Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Cure Reflections LA - Night 2

Setlist
Photos: Darrell / Hazyskyline / Olivier / Last Stars
Reviews: Orange County Register / LA Weekly
Audio: Dime / T.U.B.E.
Video: The Walk / Let's Go to Bed / Hanging Garden / Charlotte Sometimes / Splintered in Her Head / Boys Don't Cry - Killing An Arab - Jumping Someone Else's Train - Another Journey By Train / 10:15 Saturday Night / Foxy Lady / Subway Song / Other Voices / Let's Go to Bed - The Walk - Lovecats / Lovecats 1 - 2

Very sorry about the lack of updates, but I flew to NYC early this morning, and haven't had time. Also, I'm very sick. : ( Don't know when I will catch up, but if you guys can help me, by posting links to videos, photos, reviews, etc., in the comments for the appropriate show, that would be a huge help! Thank you so much!

73 comments:

  1. I know what you need!!....The Cure!!! ;)

    Get better man!

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  2. *sends good vibes to the universe*

    Get better soon, Craig

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  3. take a few days off completely Craig! and get better fast... the Cure is coming.

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  4. Sorry you're sick! I know The Cure for what ails ya!

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  6. you must fight this sickness dude, find the cure....all bad puns aside, get well soon! all the best...

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  7. I'm glad it's not only me that seems to get sick right before I go to a Cure show.. :p
    Just goes to show how incredibely dedicated we are as fans!

    Get well and good luck!
    Soak it all in, okay?! I don't want to see a single post from you during the show unless it's something stupendously good!
    Check out my recent tweet to you too.. ;)

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  8. get better soon, Friday is fast approaching

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  9. To healing and wellness, Craig!

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  10. Thank you, everyone. Hoping it's just a 24 hour bug, and to feel better tomorrow. I did not spend all of this money, and make all of these plans, to end up sick in bed.

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  11. Sitting in my seat waiting for the show. The sounds of birds chirping is very soothing. I might put speakers in my bathroom and pipe them in when I get back home.

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  12. @Medfly I bet you're having such a magical great time! I'm SO jealous! (in a good way :) ) Enjoy it then tell me! ;)

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  13. Wishing you a speedy recovery from your illness Craig! Rest up and take care of yourself. You will get better soon! The Cure is coming to you soon!

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  14. We'll carry on for you, Craig. Rest up and we'll see the reinvigorated you this weekend. :)

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  15. Don't worry at all, Craig. Your efforts are tireless. Rest up well, man!

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  16. Seriously, the last time The Cure was supposed to come to North America but ended up postponing the tour, I got a cold the day before the concert. I get very stressed out awaiting concerts.

    The more you rest, the better you'll feel. I'm glad you're getting to go to a concert, Craig, since you hadn't been to a Cure show in a while!

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  17. Feel better, Craig!

    I'm going tomorrow night on crutches...yay.

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  18. Just arriving home to catching up the events at Reflections 2nd night.

    I see that Craig is a little bit sick.

    My best wishes to you and i really hope that you get well very soon.


    This the most important now, you have to be full of energy for the NYC shows.



    :)

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  19. Alright. Just back to my friends pad.

    Tonight was amazing. Let me preface this by mentioning that this is my first Cure show since the Wish tour. I drove down from San Francisco for this. If it had been a regular gig I probably wouldn't have gone, even if it was in SF.

    I was massively impressed with the boys tonight. They were tight. They tore through all those tracks like the pro's that they are. The set list was the same exact one as Monday nights show so that was a little disappointing when it came to the encores. I felt they could have tweaked that just a little bit.

    As I was watching I thought to myself that this is a privilege and somewhat of a second chance. I was too young to see those early tours, and to be honest I didn't know who they even were at the time. Getting to know those albums in the late 80's I always wished I could have been around for those tours to hear these tracks played live. So to hear tracks like 'All Cat's Are Grey' and 'In Your House' live, I just kept reminding myself how special this was.

    Since it was the same set as the first night I won't bore you with track by track details. But I have to say one thing that kind of bothered me and it wasn't the band, but the crowd. Maybe I'm just being an old fart, but the amount of people with their camera's and their phones was pretty annoying. A couple of pics here and there is fine, but the place was lit up cause a third of the crowd was watching through their phones. Come on people, be present. Let professionals take the pics. They'll come out much better than your camera phone from 20 rows back.

