Saturday, May 28, 2016

The Cure in Ridgefield, WA (05-28-16)

May 28th, 2016
Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre in Ridgefield, WA
Parking lots open at 4:30 PM Pacific time
Outdoor plaza opens at 5 / Doors at 6
The Twilight Sad 7 - 7:40, The Cure 8:06 - 10:56
Get there early for The Twilight Sad! They are excellent!

Soundcheck: This Twilight Garden, The Snakepit, The Drowning Man, Freakshow, Last Day of Summer, Pornography, Shake Dog Shake

Setlist: Shake Dog Shake, A Night Like This, The Walk, Push, In Between Days, Just Like Heaven, Pictures of You, High, This Twilight Garden, Lovesong, Lullaby, The Snakepit, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, The Hungry Ghost, Want, The Hanging Garden, One Hundred Years, Give Me It

1st encore: Other Voices, M, Charlotte Sometimes, Play For Today, A Forest

2nd encore:  Step Into the Light, Never Enough, Fascination Street, Burn, Wrong Number

3rd encore: Hot Hot Hot, Let's Go To Bed, Freakshow, Close to Me, Why Can't I Be You?, Boys Don't Cry

Thanks to , , , , , , & everyone else who helped tonight.

Reviews: Spectrum Culture (also a review of Hollywood Bowl 1) / Willamette Weekly

Videos: Shake Dog Shake 1 - 2 / The Walk / Push / In Between Days / Just Like Heaven / Pictures of You 1 - 2 / Lullaby / The Hanging Garden / One Hundred Years / Other Voices / Charlotte Sometimes / Play For Today 1 - 2 / A Forest / Step Into the Light / Never Enough / Fascination Street 1 - 2 - 3 / Hot Hot Hot 1 - 2 / Let's Go to Bed / Close To Me 1 - 2 / Why Can't I Be You? / Boys Don't Cry 1 - 2

Periscopes: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 /

Read the venue's Event Guide for The Cure here.

Preview articles: Oregon Live / Portland Mercury






Christine will be giving us setlist reports tonight, but we can always use back up and any other help. So if you're going to the show and wouldn't mind sending in the live setlist or anything else, please let me know. Twitter, email, text, Facebook, whatever works best for you. Thanks!

Don't forget to try checking at the box office for last minute ticket releases. Also, I will be posting any last minute ticket offers on Twitter (I'm @CraigatCoF) and here.

77 comments:

  1. I am going to be driving home to Seattle after the show. Does anyone know if the parking lot is a nightmare getting out of? I don't want to sit in the parking lot for an hour or more after the show. Is the shuttle the safer option to get out of the venue relatively quickly? Any help is appreciated.

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    1. Every time I have gone to this venue it is surprisingly efficient and quick

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    2. Thanks. Do you recommend anywhere nearby to get a drink and some food beforehand?

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  2. Way to go Christine :). Looking forward to some deep cuts tonight !!! yay.... been 8 years since I saw the Cure and that was def a hits and nostalgia show.

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    1. Never mind that a band that's been around 40 years is still touring and sounding better than ever. If they don't play those 'deep cuts' it'll be a total disappointment! Also 8 years ago they were touring 4:13 Dream, so your revisionism is showing.

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    2. You're right, 8 years ago we got a new infusion of material and 4 or 5 songs were good, even great! Underneath The Stars is an all-timer, to me anyway. There's even a Cure cover band made up of Harry Potter geeks and they do 'Underneath The Stairs' if you can believe it. What would a Cure gig without nostalgic tendencies be like? Everything from the self-titled album in 2004 up to the newly debuted songs? That would be a pretty rotten show. They ARE a hits and nostalgia band that has managed to hang on to something most bands lose over time: their relevance. And we're not just talking old hits because they keep having them! Not for a while, but still... The 2008 Cure was a great band playing songs from all over the map and keeping them fresh and playing astonishingly well. This time around it took them more than three years just to get the guitar player to sound like he belonged in The Cure! Even that's a bit tenuous, again to me anyway. I absolutely detest that fucking phrase 'deep cuts', however...that's really all The Cure play and have ever played.

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    3. Randy

      Hmmm, they certainly didn't use the 2008 tour as an album tour. I saw them at the end of the Euro leg and play played a grand total of 2 songs from 4:13 Dream. Compare that to previous tours when they would play the majority of a new album at each show of a tour. Most shows in 2008 didn't even start with Underneath The Stars.

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  3. Tonight 'Portland' and tomorrow 'Seattle WA'! More than I could have hoped!! (note the sarcasm in case you missed it)

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    1. Well, Ridgefield is an hour from Portland. The Gorge is about three from Seattle!

