Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Cure in Lodz (Oct. 20th, 2016)

Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland
Tickets still available
Early Entry Doors at 5:30 PM / Doors at 6
The Twilight Sad 7:30 - 8:10 / The Cure 8:35 - 11:20
US start times for The Cure are 2:30 PM Eastern, 1:30 PM Central, 12:30 PM Mountain, and 11:30 AM Pacific
Get there early for The Twilight Sad! They are excellent!

Setlist: Plainsong, Pictures of You, Closedown, High, A Night Like This, The Walk, Push, In Between Days, Boys Don't Cry, Charlotte Sometimes, The End of the World, Lovesong, Friday I'm in Love, Just Like Heaven, The Last Day of Summer, Want, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, One Hundred Years, Disintegration

1st encore: It Can Never Be The Same, Burn, A Forest

2nd encore: Shake Dog Shake, Fascination Street, Never Enough, Wrong Number

3rd encore: The Lovecats, Lullaby, The Caterpillar, Close to Me, Why Can't I Be You?

Reviews: Wyborcza / Anty Radio / Muzyka / Dziennik Lodzki

Photos: EPA

Videos: Robert tells a joke? & It Can Never Be the Same / A Forest /

Periscopes: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 

Twilight Sad setlist: Reflection of the Television, Last January, I Could Give You All That You Don't Want, Seven Years of Letters, It Never Was the Same, There's a Girl in the Corner, And She Would Darken the Memory

Twilight Sad Periscopes: Reflection of the Television

Thank you so much to for the setlist reports, and to , , and for the scopes!

20 comments:

  1. For sure there will be live on thecure.pl ;)

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  2. We're here �� nick and si from the UK

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  3. We're here nick and Simon from the England and it's chucking it down 👎👎

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  4. Robert said he'd picked up a bug in Berlin,so was feeling under the weather. You could tell on a few songs. The end of 'A Forest' was great with Simon only playing one note, Robert looking horrified, and then picking up the bass and finishing it off as normal.

    It is still raining.

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    1. The Forest Cut -- a great moment! Cant wait to see it. So far all YT videos unfortunately "cut" (yeah, i know) right after Robert buries his face in hands with horror. Simon played the audience well, though! (as if saying "Gotcha!").

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  5. A killer version of 100 years today. Absolutely amazing.

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  6. Left on the first "Wrong number" notes, by the end of the second encore. I'd be really interested in a proper conversation about this concert. Rainy day in Lodz. Polish city with a strong industrial past. Close as can be to a gothic urban vibe. My 13th Cure concert in 29 years. 2011 Reflection in NYC was brillant. After the first three songs tonight, though, what i had in mind during the whole performance was the Royal Albert Hall in 2014, and the Guardian review of that show by Caroline Sullivan. I've always considered Smith's reply at the time as not very relevant, if not disrespectful, considering that Sullivan was obviously a loyal admirer. After the first three songs tonight in Lodz - a glorious introduction - and all through the rest of the show, i've been thinking: Sullivan was so absolutely right. I also was at the Royal Albert Hall, and if i was eventually carried by the enthusiasm of the band, it was, obviously, from a narrative perspective, in terms of coherence, construction, a spineless musical non-sense: you want butter, more butter, then more butter, then sugar, then more sugar, then more of anything else? Sullivan was right. No focus in there. No tension, because, anyway, you'll get a piece of YOUR cake - and more likely ten pieces of it - whether you like the pop one or the dark one. The idea of frustration is banned. Who ever said that any band HAD to play for 3 hours and play 3 encores? Is it really an outrage, or a lack of respect, to suggest, that, yes, building a narrative around a certain color or vibe, and keep it tight for 2 hours maximum would be a negative move for the band? Tonight, "Disintegration" was beautifully sung and moving, "Lovesong' was more melancholic than ever, the guitars on "Pictures of you" sounded crystalline, "Shake dog shake" was brutal, "A forest", tight, and "It can never be the same" was the most intense of all. But between all this: just a jukebox, a collection of songs ruining all possible tension on a long run. A directionless mammoth. We all know the pop songs. The hits. And those are brillant songs. But one should never forget that a song is not just lyrics and melody. It's also a quality of production and a timing, a "unexpected" label that made "Just like heaven" or "friday" or "boys dont cry" so brillant. In terms of quality of sound, those songs were just butchered tonight. And in terms of variety, they were simply piled up one after the other. So that nobody would feel the regret of a missing song. I dont know. Robert Smith is one of the most impressive singer/songwriter ever. And the intensity he was determined to put in "It can never be the same" tonight proves that he still clearly got it. But i dont know. Maybe something got lost, in terms of artistic achievement, when he so obviously started to think that paying for a show meant that the idea of frustration should necessarily get replaced by the equation: pleasure=oversize. That overfeeding an audience - if most of the audience do enjoy getting overfed and clapping their hands during A forest- is a valid equation. Two hours. Tight. I'd be curious. But he’s the boss. And one rare great artist. So i dont know.