    Thanks to Robert and the boys for a special night in my life. The only way this night would have been better is if they switched out the TIB lp for Pornography. Still, what a night.

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  20. all the best to you craig and have a good time in nyc.

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  21. Great show! Robert's voice sounded fantastic and I loved the overall energy level and vibe of the band. I was so happy to see Roger back behind keys. He adds so much to the band and not just musically. I felt really happy for Lol too. I am sure he is loving it.

    The crowd was blah, especially for LA. I was in the mezzanine and a guy behind me had to look up 17 Seconds on Wikipedia, since he had never heard of it! Classic! I loved hearing him read the description right before the set started. He really loved it though and was highly complimentary of their "post punk" sound.

    I think this was the first show I have been to in 20 years where the crowd didn't sing the keyboard part during Play for Today. That was disappointing.

    Despite the funky crowd I still loved the show. I can't wait to see what this band does next.

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  22. get well soon!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AAnnOR_2kM

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  23. Get well and get well fast, Craig!
    Just put a few pictures from tonight up here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.181027775322516.42552.100002458850426&type=1

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  24. No offense, Andy the Cure fan, but people don't pay to hear fans sing, but to hear Robert. You go to a lot of shows, so each concert means marginally less to you. I know you want to have a good time, but it's important to be considerate of allowing others to enjoy the full subtlety of the performances. I think security was right to step in and it was unfair of the guy to have to go to those lengths to get what he paid for.

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  25. There was a good 15 people around me having just as amazing of a time and didn't seem to mind.

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  26. here are some cure Reflections Live Pix
    http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150377945293029.352115.584763028&type=1

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  27. Shame to hear that the crowds are a bit disappointing in LA. It didn't seem to be the case in London; not that many cameras in the audience there, and the people around me seemed to be enjoying the show just as much as I did. The chorus on Play For Today was in full effect too in London.

    I guess not everyone can fully appreciate the specialness of these shows, and not everyone is as well-prepared as we are. But then, if you go into these shows expecting a 'normal' Cure concert, you're going to miss out on a lot.

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  28. Hello Craig

    Here:

    http://curefans.com/the-cure-live/2011-11-22-los-angeles-pantages-theatre-(usa)/

    We will update this topic as the information comes.

    Get well soon!

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  29. @andy when the farg did the "singing to loud" police ever get invited to a cure concert?

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  30. get well soon and enjoy the show.

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  31. Fantastic show. They sounded amazing. I agree about the crowd though. So many choosing to record rather than live. Some lady got thrown out because she was dancing and standing. The couple behind her complained and right at the beginning of TDM security came and she FREAKED and spat on the couple as they dragged her off. It was like a damn Jerry Springer episode. Hollywood is one wackdoo place.
    Amazing show. Robert seemed to be having a blast and I could understand everything he said. Funny bloke. At Night, All Cats are Gray and The Holy Hour were trascendent.

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  32. Andy, I'm sorry that dude got "confrontational" on you, but this probably wasn't the show for a singalong. (Then again, I'd argue that no show is.) Most of you "singers" usually aren't quite on key. So, best case scenario, you are on key and just diminishing the lead singer's presence in the mix. Worst case, you're off key and now you're introducing new notes into the song and throwing the whole key off. Either way, it's probably not the experience that the people around you paid to hear.

    As such, I think singing loudly is one of the rudest, most self-centered things one can do at a concert.

    It's funny though, as it seems people feel they are expressing their true fandom by this behavior. The irony is that those of us who are up on stage are looking down at you and feeling horrible for the people around you.

    Just an outside perception.

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  33. Andy, I'm sorry that dude got "confrontational" on you, but this probably wasn't the show for a singalong. (Then again, I'd argue that no show is.) Most of you "singers" usually aren't quite on key. So, best case scenario, you are on key and just diminishing the lead singer's presence in the mix. Worst case, you're off key and now you're introducing new notes into the song and throwing the whole key off. Either way, it's probably not the experience that the people around you paid to hear.

    As such, I think singing loudly is one of the rudest, most self-centered things one can do at a concert.

    It's funny though, as it seems people feel they are expressing their true fandom by this behavior. The irony is that those of us who are up on stage are looking down at you and feeling horrible for the people around you.

    Just an outside perception.

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  34. Excellent show overall. I agree with the others on this thread about the crowd. In case you were wondering who was shouting "Stand the fuck up!!!" in the Mezz area, it was I.