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    2. And the Gorge is 5 to 10 times as expensive as a Seattle date, a shorter show and horrifying parking. Plus no single day passes...because there is no one ELSE of interest to anyone. That's obviously a bit of an exaggeration but it all amounts to the same.

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  4. Thanks for the information Craig!

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  5. anyone can help me and get for me a Tour programme , please?

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  6. So excited for tonight. It feels like it's time for Faith. :)

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  7. Or everyone's going to get Punk'd by Robert...
    😜

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  8. Getting the singles out of the way, this early in the set?
    Yeah, somethings definitely up tonight...

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  9. Damn that's an awesome sound check. I'm happy for everyone attending tonight.

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  10. Huh, only one obscure b-side in the main setlist so far? Seems pretty safe.

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  11. the setlist is probably the best so far imho

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    1. No it wasn't it didn't beat El Paso I think only M was new but they grouped songs in a way they haven't been doing which was kinda weird....plus shake dog shake???...is it 1985...great show!!! But it didn't beat El Paso Tx

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  12. Watching the set list as it gets reported. Will never forgive announcing Seattle and Portland but playing neither. Never.

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    1. Uh oh. Everybody watch out!

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    2. I'm sure you'll relish this bitter upset, straight to your end.

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    3. Sounds harsh, probably is. Saw Vancouver '81, Seattle '84, '85, '87 and '92. Missed 'em in '97 because they were somewhat directionless. They haven't been back since. Scheduled Seattle for 2007, postponed then rescheduled for The Gorge. That sucked. I'm not real sure they'll do another comprehensive tour and due to...well, lots of things really, I couldn't make The Gorge ($$) and couldn't make Portland (health). No one comes to Seattle these days except the big bloated boring old crap or the horrible pre-fab new crap. Was looking forward for four months to the announcement of the Seattle date...then The Gorge is announced. Massive disappointment since it was the only date on the tour I could make. Then seeing the set lists and hearing recordings of the earlier shows, it sounds as though Reeves' sound is at last fully integrated, something I wasn't sure was ever going to happen. That added to my disappointment. I notice everyone making jokes about the 'Seattle' or 'Portland' shows have attended or will be attending other shows during the tour. My one chance just, or what I thought was my once chance, was never going to be a chance at all due to someone's weakness in the old geography department. I'm disappointed but I'm certainly not going to dwell on it, it is just a concert. Considering how good those shows in the early 80s were, I'm not sure exactly why I'm so disappointed. I guess it's just that it may well be the last chance to see 'em in these parts. And that's disappointing. The only two cities on the entire world tour where concerts were announced but not played...and the only two I could make. Since that only happened to Seattle and Portland, maybe that's why no one else seems to understand? Who knows, who cares. I appreciate your concern for my well-being, it was touching! :))

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    4. They did play Everett WA (30 miles north of Seattle but still very urban) in 2004, I think they had to swap venues due to poor ticket sales. Except for the 'Lost' opener, the absolute WORST choice for an opener in the history of rock music by the way, it was an incredible concert and it comes across on the recording too. Three CDs (and 3 hours) of perfection.

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  13. Wonder how many people thought they were getting Pornography after The Hanging Garden & 100 Years...

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    1. Such is the danger of posting the soundcheck details...

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    2. I wasn't there but was watching the show unfold on Craig's twitter page (or whatever it's called). There were a few times I almost couldn't bring myself to click on the next new tweet, either didn't want to know what I was missing or didn't want to be disappointed because I was anticipating this song or that song, like you said it's the one drawback of reading about the soundcheck!

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  14. Just a couple more days to Simons birthday when they'll play faith.

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  15. Ridgefield Washington is a suburb of Portland...20 - 25 minutes. People, stop talking about what you don't know.

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  16. Ridgefield Washington is a suburb of Portland...20 - 25 minutes. People, stop talking about what you don't know.

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  17. Just a couple more days to Simons birthday when they'll play faith.

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  18. They have soundchecked The Figurehead and Pornography recently. When will they be debuted? I was hoping for these songs tonight. The Last Day of Summer would have been great as well in this singles heavy set.

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    1. Portland isn't THAT special....look they didn't even REWARD Los Angeles which is the biggest city for them in America....and before you start...calm down New Yorkers!!!!

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    2. Yep, they didn't 'reward' Los Angeles except for three nights in a row of three hour concerts with exceptionally tight live musicianship. Bummer all around.

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    4. I meant with a rarity..a debut...something special and outta the ordinary...Randy obviously you don't understand the impact L.A. has had however I just feel if cities which only very recently came upon the radar get Super Killer sets...the LA ones were just typical.

      You can breathe now...lol!!!

