On May 12th, the Cure stopped by Houston to play their sold-out show with support from post-punk band the Twilight Sad.
The English band announced their North American tour around Mid-March, where they state upfront that they face priced tickets to benefit fans and have made efforts to block scalpers and the ingloriously inflated resale prices. The tour sold out in minutes, and drama ensued with lead singer Robert Smith versus the Ticketmaster platform, as they were continuously selling “platinum seats” for more than double the price. In the end, Smith won the battle and it’s safe to say that tickets went to all of the goth rock fans in Houston.
The band promptly came on around 8:15pm to the sound of thunder and rain. Smith walked the entire stage, greeting cheering fans all over the venue. Everyone picked up their instruments, including Smith, and started playing the elongated intro of “Alone,” followed by “Pictures of You.” When Smith wasn’t holding any instruments, he would gallop all over the stage and sing to the cameras set up on the edges of each side. The crowd went nuts when the Cure played the first riff to “Lovesong,” which is one of their best known songs that has been covered by artists like Adele and 311.
Throughout the night, the Cure played an extensive setlist full of classic songs from their albums The Head on the Door, Disintegration, and Wish. All of the songs flowed right into each other, which made the moody instrumentals to songs like “Burn” and “Primary” feel all the more enticing. The band walked off stage during the 15 song mark, and immediately returned for the first encore. Smith made the comment that they were barely halfway done, which made the adoring crowd roar.
For the first encore, they played five songs, including the addition of “A Thousand Hours,” a track the band played once in 1987 and have now included it for this round of the tour. During this set, the synth was more audible and the band had multiple bursts of energy, finishing this portion of the show with an immaculate rendition of “A Forest.” The band walked off stage once again, with the audience flashing their lights and cheering for their return.
As everyone gathered on stage once again, they immediately began with “Lullaby,” which was full of emotion of what describes Smith’s past battle with drugs. Before performing “Six Different Ways,” Smith brought out the keytar and joked about wanting to do a solo for Houston but refrained from doing so. They continued to play the hits like “Friday, I’m In Love” and “Just Like Heaven,” before ending the set with legacy song “Boys Don’t Cry.”
While the Cure’s set lasted about three hours, it surely didn’t feel like it. The way the setlist was organized, their constant interactions with fans and the practice of short intermissions throughout made the night fly by. The goth rock legends performed the hits, as well as gave the true fans a taste of the classics. The Cure has been around since the 1980s, and it seems like their momentum continues to rise with effortless performances despite their age. On top of the aesthetic visual assets and collectivism on stage, the show was definitely full of pure jubilation and definitely pleased the Houston goth crowd.
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