    The reception after every song was actually warm, but most of the audeience would care to only get up and dance a little during key moments such as "A Forest" and much of the encores.

    Anyway, I wouldn't want this thread to turn into a review of the audience, though it can have an impact on the show. I had flashbacks of when I saw them in San Diego 2008. Moving forward it was nice to see Robert talk a little about the albums and generally enjoy himself with his bandmates.

    It was great to see Laurence twirl his drum sticks for the Faith set and see Roger return. The hermonica played by Robert was a nice touch. The encore left me surprised here and there with b-sides and songs after 1981 such as "Lovecats", the closer.

    A couple personal favorite moments for me were "A Reflection" and "The Funeral Party"......mezmerizing even in a sober state ;) Seeing these early albums performed reminded me of how cerebral of a band The Cure is, especially back then.

    I hope to see them again very soon......A most treasured and memorable night.

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  35. I would rather have "off-key" singalongs around me as opposed to people being stoic and seemingly unengaged. A concert is all about getting into the spirit of things. Sure, we should all be respectful with one another, but at this point we're splitting hairs. And rememeber kids, there's always tonight's show ;)

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  36. Last night was simply magical. That is the only way to describe it. I'll post pictures eventually, but for now, I will briefly summarize:

    1) Roger is a positively lovely person and gives great hugs.
    2) Robert's skin is warm and soft (wait, that sounds pretty creepy!).
    3) The view from ORCH row D is spectacular, especially when the people in front of you are sitting down (to each his own).

    My comments about the crowd:
    1) If you are lucky enough to score near front row seats, you should try harder to make it to the show on time.
    2) Why are you cruising Facebook during the set? Your phone has the brightest screen I've ever seen, and it's distracting.
    3) If you wanted to watch a show through your camera screen, you could just watch a DVD. The TV screen is bigger.

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  37. Aside from singing (which I agree could piss off the people around) I absolutely make no apology for standing and dancing for the entirety of the show. I attended the show on Monday and paid a premium to sit close to the stage in an aisle seat. However, the Xanax laden debbie downers in the row behind me continued to make remarks that I should sit as I was "blocking their view." This is ridiculous people!!! It's the fucking Cure, playing live - rocking it out for three hours - Dancing and being on your feet is required. However, many concert goers just sat on their lazy ass - apparently they forgot they were not at the pantages to see wicked. I REALLY hope that the crowd next to me at tonight's performance has a better appreciation for the special show the Cure is playing.

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  38. There were waaaay more people sitting last night than on Monday. Like I said before, to each his own, but if you choose to sit, I feel like you can't complain about someone else wanting to stand. That might seem really contradictory, but it somehow makes sense to me.

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  39. I have been fortunate of dropping my iPhone and shattering the screen so no distractions have come during the show. That's a positive way to look at it.

    Also, a highlight of last night was a girl in front of me asking if they had played Just Like Heaven yet and having to break it to her that they had no intention of doing so.

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  40. Sounds like the Monday crowd was better than the Tuesday one.

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  41. By the way, the odd crowd didn't really affect my enjoyment of the show. If the crowd was better it would have increased my enjoyment by like 2%. :) I do think it is odd that people devote so much time to making shitty recordings with their phone instead of truly experiencing the show. I would have liked to stand during the show but I couldn't because of the section I was in but so be it. The show was still awesome.

    I loved The Holy Hour, Drowning Man, and Other Voices. I also loved hearing so many funny little songs from 3IB that I never thought I would hear live. Robert nailed the Weedy Burton!

    Robert was so easy to hear and understand too! That's a first.

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  42. I have to say for everyone complaining about the crowd i'm guessing you were in the Mezz section. The floor was lively and everyone was on their feet. It was a much more energetic and enthusiastic crowd than Monday's show.

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  43. Not where I was on the floor.

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  44. That's not the point, Andy The Cure Fan. If you're in a cinema and no one complains about someone talking during the movie, the one person who has the guts to do so isn't wrong. His way of listening (assuming he's not being hypocritical) allows everyone to hear the show fully. Your way, if everyone does it, allows no one to hear anything fully. That's why I'm thankful Robert captured it on DVD. One of the reasons I love Cure shows is there are so few die hard fans, I can actually hear and see everything. I can't do that at most shows.

