including “Early Singles 1981-1982”
• PLAGE NOIRE 2024 - Line-up complete!
• WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN 2024 - ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN and more confirmed
• AMPHI FESTIVAL 2024 - Line-up complete, day tickets available!
• WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN 2024 - First bands confirmed including NITZER EBB
• HURRICANE UND SOUTHSIDE 2024 - 28 new acts confirmed!
• PLACEBO - Live video “Try Better Next Time”, Live Box Set on December 15th, 2023!
• HIGHFIELD FESTIVAL 2024 - 17 new acts confirmed including Macklemore and Marsimoto
• M‘ERA LUNA FESTIVAL 2024 - The line-up is complete!
• PLAGE NOIRE 2024 - First acts confirmed
• ALICE COOPER - Summer 2024 European tour dates with six German shows
• LORD OF THE LOST - Announces Covers Album, “Weapons Of Mass Seduction”, out December 29, 2023

Live Review: Cure, The - Munich 2022

• Concert Review
• Olympiahalle Munich
• The Twilight Sad

See also (all categories):

• Live Review: Cure, The - Cologne 2022 - 23/11/2022 14:16
• Live Review: Hurricane Festival - Scheeßel 2019 (Day 3) - 10/07/2019 09:30
• CD Review: Cure, The - Mixed Up / Torn Down - 19/06/2018 15:17
• CD Review: Waiting For Words - Lovesongs (12 covers from The Cure) - 28/06/2017 13:40
• Live Review: Cure, The - Cologne 2016 - 21/11/2016 13:17
• Live Review: Editors - Cologne 2015 - 05/11/2015 17:09
• Cure, The - Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) - 20/05/2010 20:08

Comments powered by CComment

Latest Previews

• Preview BOB SINCLAR - Esch-Sur-Alzette 2024-05-07
• Preview TRAVIS - Cologne 2024-09-03
• Preview M’ERA LUNA Festival - Hildesheim 2024
• Preview TENACIOUS D - Esch sur Alzette 2024-05-03
• Preview FOLKFIELD FESTIVAL - Gelsenkirchen 2024
• Preview THE SMILE - Cologne 2024-06-09
• Preview BRUCE DICKINSON - Cologne 2024-07-09
• Preview THE CULT - Cologne 2024-08-04
• Preview NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - Oberhausen 2024-09-24
• Preview ROCK IMPERIUM FESTIVAL - Cartagena 2024
• Preview AMPHI FESTIVAL - Cologne 2024
• Preview ECHOES OF REBELLION 2024 - Cologne 2024-07-26
• Preview STICK TO YOUR GUNS - Düsseldorf 2024-05-08
• Preview SLASH - Esch sur Alzette 2024-04-26
• Preview MR. BIG - Esch sur Alzette 2024-04-15
• Preview SIMPLE MINDS - Esch sur Alzette 2024-04-02
• Preview WAVE GOTIK TREFFEN 31 - Leipzig 2024
• Preview VERSENGOLD - Leipzig 2024-04-20
• Preview FEUERSCWANZ - Dresden 2024-04-13
• Preview ROCK MEETS CLASSIC - Oberhausen 2024-04-16

Latest Raffles

• Raffle: HURRICANE & SOUTHSIDE FESTIVAL 2020 - Win Festival Goodies
• Raffle: Win Tickets for JO QUAIL in Germany 2020
• Raffle: Win Tickets for Hatari

Buy Music & Merch!

Search Event Tickets

• Forgot your password?
• Forgot your username?
• Create an account

• Discount Codes

The Cure debut new songs and welcome Perry Bamonte back to band as they kick off 2022 tour

Check out 'Alone' and 'Endsong' from the long-awaited 'Songs Of A Lost World'

The Cure kicked off their 2022 world tour in Latvia tonight (Thursday October 6), debuting two new songs and welcoming guitarist and keyboardist Perry Bamonte back to the band. Check out footage and the setlist below.

• READ MORE   The Cure give us an update on their “relentless” new album – and when to expect it

The icons, supported by now-regular touring partners and one of frontman Robert Smith’s favourite bands The Twilight Sad , began their long run of 2022 dates with a show at Arena Riga in Riga this evening – airing two new songs fans assume are from their long-awaited new album, ‘ Songs Of A Lost World ‘.

Opening their 25 song set – where they were also joined by Bamonte, returning to the band having been a member between 1990 and 2005 – The Cure started with the sprawling and bittersweet ‘Alone’; a tender track that saw Smith begin with the line: ‘ This is the end of every song we sing ‘.

At the end of the first set, which included classics and fan favourites such as ‘Pictures Of You’, ‘Trust’, ‘Fascination Street’ and ‘In Between Days’, The Cure debuted another new song ‘Endsong’ – a much more sombre number where Smith lamented how ‘ it’s all gone ‘ repeatedly, in a life with ‘ no hopes, no dreams, no love – I don’t belong ‘.

The band then returned for more more encores, delivering the likes of ‘Plainsong’, ‘Close To Me’, ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’.

Recommended

The new band #thecure #TheCureLostWorld22 (thanks lyse) pic.twitter.com/xaFSV1d882 — Jeremy Wulc ©️ (@jeremyWulc) October 6, 2022

The new songs are excellent. #TheCureLostWorld22 — Aaron Law (@AaronLaw92) October 6, 2022

@CraigatCoF @TheCureForever_ (thanks again to @Mags_in_London 🖤) pic.twitter.com/uWm8pPjuFM — birdmad girl (@birdmadgirlxo) October 6, 2022

The Cure’s setlist was: 

‘Alone’ (Debut) ‘Pictures of You’ ‘Closedown’ ‘A Night Like This’ ‘Lovesong’ ‘Trust’ ‘Burn’ ‘Fascination Street’ ‘Push’ ‘In Between Days’ ‘Play for Today’ ‘A Forest’ ‘Want’ ‘Shake Dog Shake’ ’39’ ‘From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea’ ‘Endsong’ (Debut) Encore: ‘Plainsong’ ‘Disintegration’ Encore 2: ‘Lullaby’ ‘Close to Me’ ‘The Walk’ ‘Friday I’m in Love’ ‘Just Like Heaven’ ‘Boys Don’t Cry’

Having long teased  the band’s long-awaited “merciless” new record – after telling us that two new albums were on the way back at the last NME Awards back in 2020  –  Smith revealed to  NME  earlier this year that one of them would be “real very soon ” and would be called ‘Songs Of A Lost World’.

Then in May, the frontman offered that the album was almost complete, hoping that new material would be out by the tour kicking off in October.

“Essentially it’s a 12 track album,” he told NME . “It’s there, it’s kind of half-mixed and half-finished. It’s a weird thing. It’s kind of evolved over the last two years. It hasn’t always been a good thing to have been left alone with it. You pick at it, like picking at seams, and everything falls apart.

Smith continued: “It’ll be worth the wait. I think it’s the best thing we’ve done, but then I would say that. I’m not doing an Oasis when I say that, ‘IT’S THE BEST FOOKIN’ ALBUM’. A lot of the songs are difficult to sing, and that’s why it’s taken me a while.”

Discussing the themes and character of the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s ‘ 4:13 Dream ‘, Smith said that the album “doesn’t have very much light on it” and that it sounds “more like ‘Disintegration’ than ‘Head On The Door’.”

“It’s pretty relentless, which will appeal to the hardcore of our audience, but I don’t think we’ll be getting any Number One singles off it or anything like that!” he laughed. “It’s been quite harrowing, like it has for everyone else.

“I’ve been more privileged than most, but lockdown and COVID has affected me in as much as I’ve lost an entire generation of aunts and uncles in under a year. It’s things like that which have informed the way I’ve been with the record.”

• READ MORE Robert Smith on the cover – celebrating 40 years of The Cure

Smith added: “Essentially we recorded two albums in 2019. I’ve been trying to finish two at the same time, which is pretty much impossible. One is nearly ready to go.”

