Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The Cure at Hammersmith Apollo (12-23-14)

Dec. 23rd, 2014
Eventim Hammersmith Apollo in London, England
Doors 6:30 PM / And Also The Trees 7:10 - 7:43 / The Cure 8:07 - 11:14

Setlist: Shake Dog Shake, Kyoto Song, A Night Like This, Wailing Wall, The Caterpillar, The Walk, Sleep When I'm Dead, A Man Inside My Mouth, Bananafishbones, Push, Inbetween Days, Friday I'm In Love, Doing the Unstuck, Pictures of You, Lullaby, Birdmad Girl, Lovesong, Just Like Heaven, Like Cockatoos, From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, Want, One Hundred Years, Give Me It

1st encore: The Empty World, Charlotte Sometimes, Primary, The Top
2nd encore: Three Imaginary Boys, M, Play For Today, A Forest
3rd encore: Piggy in the Mirror, Never Enough, Fascination Street, Wrong Number
Robert on the 3 shows: "It's been fun. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but it has."
4th encore: Dressing Up, The Lovecats, Close To Me, Why Can't I Be You?, Boys Don't Cry, Hey You.

End of the 3rd and final show of this terrific 3 night stand. Thank you, Cure! You were fantastic! Bravo!

Setlist changes: Sleep When I'm Dead, Friday I'm In Love, Doing the Unstuck played for 1st time at this set of shows. alt.end, High, Before Three, Hungry Ghost, Let's Go to Bed not played tonight.

Again, huge thank you to JC/Perfect.Murder for going above & beyond for 3 nights in a row. You are a star, my friend! Thank you,thank you,thank you!
And thank you to , , , Julie, and everyone else who helped tonight. I appreciate it so much!

Videos: Intro & some of Shake Dog Shake / Shake Dog Shake / Kyoto Song / A Night Like This 1 - 2 / Wailing Wall / A Man Inside My Mouth 1 - 2 - 3 / Friday I'm In Love 1 - 2 / Pictures of You / Lullaby / Birdmad Girl / Want / Give Me It 1 - 2 / The Empty World 1 - 2 - 3 / Charlotte Sometimes / The Top 1 - 2 - 3 / Three Imaginary Boys / A Forest / Piggy in the Mirror 1 - 2 / Never Enough / Fascination Street / Wrong Number / Close To Me /

Photos: Marsworld / Aaron Law / 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22 - 23 - 24 - 25 - 26 - 27 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 (PomPom Gurl) :) - 36 - 37 - 38 - 39 - 40 - 41 - 42 - 43 - 44 - 45 - 46 (Lily Gallup enjoying her dad's show, Simon spotted her, big smile) - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 - 51 - 52 - 53 - 54 - 55 - 56 - 57 - 58 - 59 - 60 - 61 - 62 (setlist part 1) -

8:05 - Lights are out.

8:03 - Perfect.Murder: Now on PA Crystal Castles' 'Not In Love' (Non RS version)

7:59 - @marsworld: Music of Cranes jewel RS mix now! So lovely I met Alison yesterday!

7:58 - Perfect.Murder: Playing some Cocteau Twins and Cranes over PA now.

7:48 - Photo from @snuffybear: Clearing the stage

7:47 - @Emile_MW: PA now playing The Carpenter's 'Yesterday Once More'.

7:07 - Perfect.Murder: PA playing Billy Corgan & Robert's cover of 'To Love Somebody'.

For the 3rd night in a row, the wonderful, brilliant, hilarious, and always so helpful JC/Perfect.Murder will be providing the live setlist reports. Can't thank him enough!
I'm also looking for backup tonight, in case of bad connection, battery issues, etc, so if you can help, I'd really appreciate it. Email me at craigatcof (at) gmail (dot) com or @CraigatCoF on Twitter. Thanks!

At this point you pretty much know what you'll be hearing tonight (or do you?), so no worries over what might be or could be, just go and enjoy every single second! These are very special shows, and if you are lucky enough to attend, you should savor every single song. Hell, just sing and dance until you can't sing and dance any more. Just have a blast! Thank you to The Cure, the crew, all of their families, and everyone else involved in giving us all such wonderful shows! A Very Merry and Happy Christmas to you all!

52 comments:

  1. Thank you too, Craig, for making us part of this! There's hope...Thanks and Merry Christmas!!!

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  2. Thank you Craig!i'm one of the Lucky...yesterday was Amazing!Merry Christmas to you and to all the cof gang (in particolar Greg...he knows why)!

