Two concerts on two nights in Montreal is unprecedented for The Cure. The venerable British group put on one of those marathon concerts at the Bell Center on Friday that set them apart and proved that when they’re no longer at the peak of their creativity, they remain at the peak of their charisma.
Posted yesterday at 11:47pm.
It’s been a long time since The Cure’s latest album with new songs. It came out 15 years ago. In theory, the band had no new tracks to market, just clever and compelling asset management. what was done
Except that The Cure doesn’t do the same things as the others. It’s also the only group to have beaten the giants Ticketmaster, keeping their concert tickets affordable. They’re also the kind of band that can open a show with an unreleased track. And include four or five others in the program without losing your room.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Guitarist Reeves Gabriel
The Cure are apparently planning a new album by the end of the year. The rumor also announced it for 2022, so we’ll see… What we can say, on the other hand, based on Friday’s news at the Bell Center is that it could be in the sense of decay. Some of the new songs actually take up the ideas and sounds of this cult disc, whose magic Robert Smith and his band already tried to capture with 4:13 (2008) and even Bloodflowers (2000).
Two of the new songs were received more than enthusiastically: “Nothing is Forever” and another, perhaps titled “The End Song”, played at the end of the first part.
First part ? Yes, of course. Anyone who’s seen The Cure, especially since the early 2000s, will know that the British band put on some seriously generous performances. It is not uncommon for him to play for more than two and a half hours and bring around thirty songs to the stage. This was the case again on Friday.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Keyboardist Roger O’Donnell
Entering the stage at around 8:45pm, the group played until 11:30pm…Long enough to perform most of their big hits (including Lovesong and Pictures of You at the beginning of the concert), but also this one to satisfy those who know The Cure well beyond the obvious. In particular, we were treated to a powerful version of Burn (from The Crow movie soundtrack), rarities like Push or Kyoto Song from The Head on the Door, Three Imaginary Boys, Shake Dog Shake, At Night and also a stunning version of From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea, one of the few Cure songs that features an actual guitar solo.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Drummer Jason Cooper
There was already enough to give you goosebumps. Which obviously multiplied at times of iconic songs like “Play for Today” (with the audience singing in unison as usual), the essential and enchanting “A Forest” which was also played in the first hour and greeted in true delirium.
A timeless look
Of course, seeing The Cure in 2023 means seeing a band whose great years are far behind. However, it is also a group that remains at the top of its charisma despite everything. Robert Smith almost always sounds like he did 30 years ago. Adjusting the melody line he sings at times, but almost flawlessly and always convincingly.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Robert Smith and bassist Simon Gallup, his oldest traveling companion
It was also quite touching to see him start “Pictures of You” alone with bassist Simon Gallup, his oldest companion whose blackout announced for summer 2021 will thankfully be short-lived. We would have really missed his unique performance on stage.
Watching The Cure also means engaging with a generous group. Not only in the duration, but also in the quality of the repertoire.
Hearing Plainsong during the first encore was breathtaking: unexpected and fabulously performed, with the watery slowness characteristic of Disintegration, which remains one of The Cure’s greatest records. Hearing the epic Disintegration straight after was equally terrific and unexpected.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Perry Bamonte, multi-instrumentalist of The Cure
Robert Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Roger O’Donnell, Perry Bamonte and Reeves Gabriel left the stage a second time at around 10:45pm after two hours of performance. Of course it wasn’t over yet. For the final beat, they returned in front of a reinforced bell center, a lengthy encore during which they played other key tunes like Lullaby, Six Different Ways, The Walk (it danced from floor to bleacher) and Friday I’m in Love ( Delirium again), Close to Me and Just Like Heaven. It ended as it should, in apotheosis, at Boys Don’t Cry.
The Cure plays again at the Bell Center on Saturday. And we can be sure that a significant part of the repertoire has changed. Which should satisfy the die-hard fans who have come up with the idea of buying a double.