Smith’s last public performances were for the BandLab NME Awards 2022 – where he picked up the Best Song In The UK Award for his Chvrches collaboration ‘How Not To Drown’  and after  performed the track together live for the first time along with a cover of The Cure’s ‘Just Like Heaven ‘ – and then again for  a repeat performance of the songs with Chvrches at their Brixton Academy headline gig a week later .

The Cure’s 2022 European tour continues in Helsinki on Saturday October. Their return to the UK and Ireland for a run of shows in December. Visit here for tickets and more information .

• Related Topics

You May Also Like

The party never sleeps: fat dog unleashed in america, st. vincent – ‘all born screaming’ review: life, death and dave grohl on drums, nina cobham: the bilingual singer shaking up manchester’s pop scene, ‘sand land’ review: a charming adaptation of akira toriyama’s legendary manga, pet shop boys: “this is our queer album”, more stories, fontaines d.c. add extra shows to 2024 ‘romance’ uk and ireland tour, moody blues founder mike pinder dies, age 82, prince harry “jumped the fence” at glastonbury and partied until 4am, says michael eavis , usher’s son stole his phone to slide into pinkpantheress’ dms, ‘the simpsons’ producer apologises for killing off popular character, robbie williams has “written loads of songs” and is “full of purpose and loving life”.

• [ April 25, 2024 ] --> How Online Games are Revolutionizing the Music Industry Features 2 -->
• [ April 25, 2024 ] --> The Most Impressive Studio Albums Produced by Steve Albini Features 2 -->
• [ April 25, 2024 ] --> BELFAST TRADFEST announces key headline concerts as part of the 2024 festival programme Gigs -->
• [ April 25, 2024 ] --> THE LOVELY EGGS release new single ‘Nothing/Everything’ News -->
• [ April 25, 2024 ] --> BAT FOR LASHES shares new single ‘Home’ News -->

XS Noize | Latest Music News

• Live Review The Cure At The Ovo Wembley Arena

LIVE REVIEW: The Cure at the OVO Wembley Arena

In the weeks and months leading up to this gig, I had been thinking how it was a little anachronistic that a band so synonymous with having a black-clad following should be ending their tour by playing in such a cavernous white building! These concerts had seemed so far away through the Spring and the long slog of that near-dangerously hot Summer that they felt almost like an abstract concept. But, with Autumn seemingly non-existent this year, suddenly, they were upon us and – with nearly perfect timing – it was a case of Mother Nature coming to the rescue, dusting much of London with a sprinkling of snow on the very first night of this trilogy of shows. 

Suddenly, it all seemed to make a bit more sense. The Wembley Arena was transformed into something resembling an ice palace (with a bit of imagination), and it began to seem the perfect home for some of The Cure’s more glacial epics, old and new. On a more practical note, I’m also pretty sure that these freezing temperatures meant that the curious lack of cloakrooms at the venue mattered a little less to the 12,500 crammed inside on each of the three sold-out dates.

Inside, it was all a bit surreal at first as people drifted in: the Cure faithful huddled at the front, with a few peppered around the mixing desk at the back, while others mill around or sit in the middle of what was once an Olympic swimming pool(!)  Also, instead of a tape of music deemed appropriate or a DJ playing the same, the pre-gig time is soundtracked with a simple recording of the sounds of pouring rain. It’s different and – combined with the accompanying projection of a starry night sky on the stage backdrop – a little ominous, too, somehow.

Regular Cure support act The Twilight Sad put on a great show, despite facing what is sadly probably only a quarter-full venue at their 7 pm start time. Their unique brand of rousing yet quirky indie rock won many new fans during their set – and hopefully the whole tour, too. It’s also a rare joy to hear someone sing in such a broad regional accent; their Scottish roots are brought clearly to the fore. Someone in the front rows even waves a Saltaire during their first song! They mention how much of an honour it is to be supporting “their favourite band”, which no doubt ‘greases the wheels, and when they leave the stage in a blizzard of bass feedback, the anticipation starts to grow.

So when the lights drop again and the main attraction emerges, assuming their places one by one across the stage, the enthusiasm grows to a frenzy, peaking as reluctant icon Robert Smith emerges from stage right and – after taking time to wander the stage and survey the gathered throng – saunters almost reluctantly to his position, front and centre.

It’s brave to start a set with a new track, braver still than one such as ‘Alone’, with its themes of isolation, impermanence and insignificance and also with such a massive instrumental intro that gives Robert much time to consider them. “This is the end of every song that we sing”, he eventually incants, as a huge image of a globe rises, then recedes slowly behind him on the screens. It’s clear from the start that this will be an emotional test for us fans and Smith himself.

But we’re back on more familiar territory and solid ground with the next song, the anthemic ‘Pictures Of You’. It’s an unlikely crowd pleaser …and this huge crowd is undoubtedly very, very pleased – and keen to let the band know it! It’s almost a moment of cathartic joy, but one with a most unlikely soundtrack.

Full disclosure: I was a teenage Cure fan! I worshipped particularly at the altar of Simon Gallup (since I dabbled in bass playing at the time), even modelling my huge crimped and backcombed hair of the time after his! Someone else might cringe at that admission, but I’m proud when I look back at the few photos of me from that era. So the grinding bass fuzz that starts the next song can mean only one thing for us elder fans: ‘At Night’ – a track that takes this oldster back to his angst-wrought teen years and yet, on reflection, fits perfectly alongside all the later epics, despite its relative succinctness. I think it’s safe to say that nearly all of The Cure’s early output has aged surprisingly well, only the mode-ish punk-influenced sneer of the first album’s vocals giving away the time when they were performed.

Talking of Gallup, he seems to offer the counterpoint to almost the rest of the band onstage. He is the mischievous ‘spirit of Rock’n’Roll’, with his immaculate, spikily quiffed hair, his tight jeans (at least I think those were jeans!) and his low-slung bass. He was forever scampering across the stage, occasionally ‘duelling’ with Smith or Reeves Gabrels, on guitar, like some mischievous, hyperactive sprite and scaling the stage front monitors at regular intervals, too, seemingly keen to exhort the throng to even greater heights of worshipful fervour. I was a little concerned for his safety at points, but I think he’s had plenty of practice, and he seemed as assured as a mountain goat!

More fan favourites follow (they’re all fan favourites!) in the form of ‘A Night Like This’ and a surprisingly rock-y version of ‘Charlotte Sometimes’, which is accompanied by a suitably purple vista of lighting and visuals. It’s then on to one of their most famous, emotionally-charged and yet simple tracks, ‘Lovesong’, which he famously wrote as a gift to his wife on one of her birthdays.

Next up was another new song: ‘And Nothing Is Forever’, which was almost hard to watch. As well documented, Smith has endured more than his fair share of losses in the last five or so years, losing both of his parents and his older brother too. So when the accompanying projections are of an arched stone monument silhouetted against a night sky illuminated with aurora, you know what is going through Smith’s mind. So it is almost beyond doubt that this grief will have been channelled into the recent output, explaining the emotional intensity of these new tracks we have witnessed tonight.

But during this sequence, we also saw one of Simon Gallup’s other roles made clear. As the longest-standing member of The Cure, other than Robert Smith himself, not only has he co-authored some of their most memorable tunes and greatest hits, but the two have a special bond with all the ups and downs they’ve been through. So it is particularly touching when – obviously overwhelmed with the prospect of the emotions evoked by performing these songs, with all those thoughts on his mind, he turns to Gallup between ‘Lovesong’ and ‘And Nothing Is Forever’, and the two have a needed supportive hug between tracks. It’s all too much for Smith at points, with this being the penultimate night of a gruelling 44-date pan-European tour – and with a colossal 2hr 45min  set duration each night, too – It’s no wonder those emotions are making their way to the surface more easily now.

Seemingly revived, though, after these emotionally charged songs, the band launched into a sequence of more aggressive material: ‘Burn’ and ‘Push’ bookend two tracks from their iconic Pornography album, ‘The Figurehead’ and ‘A Strange Day’. All the shades of the black rainbow are being covered tonight, for sure. Stepping back still further in time to their Seventeen Seconds album, ‘Play For Today’ presages the arrival of one of the highlights of any Cure set: the mighty ‘A Forest’, accompanied by perfect footage of an impressionistic nighttime forest pursuit! The intro sends us all into raptures, but so does the extended outro. After Smith’s guitar finally runs its course, it climaxes with those signature bass pulses and ends with Gallup thrashing all four strings into a brutal submission as the crowd roars their approval.