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    5. I agree to an extent...they were great but the set not the playing had been better just a few days prior...the band is playing the best ever....Randy whether you believe it or not.im not one of THOSE kinds of fans...I appreciate and actually like every release and every tour is a gift especially since so far I've been to 5 shows this tour....I've been a fan since 1983 and I in part attribute that to LA AND KROQ WHICH EXPOSED me to them...many of the Cure oldest and longest standing fans are here...so why not???😉

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    6. I'm a NY fan and even I have to concede that KROQ championed the Cure in their infancy here in the USA. It's a simple fact of life that back in those days you couldn't be a fan of a band you never heard, so KROQ deserves credit for everything from the Cure to the Bunnymen and even my beloved Killing Joke.

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  19. They're gonna debut the Pornography set in Vanvouver BC

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  20. Happy Memorial Day Weekend Craig!!!!!..are there gonna be more Portland videos...was hoping for more of the rare stuff????? Hopefully sir😵👏💥🌠🎊🎉🇺🇸

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    1. Same to you! Yes there will. Just added a bunch now. Hopefully more will be uploaded soon.

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    2. Jesus Christ Craig...lol I went away for like 2 hrs less than the time a cure concert last....well more like a DEPECHE mode concert....and BAM!!! A BUNCH OF NEW STUFF WAS MAGICALLY THERE..THATS IT THEY'RE gonna play the Blood tonight lol!!!!

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  21. I'm kind of shocked by all of the grumbling! The Cure played an amazing show last night, and I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to experience it. I really didn't think I'd be able to see them this tour, but then they announced the Portland show. Yes, Ridgefield, WA is not Portland... but it's 20-30 min away! There are even buses that go to the venue!

    I was thankful for each and every song they played last night. Of course there are always more songs I'd love to hear--I'd love to hear them all! But they sounded amazing, and I got to dance and sing and celebrate for nearly three full hours. What is there possibly to complain about?!

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    1. If Robert passed out hundred dollar bills to 20 people at the show, there would be at least 5 who would complain because the bills were old, not crisp new ones. :)

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    2. Again, I'll play devil's advocate- no offense to Craig and others, but you've seen some pretty badass shows and we have watched these setlist appear each night, sometimes with some stunning gems and sometimes... a little less than stellar- Yes, we should be grateful for any Cure show, you still can't fault people for relativity, and relative to a show where they play Burn and This Twilight Garden and All I Want and Bloodflowers and the 2 new songs and on and on, some shows will fall a little flat. If I only had one show to go to this tour- this tour of all tours, and I hit a night where they decided to play mostly singles and songs I've seen a dozen times over, I would be upset- even if I did get a 3.5 hour show with Closedown and the Last Day of Summer- great songs, but I have seen those songs live. I still hold out hope that the NY shows will be amazing, but I can certainly feel for those few fans who looked at the myriad of amazing songs being played and feel a little shorted with what they got. It's not that they are being jerks, they've just been conditioned to expect a lot from these shows. Again, when you see 12 to 15 shows, you have the luxury of being more humble with what you get at any given show, but when you have 1 show to see, you're more likely to feel more disappointment than fulfilled when you know what is possible.

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    3. Hundred dollar bills with Bobert on the face....totally happy and no complaints from me...since I wasn't fortunate enough to get a poker chip 💰🃏🎲🎁

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    5. This was my one and only show for the tour.

      I went about it completely differently. I chose to avoid as much news about the tour as I possibly could. I didn't want to know a thing about the setlists so that I could enjoy what I was given instead of spending the show thinking, "I hope they play this or that" and feeling disappointed if they didn't. Instead, I was surprised and ecstatic when they played B-sides and a brand new song. It was awesome to see Give Me It in all of its in-your-face weirdness. I loved Reeves on Wrong Number and Never Enough--singles, but they were great live songs! I could go on and on... But my point is, there, in that moment, I was watching my favorite band perform great songs and sound amazing doing it.

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    6. I'm not religious, but...AMEN.
      It is almost inevitable that some fans will feel a little short changed, others will be grateful no matter what,even if- as one person stated - they played only Coldplay covers (LOL), and still others might feel a little of both. It is only human nature to not be completely satisfied, especially when one knows what is possible.It is indeed completely a matter of relativity. It is easier to experience gratitude if one only evaluates each show at "face value" and not feel the temptation to compare with others, but owing to human nature it is virtually impossible not to compare or have a certain level of expectation. That said,I am certainly glad they are on tour again. Wow, it just dawned on me that it's been almost exactly sixteen years (5/28) since I attended my first Cure show. I was a "late bloomer" who didn't discover the band until just before the dawn of Bloodflowers (pardon the pun!). I was certain at the time that would be my first and only chance to see the band. Never would have imagined then that they would still be around more than a decade later.

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    7. The above was in response to Cyril... sorry for any confusion.