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  3. Have a great show tonight everyone. Nights 1 & 2 were brilliant, the band on "top" form & the crowd too! Merry Xmas to all Cure-heads & a Happy New Year with hopefully more shows and surprises galore. Thanks Craig for keeping our insatiable appetite for all things Cure well and truly sated. You rock :)

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  4. Theory... I do not think The Cure playing "The Top" in full over the past 3 nights means there will be no Trilogy 3 featuring the album.

    Reasoning is simple; the shows aren't being filmed. RS filmed the first 'Reflections' shows, why haven't they been released? Who knows, but at some point they will and there is a 'historical record' of those shows.

    RS is a completest, he will want Top, Head, and KM shows filmed for DVD/Bluray.

    Yes, these shows are 30th anniversary gigs, but also a chance for the band to 'rehearse' Top songs in a live venue. Remember, RS is the only one in the band who was involved in the Top, and who played these songs on the tour in 1984.

    The only 2 Head songs not played since '86 are 'Six Different Ways' and 'Screw'. A few more off KMKMKM, but current band members were involved in both those records.

    Just a hunch, also I think the reason the Trilogy 3 didn't happen in 2014 is they want to tie it to the bigger album in 2015, 30th anniversary of 'Head'.

    Or maybe they will wait until 2017, who knows. Either way RS now has 6 full album performances filmed. Maybe 'Reflections' didn't come out to his liking so he makes certain these Top songs are fully fleshed out live...

    There is a method to the madness imo...

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    1. that all sounds very reasonable! i hope you're right! i am sorry i missed the other reflections but this is one i would absolutely dread to miss. and as much as i would love a live wish i could not bear living half of wms or the s/t again. just one man's opinion, folks! D;

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    2. I'm done double guessing. It's enough to drive a person mad. It's always a pleasant surprise to hear that there is a new cure release.

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  5. happy christmas, curefriends! may your days be merry & bright. enjoy the show- i bet this one will be a doozy! :D

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  6. Hi
    I went on Sunday and am desperate to go again, so think I will make a last minute bid to get down there some time just before 9pm. I am not a gig regular and just wondered if you could help. How bad an idea is it to try to get a ticket outside (tout / someone getting rid of a spare) ? Is this just stupid ?
    Thanks for any advice

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    1. Hey Steve,

      There will be touts selling tickets for sure. The question is how much you are willing to pay? You can usually get a much cheaper price if you can hold out until juts before the show starts, or just after. Good luck!

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    2. Thanks Craig - really appreciate that. In fact, I would only be able to turn up after the start - probably just before 9pm or so (guess they will start proper around 8.15, at least they did on Sunday). I am basically a gig virgin. Lifelong Cure fan but I had never been to a gig (any gig) before Sunday. I now NEED to go again - ha ha ! Is under £100 ridiculous ?! I've no real idea as to market rates for these things...... To be honest, my main concern is getting a genuine ticket and not getting scammed
      Thanks again

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    1. Oh good point! I know there were fake tickets being sold on the first night. No reports of that last night, and they weren't even checking ID with the tickets, from what I've been told.

      Since you'll be going late, and can go right in, ask the person selling the ticket to go up near the entrance with you. Explain your concerns about fakes, and if the person is legit, they should have no problem with your request. If not, don't buy from them!

      By 9pm, I think under £100 would be very possible, but really don't know.

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    2. Tickets released for tonight! Go get one!

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    3. Bah - I just went mental trying to get one of these but no joy. They must have disappeared immediately. Thanks for that and thanks for the hints generally (and to Maccatori too). I am just going to go and see what I can do. I am not missing this. Thanks again

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    4. Damn! Yeah they were gone in less than 5 minutes. Can you get down there any earlier? 7:30? Know someone selling a stalls ticket for £55.

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    5. Asking on Twitter for you, to see if anyone has a spare and going in late.

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    6. Yeah - could get there for 7:30. Would need to leave and come back (got something I absolutely have to do), but they didnt seem to be checking ID or anything on Sun so think that would def work. Thanks so much for this

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    7. Haven't heard back from the guy. I guess he sold it. Will keep trying for you.

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    8. Circle seated on the ticket site go!

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    9. Fantastic! This is so great that it worked out for you! Have a great time tonight! So happy for you!

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  8. Tickets were going for much under face value at 7.40 yesterday, no idea how it will be at 9.