Throughout much of the set, I was thinking how additional latter-day guitarist Reeves Gabrels – once of David Bowie’s rock side-project, Tin Machine, and with Hendrix or Fripp levels of guitar-wrangling talent – was underused. However, his time to shine came with the next pair of tracks – the vast, quasi-Psychedelic wig-outs of ‘Shake Dog Shake’ and ‘From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea’. I generally resist the temptation to liken some of The Cure’s output to that of Pink Floyd, even though Smith admittedly was heavily influenced by them. I don’t see very much of a resemblance, generally, but on tracks like these two, I can reluctantly admit some resemblance, I have to say. Certainly, Gabrels got to have fun, and the raptured audience appreciated his craft too.

Looking back at some of the hastily-uploaded videos that some attendees had already shared last night, I realised how such videos simply don’t capture the intensity of such an event. Sure, it’s a minor miracle of modern technology that a phone can capture such audio and manage to reproduce it with clarity. But with such clarity and inevitable volume-levelling, the sheer physicality of some of the sound levels present last night is lost. This is music that needs to be heard loud; thus, what you see online doesn’t really represent the experience.

To be clear, the sound was pretty much perfect throughout. It was loud – very loud at points, yes – But it was never distorted or unclear, so the sound guys earned their keep. Hats off, too, to the technician who realised that if you point a small camera mounted on the floor at the front of the stage at your subject who is simultaneously having that device’s footage projected onto a screen directly behind them, then you will get an almost ‘hall of mirrors’ like effect. Combine it with a few digital treatments and colour washes; the result is genuinely mesmerising. This simple trick was deployed several times throughout the night, but most effectively on ‘A Night Like This’ and – during one of the two epic encores – on ‘The Walk’, where the colour palette was dazzlingly varied throughout.

It was revealed throughout the set that each band member had a dedicated camera. For ‘Burn’, drummer Jason Cooper was rightly highlighted on the backdrop, soaked in red light, as he heroically pummeled out that primal rhythm. And on ‘Shake Dog Shake’, all the other members were cast in monochrome, trembling silhouettes in columns on the rear screen, that shuddering building throughout, until they were just blurred by the end. Simple but massively effective stuff. By contrast, the main set ends with the suitably epic and harrowing ‘Endsong’, where the backdrop is nothing by seemingly an orange sun in a red sky.

With the first of those encores, they dangle us over the existential abyss with the long-form classics’ Plainsong’, ‘Prayers For Rain’ and ‘Disintegration’, but again open this second phase with a third new song, ‘I Can Never Say Goodbye’, which again, is suitably bleak, given Smith’s recent life experiences. It becomes clear there has also been a theme developing with the projections. With the long-awaited upcoming album being titled Songs Of A Lost World, the volcanic landscape that accompanies ‘Prayers For Rain’ reinforces the continuing metaphor of likening the physical world’s metamorphosis and destruction with that of our own lives.

With the second vast and expansive encore, we are snatched back from the brink. We see the other, redemptive, life-affirming side of The Cure, with a quickfire sequence of some of their greatest uplifting tracks: ‘The Walk’, ‘Friday I’m In Love’, ‘Close To Me’, ‘In Between Days’ all hit us in quick succession, pulling us back from that void of despair they have themselves previously invoked. But they save for the last one of the songs that means the most to Smith personally: ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ – his railing against the expectations of gender emotional robustness that has clicked with just about every generation of musicians – and fans – since. And this is emblematic also of the trick that The Cure have pulled off, over the decades, possibly more successfully than any other band whose singles have routinely made it into the charts: It’s not outright rebellion; it’s not even a particular look – it’s that their songs represent the inclusion of the excluded and a vocalisation of those emotions we all feel from time to time but mainly never mention.

Smith has said in interviews how he doesn’t think of The Cure as Goth – that Goth was something that came after their founding (back in 1976, in their first incarnations) but which they just happened to synchronise with for a while in the early 80s, in terms of musical style and themes. However, a strange thing – which people tend to forget – about some of the early Goth bands centred around Soho’s ‘The Batcave’ club night is that they were surprisingly varied, stylistically. In their formative years, people like Bauhaus and Danielle Dax routinely experimented with other genres: Funk and Reggae rhythms frequented the early releases of Bauhaus. At the same time, Dax went further, incorporating not just those Bowie-approved genres but also bending even Honky Tonk and Country elements to her will across her solo 80s releases.

In that sense, the diversification in both style and mood that The Cure undertook from 1983 onwards was, if anything, more of a continuation of the original spirit of Goth than the 4/4 uniformity of some of its more open proponents, who followed from the mid-80s onwards to the present day. And Smith has mentioned how The Cure is the only band who seem to get described as both suicidal and whimsical at the same time! But this variety distinguishes them and allows their fans to identify with them so much.

No one feels suicidal all the time, and no one feels whimsical all the time! In short, they’re expressive and emotional. All human life is here …if you take the time to listen. And I would suggest you do. Smith has hinted that this album (and its mooted twin album, yet to be confirmed) may well be the last they make – at least together, as a unit. So if they do a tour again, get out there and see them while you still can. Songs Of A Lost World might be the album’s title, but it also neatly sums up what we will be missing once they’ve gone.

• Lost World Tour
• OVO Wembley Arena
• Robert Smith
• Simon Gallup
• Songs Of A Lost World
• The Cure Songs Of A Lost World
• The Twilight Sad

Related Articles

THE TWILIGHT SAD TO RELEASE 4TH ALBUM ‘NOBODY WANTS TO BE HERE AND NOBODY WANTS TO LEAVE’

The Twilight Sad are set to release their fourth studio album Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave via FatCat on Monday 27th October in the UK, their much anticipated follow up […]

THE CURE Announce Headline show at The SSE Arena, Belfast: Friday 2 December 2022

The Cure have just announced details for their upcoming 2022 European Tour with 44 shows across 22 countries – including shows in Dublin’s 3Arena on 1 December and The SSE Arena, Belfast on 2 December […]

THE TWILIGHT SAD NEW SINGLE, ‘I COULD GIVE YOU ALL THAT YOU DON’T WANT’ OUT 9TH FEB

Following the recent release of their fourth full-length, Nobody Wants To Be Here and Nobody Wants To Leave, Scotland’s The Twilight Sad have unveiled the second official single from the album. It comes in the […]

Be the first to comment

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Privacy Overview

• Latest News

‘Bad Girls’: Donna Summer’s Expansion On Disco

Ella fitzgerald: just why is she so important, ‘king of the blues guitar’: why albert king still wears the crown, ‘on the threshold of a dream’: the moody blues’ ‘pathway of enlightenment’, ‘little broken hearts’: how norah jones turned hurt into art, best ella fitzgerald songs: 20 memorable jazz classics, ‘songs from the sparkle lounge’: how def leppard shined in the 00s, the warning share music video for ‘qué más quieres’, liana flores signs with verve records, unveils ‘i wish for the rain’, schoolboy q announces ‘blue lips weekends’ tour, loreena mckennitt announces ‘the mask and mirror live’, andrea bocelli announces 30th anniversary concert event and film in tuscany, abbey road studios to launch ‘stories in sound’ live experience, billy idol talks making ‘eyes without a face’ with vevo footnotes, the cure debut new songs at first stop of 2022 world tour.

The gig also saw guitarist and keyboardist Perry Bamonte rejoin the band

Published on

The Cure debuted two new songs last night (October 6) as they kicked off their 2022 world tour with a gig in Riga, Latvia.

The iconic indie band performed at the Arena Riga in the city, sharing 25 songs across the evening with the audience.

Among them were two fresh, previously unheard cuts that could feature on their upcoming new album, Songs Of A Lost World . The gig began with one of them, “Alone,” which opened with an expansive soundscape of guitars, keys and drums, with frontman Robert Smith later singing on it: “ This is the end of every song that we sing. ”

Jack Johnson Announces ‘All At Once Sustainability’ Winners, Preps New Track

Don’t drink the water: how the environmental movement shaped music.

