It was exactly seven years ago to the day that The Cure descended upon San Diego, along with The Twilight Sad.
I was certainly feeling déjà-vu as I pulled up to the North Coast Credit Union Amphitheatre on a gorgeous night for music.
The crowd was a beautiful mixture of young and old. I have never seen so many people at this venue, or so many merchandise lines! I do want to say how much respect I have for The Cure with their fair value ticket pricing and the fair price of their merchandise.
They are one of the very few bands that don’t price gouge their fans and I hope other bands follow suit when it comes to the ticket reselling at face value; maybe that could eliminate the epidemic of ticket scalpers and bots. The parking lots were another level of packed, but Live Nation sent out numerous texts to show up hours early before the show or you might miss the bands.
The Twilight Sad started the show, just as they did seven years ago. The singer, James Alexander Graham, was so striking in his expressions and interpretive dance moves. They set the mood and the crowd was quite enthusiastic about them during their eight-song set.
Graham, along with Andy MacFarlane, Johnny Docherty, Brendan Smith, and Grant Hutchison gave energetic renditions of “Kill It in the Morning,” “There’s a Girl in the Corner,” “The Wrong Car,” “I/m Not Here [Missing Face],” and “Let/s Get Lost.”
There were sounds of rain before The Cure took the stage, and it was quite peaceful listening to the “rain storm” while everyone waited for the band to start. The drum kit was prominent and everyone saw the logo the said it all “The Cure.”
As Robert Smith took the stage in his “Eraserhead” movie t-shirt, he seemed to really take everything in. He slowly walked from one end of the stage to the other. He glared lovingly at the crowd and smiled and waved.
You could feel his sweetness and how touched he was to be so well-received. When he began to play, the crowd erupted in cheers and sang along with every song that they played.
I became very excited getting to shoot during their second song, “Pictures of You,” which is one of my very favorites and well-suited to my profession. Joining Smith on stage were Simon Gallup, Roger O’Donnell, Perry Bamonte, Jason Cooper, and Reeves Gabrels.
They played many fan favorites, including “Lovesong,” “If Only Tonight We Could Sleep,” “Charlotte Sometimes,” “In Between Days,” and “Endsong.” The sound was literally perfect; probably the best sound that I’ve ever heard. Album quality and they didn’t miss a beat.
The Cure is one of those bands that many of us grew up with, perhaps with a poster of Robert Smith on our walls, and most likely his lyrics often making us cry. Hearing songs like “Just Like Heaven,” which was my wedding song, brings such a range of emotions and comfort.
Robert Smith said that when he originally wrote these songs he thought he was so old, but now he realizes what old really is.
They did two encores, which would normally seem obnoxious for a band, but let’s face it, they’re The Cure and they can do whatever they want. No one left their seats even though there were hours of getting out of the parking lot and traffic ahead of them.
While other bands do a couple of songs during an encore, The Cure basically gave another concert and the audience – including myself – absolutely lost their minds. Just a few of the encore songs were “A Thousand Hours,” “A Forest,” “Lullaby,” “Hot Hot Hot!!!,” “Let’s Go to Bed,” “Friday I’m in Love,” “Close to Me,” “Just Like Heaven,” and finally, “Boys Don’t Cry.” As you can see, it was worth it to stay for the entire show!
It was honestly a perfect ending to a perfect night!
If you love this epic band, their tour continues. You can catch them at most major cities throughout North America through July 1st. Seriously, go out and check out this larger-than-life band!