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  9. Anyone remember listening to a Live broadcast from the Cure House website? I think it was a New York concert... dial up modem, 56k baud. ...we've come a long way - Instant pics, instant video clips, video minutes after the concert :) : ) :) :)

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    1. what about Curevision in a 14.4?... this one was a Halloween concert I think, 97

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  10. I respect you Craig 'but mostly your opinion! but I personally really do not like that song Reeves done Porl! :(

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  11. So, 'Dressing Up', 'The Top', and possibly another song for the fourth encore?

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    1. I have no idea how I missed that they played 'The Top' during the first encore!

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  12. So the new songs played...

    Wailing Wall
    Empty World
    Piggy in the Mirror
    Kyoto Song
    A Man Inside My Mouth
    Hey You
    Like Cockatoo

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    1. I meant played since recent tours... So not much to add...

      Six Different Ways
      Screw
      Snakepit
      All I Want
      One More Time
      Icing Sugar
      1000 Hours

      Maybe some bsides...

      Not much to learn before the next trilogy show ;)

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    2. Maybe 'Shiver & Shake' too, has that one been played over the past few years?

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    3. How beautiful you are (last time 2008)
      The Perfect Girl (last time 1990)
      Shiver and Shake (last time 2008)

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    4. Some stuff of the Japanese Whispers Album during the encore would be very nice ;-)

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  13. Absolutely amazing 3 nights of Cure gigs. So lucky to have been there- I sang and danced for all of you who couldn't be there. Happy Christmas to you all, especially to you Craig - thanks for everything.

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  14. great show on Sunday, and im sooooo glad i didnt bother with the other 2 nights.

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    1. Wonder if you'd be saying that if you'd been there? I just wish they'd done a full week!!!

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  15. Well that 3 plus hours went by in a flash - sublime! Robert in damned fine form and having a blast - hurrah!

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  17. i don;t know if anyone else thought this but the sound didn't seem as loud on tuesday and several people were shouting turn it up...? anyway i preferred monday, the crowd were more up for it, but still 2 great nights - thank you the cure

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  18. I thought Tuesday was best, followed by Sunday. Monday seemed a little flat. Last night definitely in the top 3 out of the 56 times I've seen them. Just behind Reflections and the last Wembley Disintegration show. Would happily trade 10 of other shows to have seen them in 1982.

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    1. I agree about Tuesday! They seemed happy and relaxed all 3 nights, don't know if it was because a lot of family were there but last night's atmosphere was even better. Sound was great and louder than Monday where I was standing, imo!

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    2. I was in balcony for 1 and 3 and I thought the sound to be clearer on those nights than it was when I was standing on the Monday. The trouble with the band doing 4 encores is the crowd doesn't really demand they come back on and it's a all a bit taken for granted. I swear there was hardly any clapping for one of the encores on one of the nights.

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  19. just proves how different everyone views it - as the 4 of us all thought monday was the best - good effort

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  20. Mark One here (in a yellow camera shirt). We were upstairs and it was one of the better Cure shows - up there with Albert Hall 2006 and Birmingham 1996 to me. And what songs! I never liked "The Top" but at least now I see that the songs are much better live than on record. Big up to Mark Two in a Regina Spector shirt for trading air bass solos in the balcony.

    Robert seemed in a great mood, and mentioned that Roger thinks a tambourine isn't an instrument, just before a song where both Roger and Robert were banging away on one.

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  21. Back home. Me and my girlfriend had a great time. 3 fantastic shows. I'm glad I heard finally all songs from The Top. I love this album. The band really enjoyed the shows. The guys were in a very good mood. The sound was also very good, not too loud

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  22. Hiya Mark One! Mark Hex here (the one in the Regina t-shirt). Thanks for the sing-a-longs, bass solos and general Cure chat.
    Brilliant gig, the band seemed ecstatic to be playing so many old tunes. I hope these trilogy shows happen as it was fantastic to hear songs that aren't normally wheeled out.

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  23. My recording of this third show is now up on dime - http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=514355

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  24. VIDEO OF THE WHOLE 23rd December show??
    I shot the first 50m or so on an HD camcorder before people got up and blocked me., My view was pretty good from the front of the balcony, sound is meh in places but can be replaced easily. I'm happy to provide my master files if anyone out there is compiling a full DVD of the night's fun? Please get in touch if you know who (if anyone?) is doing this, so I can contribute my brill footage! I'll put one clip on my youtube channel to give you a taster later today!
    Ox

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  25. I FINALLY finished a review of the show : http://www.thefinalword.co.uk/content/view/1297/35/

    One of the best, like most Cure shows are...

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