The Majesty of the Cure’s Live Show

Dear Listeners,

Earlier this week, I heard “your picture,” One of many great singles from the British band Treatment, on the subway. This is a song I’ve heard about a million times, but when I listen to it, it still feels like time has slowed down and everything around me floats in a romantic haze. I’m almost certain the strangers sitting across from me had a quick conversation about directions. But when Robert Smith dreamily exclaimed, “Remembering you standing still in the rain, I ran to get closer to your heart,” said one of them. I convinced myself that actually expressed unrequited love.

That was the perspective-shifting spell cast by The Cure on the final night of three sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. Given that her longevity, stylistic versatility, and staggering number of singles, Cure can all too easily be taken for granted. But the buzz surrounding this current US tour is that The Cure is the hottest rock tour of the summer.Yes, really,’ proclaimed in a recent headline rolling stone This suggests that we’ve finally decided to appreciate the glory and enduring weirdness of this unlikely Sixties rock god all at once.

And today we’re going to do the same here at The Amplifier. The playlist is fully excerpted. The Cure live album. (Read while listening on Spotify.)

Earlier this year, Smith became something of an internet folk hero when he openly criticized Ticketmaster for routinely adding mysterious fees to tickets purchased by fans. He also tried to limit scalper resale to keep prices affordable. (In a rare concession, Ticketmaster agreed to partially refund some Cure fans.)

Thursday night, I got the feeling that this wasn’t something Smith was doing just to show off. This band clearly cares about their fans.

Merchandise prices were the lowest I’ve seen at a venue like The Garden in years. T-shirts were $25, about half the price of most arena-filling acts these days. And on stage, as Smith radiated his heartfelt gratitude, I was riveted to see it. He spent his first five minutes of the set walking around the stage, staring intently outside. It seemed as though he would almost succeed in the impossible task of making meaningful eye contact with all the thousands of people in the audience. arena.

Yes, Smith still styles himself like a sweeter, gentler version of The Joker. But that’s the only concession the band makes on stage. The Cure kept the audience in a trance without using any of the special effects, fireworks or cutting-edge visuals that most other artists use in venues of this size. Here, the six guys just play their instruments and occasionally strike rock poses, but mostly just let the music speak for itself.

At 64, Smith’s voice is eerily well preserved. There, in the present tense, the rafters filled the hall. It was that same peculiar, piercing howl heard on such beloved records as “Three Imaginary Boys,” “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me,” and “Disintegration.” But perhaps the live show’s most striking revelation is Simon Gallup, one of rock’s most aptly named bassists. He played his instrument low, constantly reminding the audience how integral his playing was to The Cure’s overall sound. In the dark depths of Cure’s songs, Gallup plays so relentlessly that his bass riffs are played by Smith and Reeves Gabrels (for great rock names) on guitar. As much as it is, it is usually easy to hum.

Today’s playlist celebrates Cure’s reign as a premier live act. In the afterglow of 1992’s Wish, it’s mostly filled with recordings from the past decade or so, save for a few tracks from 1993’s excellent live album, Show, recorded in Auburn Hills, Michigan. ing.

You can hear songs from the band’s headliner set at UK event Bestival and festivals like Smith’s artist-curated Meltdown Festival in 2018. Many of the songs appear on Anniversary 1978-, one of the most perfectly recorded of The Cure’s late live albums. 2018”, he recorded a career-spanning winning set at Hyde Park in London. An enveloping majesty can be heard in these recordings. “Plain Song” A bouncy bounce of the eternal singalong “Just like Heaven” And the slightly slower tempo they’ve been playing “Boys Don’t Cry” It taps into some of the opulent vibes of the once lavishly arranged post-punk song.

May the entire playlist transport you into a dreamy rosy mist that brings drama and romanticism to everything.

Let’s cut the conversation off and go outside for a bit.

lindsey

amp playlist

Listen on Spotify. We will update this playlist with each new newsletter.

“The Majesty of the Cure Live” tracklist
Track 1: “Pictures of You (Live in Hyde Park)”
Track 2: “Love Song (Live in Hyde Park)”
Track 3: “In Between Days (Live in Auburn Hills, Michigan)”
Track 4: “Just Like Heaven (Live in Hyde Park)”
Track 5: “The Last Days of Summer (Live in London)”
Track 6: “Plain Song (Live in Hyde Park)”
Track 7: “Friday I’m In Love (Live In Auburn Hills, Michigan)”
Track 8: “Boys Don’t Cry (Live In Hyde Park)”
Track 9: ‘Jumping Someone Else’s Train (Live at Bestival 2011)’

Bonus track

As with every Friday, we’ve selected a playlist worth of new releases for you to enjoy this weekend. This time, you can listen to the following collaborations: Beck and phoenix, Amanda Shires and bobby nelsonand a brand new truck from aphex twinamong other gems.