Robert Smith Talks the Cure’s ‘Overwhelming’ 40th Anniversary Concert Film

Robert Smith wasn’t ready for the full 4K experience when he sat down to watch a concert film of the Cure’s stunning 2018 Hyde Park concert. “The first close-up of a human face I saw was me,” he says. “It was quite terrifying.”

The recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee says he was initially on the fence about making the film, which is titled Anniversary 1978-2018 Live in Hyde Park London and will get a special screening in movie theaters around the world on Thursday, July 11th. People tend to be more self-conscious when they know they’re being filmed, but he decided it was ultimately worth it since it was a momentous occasion.

The gig took place 40 years to the weekend from when the Cure played their first gig in Crawley, and he’d jammed the set list with favorites like “Just Like Heaven,” “Lovesong” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” So he asked the band’s longtime videographer, Tim Pope, to direct the film “on the sly” with 16 cameras and didn’t tell his bandmates, who had enough to worry about with playing for some 65,000 people that day. Despite his initial fright with the close-up, he’s happy he did it.

“It’s actually quite an overwhelming experience,” he says of the picture. “I thought that I’d be a bit blasé, but I was actually quite taken aback with the whole thing. I’m really pleased we did it because it turned into probably one of the best days we’ve ever had through a combination of just great weather and England’s football team was doing remarkably well in the World Cup. And I picked the bill for the whole day at Hyde Park. … It was just, like, a huge celebration of music.”

Read the rest at Rolling Stone.

Don't forget, the film is out today. Some cities are only showing it tonight, some are showing it multiple times this weekend. Check thecure.film for all screenings in your area.