Sunday, September 14, 2014

The Cure at Chicago Riot Fest 2014

Riot Fest & Expo
September 14th, 2014
Humboldt Park in Chicago, IL
7:45 - 10:00 pm on the Riot Stage

Setlist: Open, Fascination Street, Sleep When I'm Dead, Push, Inbetween Days, Play For Today, A Forest, Before Three, Lovesong, Just Like Heaven, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, alt.end, Pictures of You, Lullaby, Close To Me, Hot Hot Hot, Wrong Number, The Caterpillar, The Walk, Mint Car, Friday I'm In Love, Doing the Unstuck, Bananafishbones, Want, Hungry Ghost, One Hundred Years, End.

Note: The end was odd. Robert said thank you and waved, then walked off. No "Goodnight" or "See you again". I think he was expecting that they would come out for an encore, but they were already past 10. Not their fault, since they had to start 4 minutes late due to Social Distortion not ending their set on time. I was so pissed at them. They wouldn't shut up!
Update: Mystery solved. They did plan a 1 song encore. Surprisingly, not 'Boys Don't Cry', it would have been 'Give Me It'. But thanks to Social Distortion's bullshit, they didn't have time. Thanks to Lana for providing this photo of the stage setlist and solving the mystery.

Photos: Sound of Violence / it's a perfect day / Chicago Sun-Times / 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Videos: Open / Fascination Street 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 / Sleep When I'm Dead / Push / Push & Inbetween Days / Play For Today & A Forest / A Forest 1 - 2 / Before Three / Before Three & Lovesong / Lovesong 1 - 2 / Just Like Heaven / Just Like Heaven & From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea / From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea / alt.end & Pictures of You / Pictures of You / Lullaby & Close To Me / Close To Me / Hot Hot Hot & Wrong Number / The Caterpillar / The Caterpillar & The Walk / Mint Car & Friday I'm in Love / Bananafishbones & Want / The Hungry Ghost & One Hundred Years / End  

Reviews/articles: Noisey / Gapers Block / Billboard / The DePaulia / Chicagoist / Chicago Mag / Consequence of Sound / Chicago Sun-Times 1 - 2 / Chicago Tribune


No webcast tonight, or for any of the Riots, but I will be doing the live setlist reports if all goes well, and there's a chance that it won't, given how difficult it is to get a signal in the park, but I'l do my best. Olivier will also be providing updates, if possible, at it's a perfect day.

My updates will be via Twitter (@CraigatCoF) and they should appear below in the widget. If not, just check my Twitter or check Olivier's updates. Either way, I'll get it all updated after the show. Here's hoping there will be some surprises to rush back and tell you all about. :)

So have a great time, don't get too muddy, and go see some of the other great bands playing today, and enjoy the other attractions. I'm hoping to see Billy Bragg, Tegan & Sara, Patti Smith, and hope to go through the haunted house, and catch a little of the Lucha Libre wrestling and burlesque show. Oh yeah, I might see that band The Cure. Heard they're pretty good. :)

66 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks, eric. It was a good show! The 1st half was very good!

      Delete
  2. The signal is brutal at the park. Fyi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, after about 2pm, I couldn't connect at all. Had to text the setlist to Twitter to get it to work.

      Delete
  3. Any word on after parties for tonight? My husband and I will be camped out on the riot stage all day. Look for the couple in matching leather jackets and nose rings.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Can You Help Me ?!
    A The Cure tee,size M,black ?! From tonight's Fest?
    As i am not able to be there...Will pay anyone who can help me,for the item + postage,of course...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I looked and looked and could never find a t-shirt for The Cure.....I was thoroughly disappointed.

      Delete
    2. thanks for looking anyway.
      Maybe they will be available in Denver?!
      If so let me know,please!

      Delete
  5. Have a great show, here in Iowa, it's shining across. (So close and yet so far...:) Hope everything dried out there. And secretly hope for some at least minor alterations of the setlist :) Enjoy...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Replies
    1. No, it was somewhat different. Not a huge change, but mixed it up a little.

