Top 10 Things I Observed at The Cure’s November 23, 2011
“Reflections” Concert at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood
10. Cameras were allowed (even high-end digitals) and you
could take as many photos as you wanted, just “no video recording” as the perky
usher told me.
9. The “Reflections” tour saw The Cure playing their first
three albums back-to-back-to-back in their entirety. Three Imaginary Boys was
launched in 1979. Then Seventeen Seconds dropped in 1980 and finally Faith
was issued in 1981. At the end of each album Robert Smith would say “I’ll see
you in a year,” as he walked off stage.
8. One of the beauties of seeing The Cure in concert is that
they are all about the music. There are no cheesy props on stage. There are no
flashing lights or political statements dancing across an LED screen.
7. Lol Tulhurst, who joined the group for the Faith album
looked stiff and out of place. At one point he flubbed the end of a song, which
prompted Robert to point at his eyes and then at Lol with a look that said, “Watch
me.”
6. The crowd at the Pantages was rather staid and not what I
expected for The Cure concert. Overall it was an older crowd that may have
jettisoned the eyeliner and crimson lipstick long ago.
5. The version of “Killing an Arab” was the best ever and
there wasn’t a person left in their seat.
4. Three albums in their entirety and three encores; a
slimmed down Robert Smith never looked winded.
3. Robert Smith’s little quips during the concert: “I
finally figured out what that song means” and “I’m off to drop acid” were
always funny and well-received by the crowd.
2. Speaking of Robert
Smith, his scarecrow theatrics during “The Hanging Garden” were somehow haunting
and Gothic.
1.
Robert Smith lamented a couple of times about the Internet and how “everybody
knows your business now” in reference to the publication of The Cure’s entire
set list by L.A.’s
online papers. To fix their wagon at the third Pantages show, The Cure gave the
first live performance of its new single “Scent” during one of the three
encores. This was a thunderous, dreamscape tune with no lyrics. Right after
“Scent” The Cure played the B-side that sounded like it could have been a
B-side to any song on Disintegration with dual keyboards at work. Toward the end
of the song Robert surprised everyone by playing the harmonica, which seemed
out of place, yet worked in the context of the song. Immediately afterward
Robert Smith announced, “See, I can play two instruments.” Oddly, no L.A. online article
mentioned this changeup by Smith and crew.
**Special thanks to FasoPhotography.com for the great photo of The Cure marquee.
I was also there, I can never forget that concert, it was a small venue and the Pantages offored a interesting background for them, before this concert, its been years I havent seen them played live and I was surprise of the quality of there playing, it seem that there songs seem better played lived then in a studio. Overall it was a mesmerizing show.
ReplyDeleteDavid Hardy