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    8. The only way I, personally, see getting upset is from seeing something amazing listed at the soundcheck and then having them not play it. My solution is to avoid reading the soundcheck, which I am very grateful to Craig for not posting them on the main page until after the fact. Idk why the soundcheck would upset me, because I'm aware the band doesn't just soundcheck songs they are going to play- I think it's just the idea of being so close, but just missing it... Honestly, there are too many songs on this tour that I hope to hear, so I have to control my expectations and as ghanisbuli said, just watch my favorite band in the moment. I mean, it seems to me, even the "lesser" shows are still getting Burn, which, to me, is worth the price of admission alone.

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    9. Right on, Cyril! :)

      The only thing that really disappoints me is a show that's cut short. I experienced that in Vegas in 2009, and I definitely sympathize with last night's Sasquatch attendees.

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  22. Cyril you're right but I'm sure to some we sound a bit like Ingrates!!!

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  24. Snakepit, Other Voices, M, Twilight Garden, Hanging Garden, Give Me It, Burn, Charlotte, Play For Today, a solid version of A Forest. What's to complain about? Oh, they didn't debut any songs? I was there and it didn't bother me one bit. Ridgefield was a solid gig. There was something for everyone. Those in attendance, at least from what I saw, enjoyed the show. Band sounded tight and the mix was spectacular. I guess I don't see what there is to complain about?

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    1. Multiple people I know said it was the best Cure show they've ever been to. My #1 is Everett 2004 (and probably always will be). This one is my #2.

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    2. This show got Burn AND This Twilight Garden, which are the 2 biggest songs on my wishlist, so I would have been ecstatic. The Snakepit and Give Me It would both be new for me and Hanging Garden, Other Voices and M and those are all just great live songs, so I would have been very happy at this particular show. I'd be sad that I didn't see 2 Late or Exploding Boy or ICNBTS, but for me, Burn and TTG trump all others.

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    3. I was fortunate enough to attend the Everett AND Ridgefield shows, and up until Ridgefield Everett was was my second best show. And after 20 shows I have a fair amount to compare it to. Ridgefield is now #2 Everett #3, but night 2 at the Greek in 2000 is still holding firm at #1! I saw reflections which was pretty special, but I tend to view those differently than a proper Cure tour.....Ridgefield = AWESOME SHOW!!!

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    4. Yeah, that IS a pretty stunning setlist.

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  25. ghanisbuli - I agree with you ... i was also at the everett show

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    1. I was fortunate enough to attend the Everett AND Ridgefield shows, and up until Ridgefield Everett was was my second best show. And after 20 shows I have a fair amount to compare it to. Ridgefield is now #2 Everett #3, but night 2 at the Greek in 2000 is still holding firm at #1! I saw reflections which was pretty special, but I tend to view those differently than a proper Cure tour.....Ridgefield = AWESOME SHOW!!!

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    2. I agree about Reflections--AMAZING, but a different beast. I don't include those in my rankings.

      I've been fortunate to go to eight shows (including three nights of Reflections). I'm thankful for all of the shows I've attended, but the other three concerts (Sasquatch 2008, Vancouver 2008, and The Pearl in Las Vegas 2009) just don't compare to Everett and Ridgefield. 4Tour-era Cure wasn't in their prime sound, in my opinion. Poor Robert wasn't feeling well and lost his voice at Sasquatch. He was doing a lot better the next night in Vancouver, but he was still off. At The Pearl... things went wrong.

      I'm so glad that I've gotten to experience two of your top three out of 20, because I feel like that says a lot more than my eight.

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  26. Cyril you're right but I'm sure to some we sound a bit like Ingrates!!!

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  27. Freakshow? seriously ?
    What is the reason why they play that song?
    If they have hundreds of better songs.
    I think Robert wants to avoid offering the perfect concert, so it does.

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    1. Freakshow is a Freakshow ;). I don't think Robert even wants to properly learn the words to that song. In my opinion, they play it because it's fun! Robert played the cowbell (which may be his best instrument, according to him) and danced around without a care. That whole encore was a silly dance party. A super fun way to end the night!

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  28. The concert in Ridgefield was absolutely fabulous!! No complaints here!!

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  29. It was an amazing long show! I really liked the little changes and flares added to some of the songs. I was hopeful that Pearl might be on this tour as I haven't seen that incarnation of the band live, but Reeves was awesome and I an not dissapointed. His playing and knowledge of the music really impressed me.

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  30. It was an amazing long show! I really liked the little changes and flares added to some of the songs. I was hopeful that Pearl might be on this tour as I haven't seen that incarnation of the band live, but Reeves was awesome and I an not dissapointed. His playing and knowledge of the music really impressed me.

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    1. Not sure we've seen the last of Pearl (Porl), although the likelihood of him re-joining full time is almost nil. Roger would have to go, for a start. But I'm right there with you. Who knows... Maybe an encore sometime somewhere somehow???

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