Remembrance of Things Past: June 20th 2008: The Cure Brings 'Goth' To Madison Square Garden
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Artist:
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Album:Galore - The Singles 1987-1997
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Remembrance of Things Past: Friday Night The Cure at Madison Square Garden:
1) Wake up to "Six Different Ways" set on my alarm
2) Doodle Robert Smith on a spare scrap of the NY Post
3) Re-read all his infamous interviews from Rollingstone looking for inspiration
4) Think about how guilty all those major labels that first rejected the skinny kids from London's Crawley suburbs back in the day. Think about how many bands I know currently in the same predicament and surviving off ramen
5) Smirk at Bob's quote to Rollingstone per Disintegration "I realized at this time that, despite my best efforts, we had actually become everything that I didn't want us to become: a stadium rock band [laughs]." And thank god they became a stadium rock band still touring to this day
6) As the sun sets, enter a Subway car filled with spray-paint that looks like mucus, surrounded by middle-age goths, and head to Penn Station- which not surprisingly filled with more middle-aged goths
7) Stroll to Penn Station, pondering how most of the goths look like they had put on their 'goth gear' for the first time in 10 years. Their spiky collar necklaces and leather pants look a bit snug.
8) Down a vodka tonic at a bar nextdoor - remembering seeing The Cure live was an ultimate life goal since the time of 5 years of age.
9) Make mental note to ask my mom if I was named "Faith" after their 1981....(born a wee pup in 1982, it would be highly probable---- if my grandma's name weren't Faith.)
10) Regret downing the vodka tonic as I lug my 2 foot camera equipment to the soundboards mid-way back in the arena. The photographers were relegated to shoot way back in the crowd bc Fuse TV had commanded the front stage. (Note to readers: hence the long-range shots. See Fuse Link below).
11) Watch as the lights dim and Robert Smith alights the stage- looking like Buddha meets Edward Scissor-hands.........with trademark heavy eyeliner, lipstick and hair like a crow's nest painted black.
12) Revel in the fact Smith's voice has retained its depth and timbre despite the years as he emits his first few lyrics and the microphone thunders a bit
13) Stand on a chair and meagerly shoot above people's heads though I can't see '*#&@(' b.c. the whole stadium is standing.
14) Snap snap snap snap
Porl Thompson
Jason Toop Cooper in back sporting some crazy hair
Simon Jonathon Gallup
Remembrance of Things Past: Friday Night The Cure at Madison Square Garden: (CONTINUED):
15) Go back to my seat after 3 songs, sweating and sighing that mid-stadium photography ain't made for a 5 foot tall pixie.
16) Realize and rejoice that I can see and hear better from my seat than the 'camera pit' (oh the irony)
17) Sit back and relax as the music floods my ears. Remember the quote: Remember the quote: With "A Forest" I wanted to do something that was really atmospheric, and it has a fantastic sound. Chris Parry said, "If you make this sound radio friendly, you've got a big hit on your hands." I said, "But this is how it sounds. It's the sound I've got in my head. It doesn't matter about whether it's radio friendly." He sometimes thinks that I'm willfully kind of stopping this from having more success, but I'm not. One of the reasons people like the band is because they're never quite sure what's gonna happen next. If we were predictable, we wouldn't have really lasted this long."
18) Buy a bud. Wish I was born in an earlier generation.
19) Wonder when they are going to play "pictures of you"
20) Think about who that songs reminds me of my 2nd love and then think about for how many people that song reminds them of their second l(not first nor third) love and why.
21) Remark that even in the huge theater it still sounds like Smith's whispering into your conscience.
22) Hear "Pictures of You," "Lullaby" and "Fascination Street" in a row- while the whole stadium frollics and claps. Wonder how a man with such gothic sensibilities penned crisply romantic, unabashedly pop songs- while still managing to look miserable performing them (gothically, mythically and fascinatingly miserable). He's gothically brilliant baby.
23) Note how the chords to Lullaby echo especially crystalline in the depths of Madison Square Garden.
24) (After an hour or so) Realize I don't know all the Cure songs like I thought I did and then look around and realize the rest of the arena doesn't appear to either. For 3 or 4 songs- everyone gets up and gets a beer. I chat with Danny my partner in crime.
25) Then they play 'Just Like Heaven' and I get another buzz. The musical kind that gives you a faster beating heart and lighter limbs. The buzz lasts till 'Friday I'm In Love,' in which about 5029 people kissed all at once.
26) Wonder how many people there had bought the original tickets from September of last year and waited this long to see The Cure live again. Check out the crowd and see if I can spot the die-hards.
27) Wait for the inevitable encore and then clap like I didn't know it was coming
28) Knowing we are in the home stretch, rave like I just don't care. Along with thousands of people doing the exact same
29) Get a chill thinking how crazy that Smith wrote "Killing An Arab" at 16 and is playing it now in middle-age in a stadium of worshippers
30) Remark how such stadium have an remarkable quality to make a song you know my heart sound like you are hearing it for the first time.
Three hours, thirty songs later and thirty thoughts later- I left light-heated and beaming.