Later, at the end of the main set, The Cure shared another new song in “Endsong.” That track also took on a melancholy form, Smith singing about a life with “ no hopes, no dreams, no love – I don’t belong .”

The show also saw keyboardist and guitarist Perry Bamonte rejoin the band’s touring line-up 17 years after he last performed with them.

The tour will continue tomorrow night (October 8) in Helsinki, Finland, with the dates running until mid-December, when they will wrap up with three nights at London’s OVO Arena Wembley. The full schedule and tickets can be found on The Cure’s official website .

In November, the band will share a deluxe edition of their multi-platinum 1992 album, Wish , to mark its 30th anniversary. It was the band’s ninth studio album and, at the time, became the band’s best-selling album, reaching No.1 in the UK and Mo.2 in the US, where it was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Alternative Music Album category.

Last month (September 24), the band released “Miss Van Gogh (Instrumental Demo)” from the upcoming reissue, which is one of a raft of previously unreleased tracks that will feature on the new edition.

Pre-order Wish .

The Cure’s Arena Riga setlist:

“Alone” “Pictures Of You” “Closedown” “A Night Like This” “Lovesong” “Trust” “Burn” “Fascination Street” “Push” “In Between Days” “Play For Today” “A Forest” “Want” “Shake Dog Shake” “39” “From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea” “Endsong” “Plainsong” “Disintegration” “Lullaby” “Close To Me” “The Walk” “Friday I’m In Love” “Just Like Heaven” “Boys Don’t Cry”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

   EP Review : Revenant – What a Time to be Alive...

   immerse yourself in the sounds of ireland; fro...,    ad infinitum surprises with explosive new song...,    new devin townsend book overexposed + underdev...,    dlxxi: district x line-up announced...,    haunted plasma (members of oranssi pazuzu, k-x...,    hammerfall announce new album, share new singl..., jquery(document).ready( function($) { var retina = window.devicepixelratio > 1 true : false; if ( retina ) { jquery( '.site--logo img' ).attr( 'src', 'https://metalplanetmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/metalplanetmusicbanner-2020.png' ); jquery( '.site--logo img' ).attr( 'width', '1000' ); } } );, gig review: the cure live sse arena belfast.

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google+
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Linkedin
• Share on Tumblr

Review by Damien Doherty for MPM

I first saw The Cure on the Wish tour on 3 rd December 1992, and here I am almost exactly 30 years later at the SSE Arena in Belfast.

Though I’ve seen them many times in the intervening years this night is special, not only an anniversary celebration of sorts, but a night I’m sharing with family and friends for whom this is their first time (hope you enjoyed it JH). Even in ‘92 they were 16 year veterans, although there had been previous indications during the 1989 Disintegration tour that they considering calling it a day. Luckily for the packed audience tonight and indeed on all nights of this tour here they remain 46 years later, “the gothfathers” as proclaimed by some.

As we enter the main foyer of the SSE Arena we are greeted by an astounding sight; we’ve heard rumours from the Dublin gig the previous night but surely it can’t be possible – a merch stand selling all t-shirts at £20. Hell, they were that price 30 years ago, an immediate indication if one was needed that The Cure have remained a fan centric band.

With an expanded 6-piece line up on this tour I’m personally delighted to see the return of Perry Bamonte on guitars/keyboards after a 17-year absence. Simon Gallup looks like he’s keeping a photo of himself in his attic, fresh faced as ever he’s running up and down that stage like a man half his age. Stalwart Roger O’Donnell provides all the familiar atmospheric synth passages, while Jason Cooper is absolutely thunderous on drums tonight. “New boy” Reeves Gabrels (he’s only been there 10 years!) is fabulous on guitars, but what do you expect from this musical innovator and David Bowies co-conspirator.

And then there is Robert Smith, founder, creative force, genius, legend, so many adjectives so little time! Instantly recognisable both visually and vocally, he may look older but his voice has remained as powerful and emotive as ever. He and the band he created have inspired musicians from all genres, and his song writing legacy has over the years won over many detractors initially focused on the bands image. His music is truly accessible to all, catering to multiple tastes through the extensive and diverse back catalogue.

As is customary we are treated to a near 3-hour extravaganza, a performance in 3 acts if you will, set amongst the back drop of fantastic visuals. Hitting the stage at 8:15 Robert is genuinely excited to be here, he wanders the stage smiling and waving at the audience and apologises for having taken so long to get back to Belfast. Anyone that’s been looking at the tour setlists will have observed that they have varied from night to night with a healthy mixture of the familiar and less familiar across the albums. Tonight I’m excited that there is a distinct leaning towards the Disintegration, Head on the Door, and Wish albums.

The first set contains 4 new songs. Alone and Endsong punctuate the set, while And Nothing Is Forever and A Fragile Thing are added to the mix, all atmospheric tour de forces reminiscent of the Disintegration era. Pictures of You is set amongst a visual backdrop beautifully dedicated to Mary, Robert’s wife of 34 years.

The set steadily increases in energy – the romantic classics A Night Like This , the truly wonderful Lovesong , and Trust , the grandiose Burn from The Crow soundtrack, then we are back to the early albums with the melancholic At Night . A personal favourite, the mesmerizing and flanger heavy A Strange Day is a highlight of the first set, then we have the opening song on many a Cure tour Shake Dog Shake .

The marvellous Push is next and then we hear the distinctive harmonics laden intro of Play for Today . An unmistakable keyboard riff signals the beginning of A Forest , which over the years has been refined to an energetic masterpiece, building in vigour eventually climaxing in a reverberating bass and effects laden guitar duet until Simon alone closes with the lumbering then frenetic bass passage. A wail of guitar feedback introduces From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea , a pure rock song, before the set is ended by the aforementioned Endsong . And then they are off, for now.

The second set again begins with a new track I Can Never Say Goodbye , a song written about Roberts brother Richard who had passed away in recent years. Then it’s Disintegration bliss, Plainsong with its lush and often dissonant synthesizers and melodic bass lines, then the rarely played Prayers For Rain and the title track Disintegration all sounding just as fresh and magic as on 1989s live Entreat album.

Set 3 is designed to whip the audience into a frenzy, Lullaby is up first then The Walk . When Friday I’m In Love hits the venue is truly jumping, everyone is singing and no one is sitting anymore! Another Wish track follows in the form of Doing the Unstuck , and then we have Close To Me .

More raucous response for the timeless classics In Between Days and Just Like Heaven with visual backdrops of the Beachy Head location on which Robert and Mary danced in the video. Unfortunately, we have reached the last song, it truly doesn’t feel like we’ve been here for 3 hours. And the night ends with Boys Don’t Cry , everyone in full voice, it’s been a magical night.

Robert again struts the stage for several minutes waving to the audience with sincere gratitude before eventually departing. The Cure never disappoint, just look at the faces all around as we exit the venue. Flawless performance from the band and an excellently diverse setlist, including 5 new songs from the eagerly anticipated new album Songs of a Lost World. Here’s to the next 46 years!

Photography by MPM

• Related Articles
• More By [email protected]
• More In Gigs

EP Review : Revenant – What a Time to be Alive

Immerse yourself in the sounds of Ireland; from traditional tunes to contemporary hits, experience the charm of Irish music.

