ARTICLE BY MYCHELLE PETERSON
PHOTOS BY SCOTT SPYCHALSKI
MAY 17 | CHICAGO—Seeing The Cure is much more than just a concert where you show up, sit down and hear some pleasant tunes. For someone who has grown up with The Cure as a soundtrack for the past 20 years or so (my God, I’m old!), seeing Robert Smith and uber-sexy bassist Simon Gallup represents the culmination of my childhood, my teenage years and my adult life. It’s tough to passively watch songs being performed that defined large portions of my life and helped me cope with heartbreak and loss while also celebrating the joys of finding hope and finding love.
As with many recent Cure tours, this year’s jaunt across North America is both a nostalgia tour and also a chance to show off songs from the band’s millionth—OK, 13th—studio album being released Sept. 16. Saturday night’s Chicago show offered a wide selection for Cure fans of all kinds to sing along, dance, swoon and brood to. From the dark doom of “One Hundred Years,” off of my personal favorite album, Pornography, to the light and ethereal “Friday I’m in Love,” off of Wish, clearly there was something for everyone in this set.
When Robert Smith, plagued with throat issues throughout the night, took the stage and flashed that child-like yet increasingly confident grin, the crowd knew they were in for some fun. After apologizing for his throat being “fucking terrible,” Smith said, “Maybe the gods I don’t pray to will smile down on me.” And apparently, someone was looking out for everyone’s favorite atheist, as his vocal problems went almost unnoticed had he not continually mentioned them and offered apologies.
One thing The Cure really excels at doing is creating an atmosphere, even in a giant arena laden with corporate signage and sports team paraphernalia. The lighting was exceptional and created a feeling of being in a slightly demented but still angelic dream, replete with twinkling lights and vibrant bursts of color.
The set was tight, yet extremely varied and blissfully long. Playing for more than 2½ hours, they tore through the classics (“Primary,” “The Kiss,” “The Lovecats”) and also introduced a handful of songs from the new album (“Sleep When I’m Dead,” “The Only One,” “Freakshow”). Admittedly, the new songs don’t hold up to the classics, but in all fairness, it’s a tough call when you’re putting them up on stage with songs that thousands of people share such an emotional connection with. So for now, I withhold judgment on the new ones and will assess them when the album drops.
While the main attraction of The Cure has always been and always will be, I suspect, Robert Smith, it is shortsighted to not consider the talent and showmanship of the rest of the band. In fact, there may be no better bassist than Simon Gallup in this world, and heck, the man looks amazing jumping around in nothing more than leggings! He swaggers, he crouches, he hops … what doesn’t he do? Even if you just focus on Simon all night, you are getting more than your money’s worth in terms of performance and charisma.
Having seen the band countless times over the years beginning in 1989 (when I was a child, thank you), I don’t remember guitarist Porl Thompson making such a frightening impression onstage. Dressed in full bondage apparel from likely somewhere more authentic than Hot Topic, Thompson looked like Robin Finck from NIN circa 1994. Fishnet shirt? Check. Shiny vinyl pants? Uh huh. High-heeled platform boots? Oh yeah. Tattooed shaved head? Yep, that too. Let’s not forget the extreme black eye makeup with swirls and intricate patterns. And yet, through all that, the look didn’t even detract from what a great guitar player he is and how he works in tandem with Smith to layer and deepen the sound.
And there is no forgetting The Cure’s newest member, who at this point is now just as much a part of the band as anyone. Drummer Jason Cooper fiercely pounds through the darker material and then takes tracks like “The Lovecats” and allows the drums to elevate the entire song into a delightfully melodic journey.
Both individually and collectively, the members of The Cure are exceptional performers and musicians. That is not up for debate. They have managed to sustain a long career in a world with ever-changing sales schemes, lack of radio airplay and even a misidentified genre that will haunt them forever. If you’ve ever found yourself humming, singing or dancing along to any of The Cure’s 100+ songs in their extensive catalog, you owe it to yourself to check them out live.
The Cure plays the Hollywood Bowl on May 31 and the Shrine Auditorium on June 1. Limited tickets are available for both through Ticketmaster. Tickets are also available via auction, where part of the proceeds benefit Music Matters.
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