Check the rest on FUSE TV:
http://www.fuse.tv/ontv/shows/fuse-rocks-the-garden/
SETLIST: Underneath the Stars / Prayers for Rain / A Night Like This / The End of the World / Lovesong / To Wish Impossible Things / Pictures of You / Lullaby / Fascination Street / From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea / The Perfect Boy / Hot Hot Hot! / The Only One / Wrong Number / The Walk / Sleep When I'm Dead / Push / Friday I'm in Love / Inbetween Days / Just Like Heaven / Primary / Shake Dog Shake / Charlotte Sometimes / 100 Years / Baby Rag Dog Book // ENCORE: If Only Tonight We Could Sleep / The Kiss // Freakshow / Close to Me / Why Can't I Be You /// Boys Don't Cry / Jumping Someone Else's Train / Grinding Halt / 10:15 Saturday Night / Killing an Arab
Comments (14)
"Stroll to Penn Station, pondering how most of the goths look like they had put on their 'goth gear' for the first time in 10 years. Their spiky collar necklaces and leather pants look a bit snug."
Ouch. I resemble that remark!
I saw The Cure once before you were born (eek!), and then for the 2nd time when you were a toddler. That second time was the best -- they played at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston supporting The Head On The Door album. I was in the last row of the balcony, my skinny goth legs in my skinny goth jeans standing atop the arm rests, leaning against the back wall of the place, so much smoke on stage that all we could see was that crow's nest of which you speak, and even that was only every third song or so...
Sigh. The goth old days...
ahhhhhhhhhhhhh I wish I was there.
I wish I saw them while young and fresh- instead as a stadium band that Smith's so ashamed of.
Envious indeed!
Here's the highlight, out of the 3 cure shows I had the pleasure to experience this past month
Faith - Happy Birthday Simon, The Shrine Auditorium
sweet....but i can't get it to play?
Bummer, the 'ole embed audio into a comment trick, doesnt seem to take any more
You can d/l it here :) for a limited time
http://foxtailsomersault.com/music/33_Faith.mp3
3 hours, 30+ songs? Incredible! Smith and the crew really made it worth the wait. I just listened to "Facination Street" earlier today. Glad the sound was perfect - MSG is sometimes hit or miss. I was curious as to which show would be better (RCMH or MSG)?
3 (or 4) years ago at Curiosa, I had the opportunity to co-coordinate a meet & greet w/ Smith. My wife is a huge fan and I am not as obsessive but really rediscovered them when we got together. About 15 minutes before Interpol hit the stage, the Geffen publicity person brought him out and pointed for me to come their direction. I froze. I completely forgot everything I was going to say and it was really the first time I got nervous meeting a someone. I'm typically very calm around musicians - even if their my idols (so to speak). I shoke his hand and immediately told that "Anniversary" was my favorite track off the then new record. He soon after gave me a saddened look and said "I'm sorry we're not playing that one tonight." :(
So I take them over to the group of retailers (then mostly Tower Records and FYE managers) and a couple of contest winners but first introduced him to my wife (we married earlier that year). I said "This is my fiancee, Kathleen..." (oopps) I quickly stuttered step my way out of that one and decided it was best not to speak for the rest of the evening. I let the others do the talking. A memorable moment from a few years back...
Yeah, sounds not only like a cure concert, but a great one at that
Nice pics indie!!!
yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I hope this brought back good memories of prior Cure concerts... you lucky fellahs you!
wow, i had the same experience with the whole, "not knowing as many cure songs as i thought i did... the crowd didn't either" thing. but unfortunately it was the entire concert?! i saw them in germany at the hurricane festival in 2004 and i don't think they played ONE of their hits. i was so disappointed! i'm glad yours was a little more memorable though!
Great post indie! -- I saw them at George Mason University's Patriot Center in VA on the first day of this tour and was blown away by how great they sounded and how long they played. (Yes, I too had been holding tickets since September!)
It was worth the wait -- they're doing a big career spanning show. It's a great victory lap for Robert and the boys around America -- they truly deserve it!
I posted a short review of that show that got lost in the great MOG crash several weeks ago -- but I think I used the term "Springsteen-like" for the length of the show.
Awwww...makes one nostalgic indeed - last time I saw them, you were a toddler as well... Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me was the album at that time.....
"Like Cockatoos" my fav
she walked out of her house
and looked around
at all the gardens that looked
back at her house
(like all the faces
that quiz when you smile... )
and he was standing
at the corner
where the road turned dark
a part of shiny wet
like blood the rain fell
black down on the street
and kissed his feet she fell
her head an inch away from heaven
and her face pressed tight
and all around the night sang out
like cockatoos
"there are a thousand things" he said
"i'll never say those things to you again"
and turning on his heel
he left a trace of bubbles
bleeding in his stead
and in her head
a picture of a boy who left her
lonely in the rain
(and all around the night sang out
like cockatoos)
I kind of expected "31) Go home and cry 'til the mascara runs because this might be the last Cure tour ever." But I guess not. ;-)
Wow. Awesome play-by-play of the Cure experience. Great pics. Thank you for that. I love the Cure, but never got a chance to see them yet.