AD INFINITUM Surprises with Explosive New Song “Outer Space” + Official Music Video

Album Review: Pearl Jam – Dark Matter

Album Review: Blaze Of Perdition – Upharsin

Legendary UK metal giants Orange Goblin announce new album ‘Science, Not Fiction’ 

Gig Review : The Kris Barras Band : The Halo Effect tour Rock City : Nottingham

Gig Review : Sari Schorr @ Oran Mor, Glasgow

Gig Review : Dan Patlansky – Movin’ On Album Launch Tour 2024 With Support from The Secret FacesThe Globe, Cardiff

Where to begin? How about straight up facts, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, over 85…

The Rolling Stones Confirm Opening Acts for 2024 Tour

Till lindemann announces north american solo tour with twin temple, evanescence and halestorm announce 2024 canadian tour, megadeth announce 2024 tour with mudvayne and all that remains, mötley crüe confirm new single “dogs of war”, review + photos: judas priest show no cracks in their armor on invincible shield tour, baroness announce 2024 summer tour dates, staind release new version of “better days” with dorothy, watch: creed play first show in 12 years on summer of ’99 cruise, dickey betts, co-founding guitarist of the allman brothers band, dies at 80, underoath announce ‘they’re only chasing safety’ 20th anniversary tour, clutch and rival sons announce 2024 north american tour, chevelle announce 2024 tour with tigercub, ice nine kills and in this moment announce 2024 tour, watch: anthrax play first show with former bassist dan lilker in 40 years, watch: ronnie wood joins the black crowes for faces’ “stay with me”, kerry king unleashes video for new single “residue”, aerosmith announce rescheduled 2024, 2025 peace out tour dates, slash, gibson reveal signature “jessica” les paul guitar, watch: megadeth perform ‘peace sells…but who’s buying’ deep cut for the first time since 2014.

The Cure Kick Off Three-Night Stand at Madison Square Garden

Review and live photos from the band’s sold out performanc e

Last night, The Cure made their triumphant return to Madison Square Garden in New York City. While the sold-out crowd would have preferred a much shorter gap, the 29-song set proved to be well worth the wait. It was exactly seven years ago to the day that the group ended their last three-day run at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Interestingly enough, The Cure also played at The Garden on this day in 2008. Looks like MSG might have a new tradition, just not an annual one.

The Twilight Sad set the tone early on with a passionate set. Frontman James Graham was wearing a Cure t-shirt, clearly displaying his admiration for the band they were serving as special guests for. Early in the set, he spotted a Scottish flag in the audience, a nice nod to the band’s native land.

They rolled through an eight-song set comprised mostly of tracks from their latest LP, 2019’s It Won/t Be Like This All the Time .

Before The Cure came out, sounds of raindrops and mild thunder played through the arena speakers. It was oddly soothing, and a very fitting foray for the band that was about to play. Meanwhile on the concourse, merch booth lines nearly wrapped around the entire arena, almost running into each other. It could be attributed to the band’s popularity and the size of the crowd, sure, but price was another huge factor at play. After battling for decent ticket prices, band leader Robert Smith further took care of his fans by assuring them that The Cure’s concert collectables wouldn’t cost them an entire week’s pay. The move seems to have paid off for both the band and the fans, literally. Stuff wasn’t expensive, so people bought a lot of it.

The band took the stage and Robert Smith took a moment to take it all in, strolling around the stage staring out into the crowd that was giving a standing ovation. One fan in the front row even gave him flowers. It was a moment seven years in the making, and everyone in the building – including the band – soaked up every second.

Smith donned a David Bowie shirt, which wasn’t necessarily a random fashion choice. The Cure’s guitarist Reeves Gabrels wore a long-sleeved tee that simply read “Staten Island.” Reeves, who’s been with the band since 2012, is from Staten Island and had collaborated with Bowie for over a decade. He was also a member of Bowie’s band Tin Machine.

The Cure opened with “Alone,” a new song that saw its debut on the band’s European tour last year. They launched right into their seminal hit “Pictures of You,” a sweeping seven-minute epic that you just get totally lost in. It wouldn’t be the only long song of the night, as “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea” would get played later on, clocking in around eight minutes.

Other highlights early in the evening were “Burn,” their contribution to The Crow soundtrack, and “Lovesong” from their watershed album Disintegration , among others. That album would get more attention later on in the set, with the band performing five cuts in total from the record.

The Cure went on to blow through a staggering 29 songs during a set that lasted nearly three hours. The played almost until the clock struck midnight, closing out the evening with a barrage of hits including “Friday I’m in Love,” “Close to Me,” “In Between Days,” “and “Just Like Heaven.” The finally closed things out with their signature song “Boys Don’t Cry.

The Cure are one of those rare bands who’s live shows seem almost other-worldly. Diehard and casual fans alike can just get lost in their soundscapes. The love that The Cure and their fans have for each other is what continues to make them an arena sellout all these years later.

The Cure are coming back to The Garden for two more shows tomorrow, June 21, and Thursday, June 22. The band’s Shows of a Lost World Tour rolls on through July 1, wrapping up at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami. After that, hopefully it won’t take them another seven years to come back.

Privacy Overview

The Cure debut two new songs and the return of a former member during the first show of their European tour

The six-member lineup are rejoined by keyboard player Perry Bamonte after 18 years

The Cure opened their mammoth European tour in Latvia on 6 October with a brand new song called Alone. It was later followed by the debut of Endsong, both believed to feature on the band's forthcoming album Songs Of A Lost World . 

While the future release date for the album is still unknown, a familiar face from the past appeared in the lineup at the show at Arēna Rīga in the form of Perry Bamonte, who previously played keyboards in The Cure between 1990 and 2005.

The typically generous 25-song set also featured the first performance of Trust from the Wish album since 2016.

As for the new compositions, Endsong's lawn drawn out intro and pace recall Disintegration's Plainsong, but with a markedly more desolate mood that affirm's Robert Smith's previous suggestion Songs Of A Lost World is going to reflect the darker side of his sound.

And true to that form, Endsong is another slow, haunting build; Smith's vocals don't begin until over six-minutes into its ten-minutes duration. We're starting to realise why Smith had to dig deep for this album. 

The band will play 22 countries on the tour with 44-dates spanning October, November and December, all with The Twilight Sad supporting. 

Get the MusicRadar Newsletter

Want all the hottest music and gear news, reviews, deals, features and more, direct to your inbox? Sign up here.

More info at The Cure . 

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.   

"I've been doing this since like the mid-'70s and I never showed anybody: Scott Gorham on revealing his hidden artistic talent and his new plans for the first Thin Lizzy song he ever wrote with Phil Lynott

Watch Marcus King turn in an intimate solo performance of Hero on the “Barn Burst” 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard – a holy grail vintage guitar literally found in a barn

“He sings on all our stuff. You hear him on AC/DC, Bryan Adams, Shania’s stuff. He has the best voice in the room”: Phil Collen says Mutt Lange is an ace vocalist who can nail it in one take – and it’s the same with guitar

Most Popular

The Cure Set First North American Tour in Seven Years

By Daniel Kreps

Daniel Kreps

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

The Cure will embark on their first North American tour in seven years this summer as the Rock Hall-inducted band ’s Songs of a Lost World trek have added four additional dates to their previously scheduled slate of 30 shows.

Following their 2022 European jaunt, Robert Smith and company will kick off their 2023 North American dates on May 10 in New Orleans. After circling the U.S. and parts of Canada — including three-night stands at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl and New York’s Madison Square Garden — the leg concludes July 1 in Miami.

The new dates include a stop in Portland as well as additional nights in Montreal, Atlanta, and San Diego. “Please please please don’t buy tickets if you don’t intend [on] going to the show,” the band pleaded on Twitter, hoping their tickets make it into the right hands and don’t end up on secondary markets.

FOUR EXTRA SHOWS ADDED TO OUR ’SHOWS OF A LOST WORLD’ NORTH AMERICAN TOUR – THREE OF THEM ARE ‘EXTRA NIGHTS’ – 21ST MAY SAN DIEGO / 17TH JUNE MONTREAL / 28TH JUNE ATLANTA #ShowsOfALostWorld2023 1/5 pic.twitter.com/BDVMGBnNXB — The Cure (@thecure) April 5, 2023

Fans can sign up for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan now ahead of the on-sale dates. New dates will be available beginning Friday, April 7 at 10 a.m. local time. The fourth extra show, the Portland stop, will be “an experiment to see whether non-transferable tickets are enough protection,” thus Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan will not be required for those purchases.

Other than the Cure’s 2019 performances at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, the Austin City Limits Festival , and their own Pasadena Daydream fest , the band last staged a North American tour in 2016.

Billie Eilish Would Like to Reintroduce Herself

Team trump is ready to lose the supreme court immunity case. they’re celebrating, taylor swift and jack antonoff have reached their limit, kanye west announces 'yeezy porn' amid reports of adult film company, editor’s picks, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term.