    At my first show (which was Curiosa), I tried to do all those boisterous things, though I don't think I sang, but, afterward, I realized I couldn't really remember any of it; I wasn't in the moment and hadn't enjoyed it to its fullest. I really think the best way to enjoy music is quietly to get the full effect.

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  45. if you need some good vegetarian chicken soup, craig, i can name a few restaurants :)
    get better!

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  46. Does anyone know what time the band takes the stage?

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  47. @Mudfield: The cinema is a different sort of experience. For one it's not nearly as loud as a concert.

    People have various takes on embracing the music and taking in the experience. Granted, I don't enjoy someone being obnoxious, but I can appreciate a crowd that really sounds like they love being there.

    To simply observe a Rock concert is for some while others will verbally and physically engage, and I am one of those guys :) I do not think there should be shame in either respect.

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  48. @Peeling Gray Yeah, but a film is the same every single time you see it. A concert will only ever sound that exact way once, so it's even more important to be quiet. Furthermore, hearing someone else interferes with the subtle differences. Otherwise, why not just stay at home singing, shouting to the records?

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  49. @Peeling Gray, it's not equal. One person's way of listening quietly doesn't obstruct the enjoyment of others trying to hear the subtleties, while the person who wants to sing DOES. Unless you get the verbal consent of every single person that can hear you, you're putting those that don't want to hear your singing in a tough situation. The hypocrisy of those who want to make noise is they only want it to happen when they do it; if everyone exercised that behavior, you'd not hear anything very well at all; it would be a stream of singing and shouting and yelling throughout the show, which begs the question, "Why go see the Cure at all? Why not just stay at home and hear yourself?"

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  51. Peeling Grey said...
    .......Very interesting points. But, I think the concert experience will always have its surprises. It's a bit unrealistic to expect people (generally those you have never met) to abide by your expectations.

    I have never been to a show where everyone was so mild mannered. In addition some of the best ones were those shows where a majority of the crowd or at least my section were enthusiastic......Not obnoxious, but just very into it....On or off key.

    So why not just stay home and keep it in the privacy of indoors? Simple: Part of the concert experience is the comraderie shared with fellow fans....Maybe ones you have never met. In addition it's just not the same on TV for obvious reasons. You're watching electrons and not real people. I could make the same argument to watch it on DVD for the more mild mannered spectator as well. What you perceieve as "missing out", I perceive as embracing the band....It's love towards The Cure or any other group with a die hard following.

    You're absolutely right when it comes to both not being equal....But, that's the risk of getting into a room with a bunch of other people you do not know....Enter at your own risk I suppose. It's like expecting everyone to be a good driver when you are on the road :)

    I feel the "if everyone did it" stance is irrelevant because it goes back to my original point; Everyone is different and that scenario would never play out. And even if it did happen that everyone was shouting I guess the entire room would be happy anyway! lol...All things would be equal.

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  52. OKay, I got it....Next time The Cure should have one evening just for the loud and rowdy fans, and the other for the more mild mannered spectators....."An Evening with The Cure, no shouting allowed"

    I kid Muldfeld, I kid ;)

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  53. It's a strange moment when a band starts playing and you are literally the only one standing in your area. So much of a show is the energy that goes from the performer to the audience and back. But the ushers were telling us to sit down so I assume that's what the band wanted.

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  54. I didn't get any sense whatsoever on Monday night that anyone was being asked to sit down.

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  55. The ushers were asking you to sit? I take it they have never been to a concert. I seriously doubt that's what The Cure wanted. As a performer I dig it when people stand or look excited....Big acts like The Cure are no different.....And big acts like The Cure deserve to be in a room full of people standing.

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  56. I'll say this much: I'm willing to bet that a majority of the people sitting were afraid to stand, and deep down really wanted to. Now that's a shame.

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  57. Having been there Monday night I will say that I thought the security there was amazingly light. No frisking as you walked in, no embankment of bouncers in front of the stage. I almost wonder if after Monday night maybe the staff got together and said, "We'll need to enforce sitting tomorrow night."

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  58. Sounds like the Xanax crowd was in full force last night. And I'm not surprised there were people at the shows who did not know much about the 1st 3 albums. I talked to a customer of mine today who went Monday night and he was disappointed the Cure did not play Friday, Lovesong, JLH & close to Me. When I explained to him the shows were from The Cure's 1st 3 albums, he didn't know most of the songs on them. He thought this was a Greatest hits show!

