From: laural@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (laura.l.la gassa)
Subject: The Cure in Concert
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1992 14:50:45 GMT
Summary: Thursday, July 23, 1992
Keywords: Last show of North American tour

The Cure in Concert
Thursday, July 23, 1999
Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale (Long Island), New York

I don't claim that the following is a review of the concert.  It's more of
a trip report, or the answer when someone asks "how was it."

I also don't claim to be a Cure expert, so don't jump all over me if I
get the titles of the songs wrong.

I had a set list but can't seem to find it anywhere.  For the curious, 
they pretty much played the following:  Open - High - Just Like Heaven -
Lullaby - Pictures of You - Letter to Elise - From the Edge of a Deep Green 
Sea - Fascination Street - Doing the Unstuck - Let's Go to Bed - Friday I'm In 
Love - The Walk - In Between Days.  There were a few more, but I didn't 
memorize it because I thought I had written it down.  Then there were the 
three encores: 

        something from _17 Seconds_ - Imaginary Boys - Charlotte Sometimes - 
        Boys Don't Cry

        Lovesong - Close To You - Why Can't I Be You

        Faith - The Forest

But set lists and the like aren't what being at a concert is about.  This
is what it was like that night, the end of the tour, the last show in
North America.  The Cure had taken it back to where they had started this
tour in the US, at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.      

It was a horrid rainy afternoon, and the weather had been doubtful for days.
The show was scheduled to start at 8, and the doors to open at 6:30.  We
arrived at about a quarter to four only to find a rather long line of ardent
Cure admirers stretched around the sidewalk.  The people in the front of the
line had been there for three nights.  

Although Robert Smith's voice has a profound effect on me (the man sings like 
the entire concept of love in the world has died, and he's adrift in a sea of 
darkness looking for a rumored last glimmer), I don't find the Secrets of the 
Universe in the Cure's music, but I can understand the faith of the devout Cure 
fans.  In some ways it was highly amusing:  The number of Robert Smith clones 
was staggering.  Many of them seemed to out-Smith Smith -- parodies in black 
lipstick, vampire capes, and teased hair.  

The two girls behind us in line were all of 14 -- born the same year the
Cure's first album came out, no?  At least they knew how to smile, and
were excited as was most of the non-cloned crowd.  "Don't smile at any
of those guys dressed like Robert Smith" Mita and Miriam told us, "they'll
just get annoyed and sneer at you back."  Observant words from those so young.
We spent the next two hours scoping out men (the Cure has some gorgeous
fans) and were pleasantly surprised to be let into the Coliseum a bit before
6 pm.  Two hours to show time.

The first 2,500 who wanted to be on the floor were allowed, and we were 
quite pleased to have made the cut.  We took seats on an aisle about half 
way back to the sound man's platform.  The better for dancing, we thought.

Behind me sat a guy who had spent 3 years of his life baking cookies to 
support himself while he followed the Greatful Dead.  Three months ago he 
heard _Disintegration_ up in the wilds of Montpelier Vermont, and "fell 
totally in love with it."  He happened to pick a a copy of the Village Voice 
in the week before the concert, and knew there was no way he could miss the 
show.  Even though it was sold out.  So, he hopped a bus to New York City 
(never having been there before), and got the train out to Long Island.  
Wonder of wonders he happened to be talking to someone at the train station 
and manged to buy a ticket from this person for face value.  Something magic 
was going on.

8:00 pm sharp the lights went down and on came the Cranes.  People told me
they were like Slowdive.  To me they were more like the Sugarcubes meets
My Bloody Valentine.  The crowd was polite, but not over impressed.  It
was clear they wanted the Cure.  The Cranes played for exactly half an hour,
and exited to wailing smashing guitars.  I hope they weren't very expensive.

8:50(ish) the lights went down again and the Cure took the stage to the
strains of "Open."  The set had an interesting Roman-ruin effect, with
a large video screen in the back that occasionally showed pictures, and 
most of the time was covered by a curtain that rippled deliciously.  They
played, they played, they played.  Robert Smith even talked to the audience
a bit and moved around on the stage.  The audience danced like crazy -- in
the aisles, on their chairs, in spite of the best efforts of Coliseum
security.  Couples kissed long and meaningfully during "Just Like Heaven"
and "Friday I'm In Love."  And Smith's voice was in fine form, chilling and 
desperate, touching down deep into the cold lonely places of the soul.  The 
Cure wore the audience out after a 2 hour opening set and then the nine song 
encore.  The guy from Vermont had a wonderful time.  Even the deadpan Robert 
Smith clones seemed happy at the end of the night.

Laura