      Delete
  7. cheers & thanks Craig, good work...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Shame the show ended like that. Time constraints?

    ReplyDelete
  9. That seems very odd, perhaps they thought they could sneak an encore in before the organizers noticed.

    Anyway THANKS CRAIG!!
    Better set than Toronto.
    I will be at the Denver show hoping that we get the best set yet! How did they sound? What was the energy level of the band? What was the crowd reaction?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Checked BottleRock setlist, almost the same. Don't they get bored with these same songs ? Thanks, Craig, for your live feeds. Hope you enjoyed it there.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I stood there in disbelief that they weren't coming back....so sad :( They always have an encore....
    Roger didn't seem like he felt very well. He looked very tired....I'm sure they all are.

    I wish I that I would've had a bb gun for the camera man who insisted on being right in front of Robert the entire time! That was uncalled for and I've never seen a camera man obstruct the view like that.
    No matter....I'm always thrilled to see them no matter what the circumstances ;) They never fail to amaze me!

    ReplyDelete
  12. The City has a hard stop at 10 pm... probably didn't help that the park is in the middle of a neighborhood with residences surrounding the grounds.

    ReplyDelete
  13. As I posted on the front page, blame Social Distortion. They went 4 minutes over there set time, which knocked the Cure schedule off by 4 minutes.

    And, yeah, the closeups of Roger were sort of worrying. I hope he's okay.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Might he be sick or something?

      Delete
    2. I don't know. He just seemed very thin. Too thin. Hopefully it's nothing. Not meaning to worry anyone.

      Delete
  14. I was hard on them last week (and rightly so) but will be soft and gentle this time and hope for everyone that when 2014 is through that will be it for festivals and we'll all be able to see an actual *Cure* show in 2015 with a new setlist.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Someone ought to tell Chicago Tribune that if they insist on blocking "Premium content" to those outside the USA, not to leave the text of the page visible in the View Source ;)

    ReplyDelete
  16. these shows are really boring at the moment. waiting for something more interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for the updates!! I'm looking so forward to the Denver show!! Sucks about the lack of encore, but it looks like Chicago had one extra song over Toronto's setlist so that's a good thing I suppose. Denver shouldn't have the same hard shutdown issues as Chicago, so perhaps it will be the best setlist yet!!😊

    ReplyDelete
  18. Those of you who were able to swing it are so lucky! I really hope Roger isn't getting "sick" of The Cure; they NEED a great keyboard player (in my opinion)

    I DO hope this line up will make or is working on a new album as it could be fantastic if they have a great batch of tunes to work with.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I bet they had been working or probably already have " a great batch of tunes".They all are very creative and constantly come up with ideas. Look at all the things Roger had come up with solo, same goes for Reeves. Robert ? It 's a constant flow with him, I guess, the ideas....

    ReplyDelete
  20. Singles and pop songs. This is disappointing.

    ReplyDelete
  21. My wish is to hear "Twilight Garden" before I'm dead ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad I could help ... hee hee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQp3oWdS7cw

      Delete
  22. To be fair, that audience had zero energy until they played Inbetween Days. Where I was standing at least, no one was singing except for me unless it was one of the hits. One guy next to me even commented that the first few songs must have been for the "die hard fans", which I thought was hilarious because they weren't even rare songs. The energy totally changed when the hits were played, and I'm sure the band could feel that. I really hope they start doing proper Cure shows instead of festivals, but I was just happy to see them again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Same in my section. Many only seemed to know or like the singles. And even then, very little singing/dancing. Got a very satisfying laugh when they started alt.end, and the girl behind said, "Why this song? I hate this song". I nearly turned around and proposed. :)

      There were a handful in my section who were really into it, but seemed like most knew very few Cure songs.

      Delete
    2. Totally agree about alt.end. Although The Cure album is my least favorite, there are far better songs than that one to choose from. I was very happy they did Before Three though!

