Totally Cured

“TOTALLY CURED”: The Cure in Barcelona

Place: Palau Sant Jordi stadium- Barcelona city, Spain

Date: Monday 10^th March 2008

Start time: 9:36 p.m.

End: at about a quarter to one

Total time: more than 3 hours! 

Number of songs: 40 approximately!

… I arrived to “El Palau” at about 7 p.m. I didn´t know what to expect: it was Monday, it was another normal  working day forced to be interrupted. Change your schedule, invent an excuse to tell your boss, travel from where you are to the end of the world, take the most difficult way to arrive thanks that main way to the stadium was cut by an inopportune funfair and go back home walking, sleep in  Catalonia Square until next morning or wait long hours for nit buses because transport is cut during the week. Do this after have been standing around like 5 hours among a sticky crowd. That is what I did. “The sacrifice of penance in the holy hour” sings my head now, although the song that has these lyrics wasn´t played. The point is that I am here to say that IT WAS REALLY WORTH IT. 

I could reach the first places on the rink. I was in the third row more or less, so I could see the band very close. The sensations were so real… as if you could talk to them. They were in front of you and you had that feeling of: “maybe he looked at me, maybe he identified me among the crowd”.At about 8:20, played an English band called “65 days of static”. I didn´t like it. It was another clean- perfect- long hair children´s gang pretending to say “I am a rebel, I play rock”. Is there someone interested in people with made up lives & style? (not certainly me, that´s for sure!).  

Luckily, The Cure came on stage only five minutes later than programmed. Punctual and hard-working as usual, they played for a bit more than 3 hours. It was unbelievable! Robert Smith showed an incredible energy. He didn´t talk very much, but among the little he said were things like “that´s why I love Spain…”. He wanted to express what he felt for the crowd. He felt the energy, feedback, happiness and complicity around.Anyway, the crowd was too perfect for my taste. I find European audiences hell boring. On one hand, every time I go to a concert I appreciate not ending hurt, bleeding, robbed and things like that, but at the same time I remember those fabulous times of my first concerts in Argentina where you felt  PEOPLE ALIVE, because they shouted like mad, moved like mad, and expressed feelings brutally…! There are so many ways of showing love! 

The audience in Barcelona was a bit dissapointing because you didn´t see the typical goths marching to the funeral. I know it´s funny, but it is an important part of the ritual you expect to see when you go to these kind of shows set by people which gained legions playing  in dirty pubs the first years… Cult, The Cure was born as a cult.  

With reference to what was listened, I would say the setlist was varied. It had songs from many important albums and also included 3 or 4 exclusive ones from the next unrealeased work. It is remarkable to say that guitar player Porl Thompson is an excellent musician. It is a big pleasure to see him on stage. Now that Roger is not on keyboards, Porl has the double task of trying to play those parts with his guitar at the same time than playing solos and arrangements. He has to work really hard and he does it amazingly well.The sound of the instruments was excellent. Robert sang very well but his voice was a bit low. The stage was simple. The screen behind them showed some images. I missed a big poster with the words “The Cure” and I have to say the name of the tour sounds ridiculous “The 4 tour” ? Is it due they are four people in the band now? (hey… they better pay someone to look for more ingenious ideas!) -:)

Finally, I can´t believe I went out of home at about 6 in the afternoon and came back at 3 in the morning!

So… if for Benicàssim show in 2005  I titled my review saying that I had… “been cured”, now I have to say I was TOTALLY CURED. 

Hope to write about London show soon! 

Approximate setlist:
 
1. Plainsong
2. Prayers For Rain
3. Alt.End
4. The Blood
5. The End Of The World
6. Lovesong
7. To Wish Impossible Things
8. Catch
9. From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
10. Kyoto Song
11. Please Project
12. The Walk
13. Push
14. Friday I’m In Love
15. In between Days
16. Just Like Heaven.
17. Primary
18. A Boy I Never Knew
19. Pictures Of You
20. Lullaby
21. Never Enough
22. Wrong Number
23. One Hundred Years
24. Disintegration
 
Encore 1:
1. At Night
2. M
3. Play For Today
4. A Forest
 
Encore 2:
1. The Lovecats
2. Let’s Go To Bed
3. Freak Show
4. Close To Me
5. Why Can’t I Be You?
 
Encore 3:
1. Boys Don’t Cry
2. Jumping Someone Else’s Train
3. Grinding Halt
4. 10.15 Saturday Night
5. Killing An Arab