This post was updated on April 5 to include four additional tour dates.

Belinda Continues Her Bélica Rebrand With Natanael Cano Collab

• Corrido Coqueto
• By Tomás Mier

Santa Fe Klan Introduces Rich the Kid to His 'Música de Barrio' on New Collab 'Plomo'

After more than two decades in reggaeton, wisin is feeling more adventurous than ever.

• LLEGÓ EL FRONTÚ
• By Juan J. Arroyo

Babehoven’s ‘Water’s Here in You’ is a Contemplative Gem

• ALBUM REVIEW

Carin León Announces International Tour: 'From Hermosillo to Paris'

• De 🇲🇽 Pa'l 🌎

Most Popular

Anne hathaway says 'gross' chemistry test in the 2000s required her to make out with 10 guys: that's the 'worst way to do it' and 'now we know better', 'the lord of the rings' trilogy returning to theaters, remastered and extended, sources claim hugh jackman’s worrying behavior may have something to do with his breakup, first queen elizabeth ii memorial statue unveiled, with a smile and three corgis, in england, you might also like, eminem announces new album ‘the death of slim shady (coup de grâce),’ releasing this summer, dua lipa delivers coquette glamour in custom chanel lace dress at time 100 gala 2024, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, the 20 best comic book tv shows of all time, ranked, ncaa names nil registry partner after five-year process.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

News: Five Weeks Until The Mighty Incineration Festival Brings Its 10 Year Anniversary Edition To Camden Town, London

News: dead pony – debut album ‘ignore this’ out now, live gallery: peach prc at the enmore theatre, sydney 6.04.2023, track/video: jazz/afrobeat fusionists tc & the groove family announce new ep with the dynamic ‘stand strong’..

• Track: ‘Life in a Dressing Gown’ – Jamie Hutchings (Bluebottle Kiss and Infinite Broke) puts on display his reflective side ahead of live dates.
• Track: oWo release the wild-eyed ‘Built’ ahead of EP release and launch.
• Track: Perth’s Peter Bibby is adamant that he’s not that ‘Fun Guy’ any more in a rampant blast of punky fun, ahead of album release and tour.
• Album Review: Squarepusher – Dostrotime
• News: Pale Wizard Records Release 50 Year Anniversary Tribute To Sparks With ‘Kimono My House – 50 Years Later’ Album
• Track: Big Special Drop Something Special With New Track ‘Black Dog / White Horse’
• Premiere: Hugo Brijs Shares Gorgeous Psychedelic-Pop Return ‘Creeper’
• Album Review: Adam Wiltzie – ‘Eleven Fugues for Sodium Pentothal’: The composer of definitive ambient music provides an album for your deeper thoughts.
• News: Indie-Folk Artist Molly Buchan Releases Poignant New Single ‘Ocean On The Moon’ 
• News: Silk Letdown Releases A Vibrant Fusion of Alt-Rock Energy In Debut Single ‘Big Blue’
• Track: Maripool – Not Today
• Album Review: Einstürzende Neubauten’s ‘Rampen (apm: Alien Pop Music)’ is an atmospheric, extra-terrestrial sonic masterpiece.
• News: The venerable Underground Lovers announce Australian Anniversary tour with Youth Group and reissue of the classic ‘Dream It Down’ album on vinyl.
• Track: The Gin Palace capture spiritual and passionate elegance in their new track ‘I Will Fall For You Always’
• Track: Joey Sachi returns with another ethereal delight in the delicate ‘Reverie’.
• Live Review: Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators / Mammoth WVH – O2 City Hall, Newcastle 31.03.2024

Film Review: The Queen of Black Magic

Track: Dutch Indie Risers Loupe Return With Breathtaking New Single ‘Tested Waters’

News: Bring Me The Horizon Drop New Single ‘Kool-Aid’ ahead of Australian Tour

See: Chromatics release new video for ‘Teacher’

Track: Mathilde Anne displays an effervescent swagger in the slow burning fuse of ‘Way Up There’.

News: Wilco Announce Their First Australian Tour in Over A Decade

Album review: big thief – ‘dragon new warm mountain i believe in you’.

See: koleżanka takes empathetic flight with the lush, modular indie of ‘In A Meeting’

Live: The Cure, Copenhagen Review

When The Cure first announced their European Tour back in 2021, the only decision to make was which show to go to. My hand was forced somewhat when a quick glance down the dates failed to reveal a Manchester show. Trips to other UK venues would invariably involve train and hotel costs, on top of the rather princely sum of £75 being charged for tickets. Armed with a 2022 calendar and access to flight finder websites, the brief was to find the cheapest European city, involving the least amount of days annual leave. And so I find myself in the majestic Royal Arena, Copenhagen, on a Friday night. As I was unable to get a photo pass I’m 10 rows from the front of the stage, so the size of the crowd behind me is irrelevant. I could be a one of a few hundred rather than the sell out 16,000 souls here tonight.

At £10 a pint I won’t be needing a beer induced comfort break this evening, which is just as well as on top of the near 2 and 3/4 hours of Fat Bob and the boys, tour support, Scots The Twilight Sad weigh in with nearly another hour. They go down well with the locals and I suspect they’ve made a few more fans tonight with their set. Wearing some natty dungarees, singer James Graham is rocking a Gavin (& Stacy) vibe tonight and seems visible moved by the crowd’s reaction, with some hefty chest slapping before vacating the stage,

Early tour footage circulating on YouTube has shown The Cure to be in fine fettle and a series of fan friendly set-lists. Each night has seen a core set, peppered with a few new tracks from the impending album, believed to be titled “Lost World” as it’s the name of the tour. This is then topped off with not one but two encores, the second longer than the first, designed to, in the words of Robert Smith, “send you all home happy”! But hey, I’m getting slightly ahead of myself here.

Playing as a 6 piece on this tour, with Perry Bamonte rejoining on guitar and keyboard, Simon Gallup leads them onto the stage, sans Bob, ripped jeans and sleeveless t-shirt, like a punk rock John Travolta, belying all of his 62 trips around the sun. As the introduction to new track Alone , builds atmospherically, the main man strolls around the stage with the air of a man who has mislaid his car keys, checking everywhere, surveying the crowd without speaking, soaking up the applause and cheers. You could be forgiven for thinking he’s forgotten when to come in, such is the length of the lead in. He has retained the look of a 3 year old who has just found their mum’s make-up bag, despite his senior years and he’s not going to be getting a call from Ru Paul anytime soon!

Eventually Smith delivers the vocal part of this sprawling track as a huge blue planet earth envelopes the screens behind the band, lending an incredibly dramatic vista to proceedings. It’s almost as though we’re floating in space with the band, detached from reality. Gallup bends and stoops, lowering his bass close to the stage before aiming for the sky, all the time propelling the song forward. Along with Hooky and JJ Burnel, I don’t think there are many better bass players around. Smith’s first words follow the songs closure “hello, that was a new song”, before the earth shrinks and disappears out of view, a metaphor one would presume, and the stage falls dark. The unmistakable intro to Pictures Of You has the crowd cheering and the stage is lit once more. Everything feels perfect, The vocals are spot on and the sound is crystal clear, no trouser flapping bass notes from the Faith era tonight.

Robert tells us that it’s a weird feeling writing such personal lyrics and then having to deliver them in such public surroundings in front of 1,000s of people.

Tonight we get to hear 2 other new songs, And Nothing Is Forever and set closer End Song with its apocalyptic world end vibe as Bob sings “it’s all gone, no hopes, no dreams, left alone with nothing”, whilst dwarfed under a blood red planet, as Reeves Gabrels lays down a blanket of almost Santana-esque West coast guitar, smothering the song to a halt.

We all know what’s coming next, just by what they haven’t played and they’re soon back on stage with a little amuse-bouche, a palette cleanser before the main even, and tonight it’s a 5 strong first encore, running through The Figurehead, A Strange Day, Charlotte Sometimes, Play For Today and A Forest . Most bands would probably leave it at that, but not many have the body of work that The Cure have amassed over their 43 years of recorded output, and so to the 2nd and final encore.