      Delete
    3. alt.end is our punishment for so many people saying they were tired of hearing End of the World at every show. Well there you go. Now it's been replaced with alt.end, one of the most boring songs in the Cure catalog. Happy now? :)

      Love that we got Before Three! Make that a staple of the set. No one could complain about that.

      Delete
    4. beg to differ craig - I hate before three :) the worst cure song ever ... next to trust

      Delete
    5. Am I the only one here who actually likes alt. End?

      Delete
    6. I love it.....I was excited to hear it.

      Delete
    7. I'm an alt.end fan too ... in fact I'm a fan of The Cure album.

      Delete
    8. I think "alt.end" is quite OK.

      And its like the best song ever recorded compared to "Us or Them"...

      Delete
  23. Where i was standing it was amazing. People sang to everything!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I may have been in your section...I was singing my heart out to all of them ;)
      I'm still perturbed about the camera man staying in front of Robert the entire time....

      Delete
    2. will you attend Denver as well?

      Delete
    3. Maybe, if I can happen upon a good last minute flight.

      Delete
  24. Some of my thoughts on Chicago Riot Fest. These were posted to Twitter after getting back from the show:

    Home! Well, at the hotel. Damn that was a loooooong day. But one I'll remember forever! Had the best time. So many wonderful moments!

    Did everything I had hoped to. Saw Billy Bragg, Tegan & Sara, Patti Smith, The Cure, went through the Haunted House,got a Cheesies. Magical!

    Somewhat to my surprise, my favorite thing at Riot Fest was Tegan and Sara. Loved them. 1st time seeing them live & they were excellent!

    Starting the day with Billy Bragg was wonderful. He played a great set! Levi Stubbs, Accident, Milkman, Union, World Upside Down, New England.

    I saw a living legend, Patti Smith, sing Dancing Barefoot and Because the Night, at RiotFest. And it was pretty incredible.

    I also really loved The Zombie Army's Container 9 Haunted House. A little laughter, a little frightening, a lot of cool.

    And yes, I enjoyed The Cure's set. Especially the 1st half. After that it was the same old thing. But Before 3! Was so happy when that started!
    There's something so cathartic, so satisfying, about yelling Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! :) And Robert did a much better job with the lyrics tonight.

    I also really loved Play For Today into A Forest. And A Forest going into Before Three.

    The Cure played a very good show tonight, but I can't pretend that I thought it was great, or that it blew me away. It didn't. It couldn't.
    I say it couldn't, because sets like those are not built to wow fans like me. It's a festival. I get that, and I can't be disappointed.

    All in all, I had a good time during most of The Cure's set, but I never felt like it really caught fire. And the end was odd.

    Oh yeah, I also heard sets from Kurt Vile, Dropkick Murphys, and Social Distortion. And I enjoyed all 3. Weird! :)

    In summation,I heard a LOT of music today. Loved a lot of it, liked a lot of it, and hated nothing. Riot Fest was a blast! So glad I came!
    And now, I will shut up. I would have tweeted this earlier, but could not get a connection. That was the only negative today. Or was it?

    Just want to say again how much I loved Chicago Riot Fest. Pretty much perfect. Memories to last a lifetime. Now top it, Denver. :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. totally robbed, Give me It would have been an epic ending. Even though I like social D, i'd trade many minutes of their show for extra Cure show minutes!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It would have shocked the hell out of me. I was expecting a Boys Don't Cry encore.

      Delete
  26. I think my biggest problem with the Riot sets is that we know what they could be playing.

    What's happened to Stop Dead? Birdmad Girl? Charlotte Sometimes? Other Voices? The Top? Night Like This? Sinking? Just One Kiss? Burn? 2 Late? Harold & Joe? Cold? Same Deep Water As You? Torture? Baby Screams? Prayers For Rain? Strange Day? Jupiter Crash? Treasure? Trust? If Only Tonight We Could Sleep? Fight? The Kiss?