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    2. Wow, the above looks like one of my posts, as far as the length...HAHA. That might just be a record. All kidding aside, I enjoyed reading your take on the show.
      I didn’t know about that 2014 article until just a few months ago when I started digging around COF to get up to speed on Cure news. Needless to say I was flabbergasted when I read both the article and Robert’s lengthy response. I don’t think he was responding to the criticism of the setlist per se - it appears what made him “see red” was when the author had the audacity to presume the band had given her review their blessing. In her words:
      "I have it on good authority that the band have read the review and liked it.” That seems to have triggered the tirade. He signs off with a “shake of the head and a smile”...which strangely enough is a line that has appeared in many songs (not necessarily verbatim). I actually miss these rants from RS, they used to be far more frequent back in the day. Now all we’re hearing from the band these days (as far as their opinions on various topics) is the sound of silence. That said, I do enjoy the “asides” and informal commentary from RS in between songs. It’s a bit ironic that much of the latest Cure news is coming from an ex-member (Lol) and not the band itself. I can see where you’re coming from, and loved the food analogies peppered throughout your unofficial “review.”
      There is tension within some song groupings, while others are a bit puzzling. It does feel like the songs sometimes “pile up” but I would still prefer an elongated 3+ hour show than a more abbreviated setlist. The only exception is if the abbreviated version included mostly rarities and fewer “fillers.” By fillers, I mean songs that you don’t particularly care for, not necessarily “junk” - but this would be open to interpretation. As far as this setlist, songs I don’t particularly care for include: The Walk, TEOTW, SDS, Never Enough, Wrong Number, Lovecats, Close to Me, and WCIBY. However, if these were eliminated the setlist would become too skeletal. I would prefer to trade these 8 songs for 2-3 rarities. That’s obviously “To Wish Impossible Things”!

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  7. A little surprised Prayers for Rain didn’t make it on the setlist, given the wet weather. Then again, looking at the photos on Twitter, gloomy weather/rain seems to be the norm around this time of year.
    I don’t think I’ve seen a single ray of sunshine in any of those pics. Rain would actually make the news over here, maybe we can trade weather with some European cities, we desperately need the water. (Then again, I’m certainly not complaining about 90 degree weather in the middle of October!)
    Hope Robert feels better. The demands from touring can definitely take a toll. Someone earlier mentioned that sleep/vitamins might be helpful. I remember RS had also felt under the weather sometime around the beginning of the Oceania leg. There was a joke about people sneezing on the plane. I think it actually helps to be (somewhat) paranoid. My OCD tendencies go into overdrive when traveling (especially on the plane). Face masks, wipes and hand sanitizers definitely come in handy! Some people may sneer at this, but it’s worked for me countless times in keeping those nasty bugs completely at bay. I hope this does not discourage RS from touring again in the future? Luckily many of the dates are not back-to-back, allowing for much-needed rest. A few people mentioned some missed lyrics/notes on some of the songs. I think that’s perfectly understandable/acceptable. For me it is the overall emotions evoked by the song that really matters, not so much whether it was performed flawlessly. This isn’t symphonic music played in front of a completely silent audience anticipating each note with bated breath, so it’s perfectly okay if there are a few missteps here and there, so long as it’s played with intensity and feeling.

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  8. The poor guy is probably tired. Needs to rest. But I also agree with the fact that sometimes these set lists are a bit too singles heavy. But there are people out there just itching to trash the cure for playing them. That said the first poster here did not. But I agree that there is a point of too much is too much. I myself wish the cure would play for 4 ++ hours a show but I would rather have a dark set as folks like to say. But ultimately you have to realize the cure is a pop band and singles are what get radio play and fan bases started. I have been a cure fan for a very long time and I love everything thing they have Done pre 2001 with the exception of a few songs here and there after cut here. It's obvious the band has lost the steam and drive they once had but let's all just appreciate them for what they are now and enjoy it while we can because there really isn't anything better than the cure live singles or not.

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  9. Really hope Smithy won't be wasted then by the third night in London!!

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  10. I'd like more interesting sets, but you also can't argue against the reviews this tour has got, and the reaction of the crowd. There were lots of kids aged ten and up last Ightfield having a ball, and it was funny seeing the security trying to stop people dancing in the aisles (they couldnt). There will probably be some fan specials next year to keep the balance. Interesting how the sets have changed since the start of the US tour.

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  11. Hope Robert gets some rest. I agree I don't mind at all missed or changed lyrics. I read somewhere Simon saying that at times Robert would just sing what he felt, especially in non-English speaking countries. He is an artist. ICNBTS is obviously a very emotional song for him to sing and I find it amazing that he can pour his heart out and be so vulnerable through his music when he sings that song. I hope they release that- with a new album.

    As far as the set lists, I personally would love s dark concert! I got so excited when I Robert started singing the 17 seconds encore. But I do remember reading Roberts response to that article in the guardian, and he said he wants to try to make all his fans happy. Which is why he probably has more of a singles set list.

    Robert- get better and get some rest. We love your shows. And if you played "all cats are grey" or "drowning man" I think your fans that have been with you the past 30 years would cheer the loudest 🙂🙂🙂

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  12. if RS wants to try to make all his fans happy, then he should probably has less of a singles set list. ;)

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  13. Setlist diff to Berlin:
    - Dressing Up
    - Give Me It
    - Hot Hot Hot!!!
    - Let's Go to Bed
    - Sinking
    - Sleep When I'm Dead
    - The Baby Screams
    - The Perfect Girl
    - alt.end
    + Charlotte Sometimes
    + Closedown
    + Disintegration
    + Plainsong
    + The End of the World
    + The Last Day of Summer
    + The Lovecats

    Most similar to Copenhagen:
    - All I Want
    - Doing the Unstuck
    - Dressing Up
    - Prayers for Rain
    - Sinking
    - Step Into the Light
    + A Night Like This
    + It Can Never Be the Same
    + One Hundred Years
    + The Caterpillar
    + The Lovecats

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