The fans have saved what energy they still have for this finale and the dancing erupts right across the standing area and into the seats as Lullaby, The Walk, Friday I’m In Love, Close To Me, In Between Days, Just Like Heaven , before finally playing out with Boys Don’t Cry , the oldest song in tonight’s set.

And yes Bob, you did send us all home happy! Well worth the trip over from Manchester. If you want the full set list then click here .

I doubt they’ve ever sounded better and hopefully there’s much more to come in the next few years after Smith has hinted at two albums to come and possibly a solo release too.

The Cure remain on tour in Europe right through the rest of October and November before coming to the UK and Ireland in December.

01 – DUBLIN 3Arena 02 – BELFAST SSE Arena 04 – GLASGOW OVO Hydro 06 – LEEDS First Direct Arena 07 – BIRMINGHAM Utilita Arena 08 – CARDIFF Motorpoint Arena 11 – WEMBLEY OVO Arena 12 – WEMBLEY OVO Arena 13 – WEMBLEY OVO Arena

Share this:

• Share on Tumblr

Previous Say Psych: Album Review: Kill Your Boyfriend - Voodoo

Next live gallery: the used at the podium - spokane, wa 14.10.2022.

Andi Callen

Related posts.

Suggested Posts

See: Australian quartet Immigrant Union release new video for ‘In Time’

Say Psych: Album Review: Gwenno – Le Kov

Album Review: The Actions unveil the luscious atmospheric ‘Flourish’

Grimmfest Review: The Wretched

Track: DJINN release details of new album; hear ‘Love Divine’

News: Inspiral Carpets will tour Australia and NZ later this year

Leave a reply cancel reply.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

More Stories

Exclusive: The Ghost of Helags record Chemistry live in session for Backseat Mafia

• Consequence

The Cure Debut New Music at European Tour Kick-Off: Video + Setlist

"Alone" and "Endsong" sound like classic Cure

Editor’s Note: The Cure will tour North America in 2023 ; get tickets here .

The Cure kicked off their European tour with a concert in Latvia on Thursday night. The 25-song setlist included two new songs called “Alone” and “Endsong,” which are presumably taken from their long-awaited new album Songs of a Lost World .

“Alone,” a seven-minute “Plainsong”-adjacent number, opened the show in typical Cure fashion, with Robert Smith walking on stage without a guitar to take in the crowd during an extended instrumental intro. “This is the end of every song that we sing,” he eventually croons.

“Endsong,” meanwhile, naturally closed out the band’s main set (two encores followed). The second new offering proved equally cinematic, stretching out for 10 minutes with a militaristic drum riff over melancholy synths. From the looks of these tracks, Smith’s “relentlessly doom and gloom” description of Songs of a Lost World is accurate.

Another exciting piece of news from The Cure’s Latvia gig was the apparent return of Perry Bamonte, who has rejoined the band for the first time since his 1990 to 2005 tenure. A new era really is upon us!

Next up, The Cure will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their album  Wish   by reissuing the LP in a deluxe package featuring unreleased demos, live tracks, and rare songs. Check out the band’s upcoming European tour dates below.

Setlist: Alone (World Debut) Pictures of You Closedown A Night Like This Lovesong Trust (First time since 2016) Burn Fascination Street Push In Between Days Play for Today A Forest Want Shake Dog Shake 39 From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea Endsong (World Debut)

Encore: Plainsong Disintegration

Encore 2: Lullaby Close to Me The Walk Friday I’m in Love Just Like Heaven Boys Don’t Cry

The Cure 2022 Tour Dates: 10/08 — Helsinki, FI @ Hartwall Arena ( Tix ) 10/10 — Stockholm, SE @ Avicii Arena ( Tix ) 10/12 — Oslo, NO @ Spektrum ( Tix ) 10/13 — Gothenburg, SE @ Scandinavium ( Tix ) 10/14 — Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena ( Tix ) 10/16 — Hamburg, DE @ Barclays Arena ( Tix ) 10/17 — Leipzig, DE @ Quarterback Immobilien Arena ( Tix ) 10/18 — Berlin, DE @ Mercedes Benz Arena ( Tix ) 10/20 — Krakow, PL @ Tauron Arena ( Tix ) 10/21 — Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena ( Tix ) 10/23 — Vienna, AT @ Marx Halle ( Tix ) 10/24 — Prague, CZ @ O2 Arena ( Tix ) 10/26 — Budapest, HU @ Arena 10/27 — Zagreb, HR @ Arena 10/29 — Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle ( Tix ) 10/31 — Bologna, IT @ Unipol Arena ( Tix ) 11/01 — Firenze, IT @ Mandela Forum ( Tix ) 11/03 — Padova, IT @ Kioene Arena ( Tix ) 11/04 — Milan, IT @ Forum ( Tix ) 11/06 — Geneva, CH @ Arena 11/07 —  Lyon, FR @ Halle Tony Garnier ( Tix ) 11/08 — Montpellier, FR @ Sud De France Arena ( Tix ) 11/10 —  Barcelona, ES @ Palau Sant Jordi ( Tix ) 11/11 —  Madrid, ES @ Wizink Centre ( Tix ) 11/13 — Toulouse, FR @ Zenith ( Tix ) 11/14 — Bordeaux, FR @ Arkea Arena ( Tix ) 11/15 — Nantes, FR @ Zenith ( Tix ) 11/17 — Frankfurt, DE @ Festhalle ( Tix ) 11/18 — Strasbourg, FR @ Zenith ( Tix ) 11/19 — Basel, CH @ St. Jakobshalle 11/21 — Stuttgart, DE @ Hanns-martin-schleyer-halle ( Tix ) 11/22 —  Koln, DE @ Lanxess Arena ( Tix ) 11/23 — Antwerp, BE @ Sportpaleis 11/25 — Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome 11/27 — Lievin, FR @ Stade ( Tix ) 11/28 — Paris, FR @ Accor Arena ( Tix ) 12/01 — Dublin, IE @ 3Arena ( Tix ) 12/02 — Belfast, UK @ SSE Arena ( Tix ) 12/04 — Glasgow, UK @ Ovo Hydro ( Tix ) 12/06 — Leeds, UK @ First Direct Arena ( Tix ) 12/07 — Birmingham, UK @ Utilita Arena ( Tix ) 12/08 — Cardiff, UK @ Motorpoint Arena ( Tix ) 12/11 —  London, UK @ Wembley OVO Arena ( Tix ) 12/12 — London, UK @ Wembley OVO Arena ( Tix ) 12/13 — London, UK @ Wembley OVO Arena ( Tix )

Personalized Stories

Around the web, latest stories.

Drake Pulls Diss Track Using Tupac AI-Generated Vocals After Tupac's Estate Threatens Lawsuit [Updated]

April 25, 2024

Carin León Announces 2024 "Boca Chueca Tour": How to Get Tickets

Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant Questions If Taylor Swift Has a "Billie Jean" in Her Catalog

How to Get Tickets to Pearl Jam’s 2024 Tour

Reviewing Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Part 1: Podcast

Porter Robinson Announces 2024-2025 Tour

The Get Up Kids to Play Something to Write Home About in Full on Anniversary Tour

The Rolling Stones Reveal Opening Acts for 2024 "Hackney Diamonds" Tour

• Album Streams
• Upcoming Releases
• Film Trailers
• TV Trailers
• Pop Culture
• Album Reviews
• Concert Reviews
• Festival Coverage
• Film Reviews
• Cover Stories
• Hometowns of Consequence
• Song of the Week
• Album of the Month
• Behind the Boards
• Dustin ‘Em Off
• Track by Track
• Top 100 Songs Ever
• Crate Digging
• Best Albums of 2023
• Best Songs of 2023
• Best Films of 2023
• Best TV Shows of 2023
• Top Albums of All Time
• Festival News
• Festival Outlook
• How to Get Tickets
• Photo Galleries
• Consequence Daily
• The Story Behind the Song
• Kyle Meredith
• Stanning BTS
• In Defense of Ska
• Long Time No See
• Good for a Weekend
• Consequence UNCUT
• The Spark Parade
• Beyond the Boys Club
• Going There with Dr. Mike
• The What Podcast
• Consequence Uncut
• Behind the Boys Club
• Two for the Road
• 90 Seconds or Less
• Battle of the Badmate
• Video Essays
• News Roundup
• First Time I Heard
• Mining Metal

Theme Weeks

• Industrial Week
• Marvel Week
• Disney Week
• Foo Fighters Week
• TV Theme Song Week
• Sex in Cinema Week

Follow Consequence

‘THE TOP’ ON PICTURE DISC – RECORD STORE DAY 2024

Published : 15 feb 2024, ‘paris’ 30th anniversary release announced, published : 08 feb 2024, roger to miss latam leg of the shows of a lost world tour, published : 14 nov 2023, the singers talk, published : 13 sep 2023, ‘show’ 2lp black vinyl, published : 27 jul 2023, new south american standalone shows announced, published : 23 jun 2023, thank you for signing up for updates, an email has been sent to you to confirm your address..