    All of these have been played in the last 2 years. Some only at Cure shows, but many at festivals. So my question is, why not mix a few of them into the sets? Not asking for all of them, though I wouldn't mind :), but just don't see why Stop Dead couldn't replace Mint Car one night. Why Charlotte Sometimes can't replace Hungry Ghost another night. Why Birdmad Girl couldn't take Caterpillar's spot for a show or 2.

    Or don't play any of those. Surprise us with 1 or 2 songs that none of us expect to hear. That was so much fun while it lasted. Really thought Robert would continue that at the Riot Fest shows. He's even said how much he's enjoying digging out old songs they never, or rarely, play. If you enjoy it, why stop?

    Yes, these are festivals and the sets are catered to the general public and casual fans. I totally get that. But these people really don't seem to care what you play, besides the 3 or 4 songs they actually know. It doesn't seem to matter to them if you play Sleep When I'm Dead or Just One Kiss. They don't know either one and will just talk through these songs until Friday, JLH, Lovesong, etc. are played. Then they'll make a loud yelping or whooping noise, sing the wrong words, and then repeat the entire process all over again. These people don't care! It's a party, a scene, a happening. A reason to get wasted. Most won't even remember the show in the morning. Stop catering to them.

    Bah, I'm banging my head against a wall here. It won't ever change. Just have to hope that they run out of festivals to play soon. I mean, there can't be many left that they haven't played in the last few years, right? Please?

    Watch for that Cure to headline Bonnaroo Festival announcement in a few weeks. :)

    *Sigh*

    Onwards to Denver and a 2 and a half hour set! Surely 2 or 3 of the above mentioned songs will find their way in right? Can someone try and convince Robert that Denver is really in Mexico, so we can get a Mexican style setlist? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm totally with you, Craig. I really don't understand robert's decisione about setlists. They've got an Incredible catalogue, it's crazy playing the same stuff over and over...the fanbase have to Hope in a proper cure tour or in events like trilogies...festival sets are becoming Boring. Anyway cross our fingers for denver

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    4. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    6. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    7. Blah Blah Blah...
      I really like or shall i say ADORE you blog and your CoF site over the years BUT ...this is The Cure nowdays.
      Anyway,do you want to sell your Denver ticket ? If so i d like to buy it.
      I mean i LOVE them whaterver the set-list will be ...
      After all as EATB said once : Nothing Lasts Forever...

      Cheers (Cure) mate

      ;-)

      Delete
    8. Figie,
      I love them too...but I'm not a Blind fan and I'm free to say that festival setlists are becoming static and it's a nonsense considering their Incredible catalogue.
      Cheers

      Delete
  27. snor-r-r-r-r-r... ... ...
    hey man, maybe the Band found playing to THOUSANDS of ppl standing in cold, ankle-deep mud UNinspiring...[can't believe i jst read this whole thread]

    ReplyDelete
  28. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  29. No pressconference before/after the show?
    Talk to us RS! Whats happening with 4:14 Scream?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hopefully Bill Parry has left it on top of his washing machine.

      Delete
    2. Why would you think there would be a press conference?

      And Robert isn't even allowing press passes anymore. No authorized photography of the band at Riot Fest.

      Delete
    3. Sorry, not allowing photo passes.

      Delete
    4. Oh didnt know that,

      Seems like every other band out there in their "size" want to have relations with the press. And when they make a few shows like the Riotfest thing they have a little pressconference.

      Not the same thing, but he did a few interviews at Teeange Cancer Trust in march... Although I admit it didnt go so well. Wasnt it after that he had to make a new interview with XFM to cerrect himself for sounding to negative about 4:14 Scream?

      Delete
  30. So one thing about Social D going longer.

    I was on the left side about 20 feet from the tent - right before The Cure was to go on and an older guy across the barrier went down in the middle of the crowd. Security pulled him over the barrier and it didn't look good - the person in front of me said she saw him move his legs but I didn't see any movement.

    I think they may have radioed over to the Social D stage and told them to continue on as they put the guy on a stretcher and got him out. I don't know anything official but Mr Ness may have actually saved the day (intentional or not)

    I hope they guy turned out alright - again it looked pretty scary.



    ReplyDelete