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  59. Night 2 review - OC Register (great review!!!) http://soundcheck.ocregister.com/2011/11/23/live-review-the-cures-reflections-at-the-pantages/86003/

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  60. The ushers and management at Pantages appear to have literally zero experience at managing the crowds at rock concerts, and it shows. Expecting the crowd at a rock concert to behave in a similar fashion to the one for "Riverdance" is to fail and fail spectacularly. And they did.

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  61. If anyone is interested, here are some pics and a video I took from Night 2 at the Pantages:


    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2466563716827.123900.1634332051&type=1&l=b06322ad47

    http://youtu.be/iQXrkGScVLY

    Enjoy!

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  62. Craig! I hope you feel much better by this evening. You deserve to have a great trip. Thanks for sharing the great pix mojo. I am so bummed not to be experiencing this myself, but you great cure peeps keep the vids, pics, and anecdotes coming!

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  63. anyways-tons of ups and downers here about the tuesday show....blah blah blah....i first saw the cure in '85ish for Head on the Door, then the Kiss Me tour...whatever. I was young and the only things that i remember is from the first gig being on x and seeing the band leave in a van and playing soccer on a lawn next to a venue before the gig. cut to 2008 and a reluctant me going to the hollywood bowl for that amazing show and a reluctant me going on tuesday:

    the show was exceptional! great sound. great vibe. almost too much to absorb at once! days later i am still thinking about it....great show and truly a rare and special nite for those who made it. go if you can, you won't be disappointed. truly, a once in a lifetime experience.

    (vids @ youtube.com/justinwagnerdotcom

    cheers!

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    1. I know it's been awhile since the LA concerts. However, I would properly like to thank you for all the cool videos. Is there a way to get them from you. It would be cool to see them and show all my Cure friends. Again, my thanks for posting them on youtube!!!

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  64. After finally recoving somewhat from staying up for almost a day and a half, I can finally post my review for the tuesday Pantages show. I met someone who saw me at the monday show. Her name was Amy. She saw me in the front row the night before and asked where I was sitting for tonight's concert. I said, "Front row again!" as I pulled the ticket out from my pocket.
    My seat was dead center which was three or four seats from where RS was. I must have stuck out as a sore thumb. I was the only one wearing RED. I wore my Russian hockey jersey...the same one RS wore during the Gone video. The crowd around me was singing and dancing unlike the first night. There was this girl sleeping on her mom's leg!!! I have NEVER EVER seen someone actually taking a nap during a Cure show. That didn't stop me from having a memorable time. We got to hear three of the first albums straight through. It was almost like three different concerts wrapped into one. I was surprised to hear people's comments about not enjoying this historic and unique show. I think we as Cure fans get spoiled by 3 hour plus concerts. This was a special show everyone...not just for us hardcore fans...They were for the fan that maybe haven't heard these songs either on cd or live. I remember when I heard 100 years and Piggy in the Mirror live in concert YEARS after they were released. We all and I mean ALL of us started listening to The Cure at different times. If the casual Cure fan appreciates and likes the songs like say Doubt, M, and say Grinding Halt, then I think we gain another loyal Cure fan. Maybe I'm overthinking this alittle. However after reading people's reaction prompted me to respond. How fortunate we are to have witnessed this type of concert!!! Thanks to everyone around me singing, dancing and soaking in every second of the amazing experience. I had to go to work at 2am...only three hours after the concert. I'm STILL tired. But, I WOULDN'T trade going to two shows IN THE FRONT ROW for the world. I even watched some videos from the two shows on youtube. I always wondered what it would be like to see someone as enthusiastic as I am...now I know. I can now go online and experience The Reflections concerts and see how truly happy I was during the show. Life is good. Time to catch up on some sleep. Thanks to Craig for letting me post this review for the tuesday Pantages Cure concert.

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  65. Marc, I saw you up there both nights! I was sooo jealous, haha. You indeed looked like you were having the time of your life. I think my head would've exploded by now if I had been front and center two nights along with all the other amazing things that happened to me.

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    1. Ghanisbuli,

      Didn't know you were a part of the Cure people project. Wish I went and finally got to properly meet you. Was Scott's pictures the coolest or what?

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  66. Audio is up:

    http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=383680

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  67. We have more but, no time to post them. This was our point of view from the mezz row A

    youtube

    http://www.youtube.com/user/MsCarnage71#p/u

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  68. Thanks to my wife "M" for shooting these!

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