You can now close this window

‘It’s the dream’: Celine Dion fighting to return to stage

Celine Dion has objectives as she battles Stiff Person Syndrome.

“I want to be the best I can be, “ Dion says in an interview in the new edition of Vogue France. “My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!”

A return to live performance, someday, is also motivating the superstar resident of Lake Las Vegas. But while Dion is steadfast in her dedication to recover from the rare neurological condition, she’s less certain of when she will be able to return to the stage.

“I can’t answer that … Because for four years I’ve been saying to myself that I’m not going back, that I’m ready, that I’m not ready …” Dion says in the Q&A piece. “As things stand, I can’t stand here and say to you: ‘Yes, in four months.’ I don’t know. … My body will tell me.”

Dion says she has not beaten the disease.

“It’s still within me and always will be. I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it,” the 56-year-old superstar says. “Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy. I work on my toes, my knees, my calves, my fingers, my singing, my voice … I have to learn to live with it now and stop questioning myself. At the beginning I would ask myself: Why me? How did this happen? What have I done? Is this my fault?”

Dion says it’s difficult physically and mentally to combat the condition, for which there is no cure.

“I don’t just want to wait. It’s morally hard to live from day to day. It’s hard, I’m working very hard and tomorrow will be even harder,” she says. “Tomorrow is another day. But there’s one thing that will never stop, and that’s the will. It’s the passion. It’s the dream. It’s the determination.”

Representatives for AEG Presents, which books and co-produces all shows at Resorts World Theater, have not replied to requests for comment about Dion’s status.

Dion announced she suffered from SPS in December 2022, halting her plans at Resorts World and her tour.

Related Stories

Review: Bad Bunny the bandido lights up the Wells Fargo Center on his ‘Most Wanted Tour’

Bad Bunny came to South Philly on Friday night for a sold-out show at the Wells Fargo Center.

It was the first time in Philadelphia for the Puerto Rican rapper, singer and influential cultural force — who was born Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio — since he headlined the Made in America festival in 2022.

The stop on his Most Wanted Tour was in support of his 2023 album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana — which translates from Spanish to English as Nobody Knows What Is Going to Happen Tomorrow — and a thumping, infectious celebration of Latino pride.

The Inquirer’s Rosa Cartagena and Dan DeLuca went to the show. Here’s their review.

Dan DeLuca: Good morning after Bad Bunny, Rosa. We saw Bad Bunny take the stage following an overture by the Philharmonic Orchestra Project (led by Grammy-winning conductor Carlitos Lopez), ride a horse, and entertain fans while looking down on them from a floating skybridge. How’d you like it? What were the highlights for you?

Rosa Cartagena: I am still so pumped. Sore, but energized. Bad Bunny is one of the artists who has defined my 20s. He’s delivered so much incredible music that has catapulted reggaeton, Latin trap, and Spanish-language music overall to a completely new level — all while simultaneously shining a spotlight on Puerto Rico’s political problems and resilience. My family and I love Bad Bunny and we have so much fun listening to him together, so what I was really excited to see was how the crowd reflected that, too: There were so many intergenerational families (including at least one abuela!) and it warmed my heart.

Inside the arena, the biggest highlight for me was his Latin trap section. Nadie Sabe was a great album, but I desperately wanted to hear such tracks as “Tú No Metes Cabra,” “Chambea,” and “Soy Peor.” I wish he performed more than snippets but I’ll take what I can get. He was his flirty, funny self — blowing kisses, waving, and winking at the crowd. The floating stage brought him closer to the fans at all seating levels and he had me tearing up at one moment when the lights went on and showed so many Puerto Rican flags, and he simply, quietly, soaked it all in from his perch.

Despite being a fan since the mix-tape days, I hadn’t seen him live before, but you’ve seen him a few times in Philly, right? How did this show compare?

D.D.: I’ve only seen him once before, actually. When he headlined Made in America in 2022, in the closing night show that, if the festival, which is canceled again this year, never comes back will go down as the last-ever MIA performance.

I enjoyed this more. What was cool about that MIA show was how he transformed the grounds into a Latinx dance party, making Jay-Z’s festival over in his own image and language. This was a really smartly staged arena show with top-shelf production — though the relationship between Bad Bunny and the audience is still what makes it special.

He did a lot of standing there and soaking in the adulation — it was a bit Evita -ish when he was on the floating stage, looking down on his people from the balcony. But who can blame him? The passion and appreciation for the ways he’s represented Latino culture and refused to compromise or cross over by rapping or singing in English is real. His audience loves him for it, as well they should.

Yeah, the Latin trap section was impressive. I could feel the bass coming up through the soles of my shoes.

Let’s talk about the staging. The orchestral introduction was classy, and created an Ennio Morricone Spaghetti Western vibe, fitting with the outlaw imagery of Nadie Sabe . A friend of mine on Facebook who’s also a non-Spanish speaker compared it to watching an Italian opera. You can be swept up by the emotion of the music, and the contours of the story reveal themselves.

R.C.: The orchestra definitely brought a level of class to the crowd ready for perreo — and that kind of genre-mashing surprise is part of why people love his sound. I see the bandido theme here almost in between Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter (which came out five months after Nadie Sabe ) and Taylor Swift’s brand-new The Tortured Poets Department , because it’s both bad boy and sad boy. (And unlike Beyoncé's country, he leans hard into Tex-Mex vaquero culture with a bolo tie and his mariachi-inspired outfit.)

But the resonance isn’t just contemporary. He also spotlights Puerto Rican folkloric music, like bringing plena performers to last year’s Grammys. Before he arrived onstage, the orchestra played an instrumental rendition of the iconic bolero by La Lupe, “Qué Te Pedi,” a beloved song that cuts across generations, proving what I heard from so many fans last night: He hasn’t forgotten his roots. It was also refreshing to hear his intimate, pared-down acoustic section, when he sat on the piano and crooned while holding a horse plushie.

D.D.: The piano section was sweet. Sitting on it, sort of like Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys . It was impressive that he could pull off a cocktail lounge vibe in a massive arena. And before “Qué Te Pedi,” the intro music was Billie Holiday’s “I’ll Look Around.” Mood music of the highest order.

The filmed interlude of a masked man riding across the desert was like Clint Eastwood in a Sergeo Leone movie crossed with Max von Sydow in The Seventh Seal . But when Bad Bunny actually rode in on a horse it was anticlimactic, a brief video screen talking point. And I was glad it was short, though: I was worried the poor horse was going to freak out in a room with 20,000 people!

The setup with two stages, plus the floating sky bridge — that worked really well. And the lights were spectacular. It seemed almost everybody was wearing the light-up Bad Bunny boot necklaces synced to turn the room green or red, in rhythm with the music. The only show I’ve seen that used that trick so well was the Weeknd at the Linc a couple of summers ago.

R.C.: Breathtaking, for sure. The orb lights were versatile and dynamic, at one point making a bridge (like our own Benjamin Franklin). He threw down. The only thing Philly fans might have missed was “Acho PR,” the track where he shouts out Bryce Harper and the Phillies .

©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.