# Shows of a Lost World

Shows of a Lost World was a concert tour by British rock band the Cure.
The tour began in October 2022, with frontman Robert Smith promising that the band's new album Songs of a Lost World would come out before the tour's commencement. While the band played unreleased songs from the album, it was ultimately not released in 2022.
The North American leg of the tour attracted much media attention for Smith's public criticism of Ticketmaster, specifically its dynamic pricing mechanism and additional charged fees. It sold over 547,000 tickets and grossed $37.5 million over 35 shows, making it the highest-grossing tour of the band's career to date. The South American leg of the tour commenced in September 2023 and consists of three standalone concerts and four festival appearances.
The album was finally released on 1 November 2024, nearly a year after the conclusion of the tour.

## Background

On 6 December 2021, the Cure announced a 44-date European tour in 2022, also mentioning the release of an unannounced 67-minute new album. The Twilight Sad were named as openers for all dates. In May 2022, Robert Smith said that the band's new album Songs of a Lost World was almost finished and would be released before the tour began.
The tour began on 6 October 2022 at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia with the album still unreleased, although the Cure debuted two songs from it live, "Alone" and "Endsong". On 10 October in Stockholm, the Cure debuted another new song, "And Nothing is Forever", and on 20 October, the band premiered a fourth new song, "I Can Never Say Goodbye", in Kraków. On 4 November in Milan, the Cure debuted a fifth new song, "A Fragile Thing".
In March 2023, the Cure announced a 30-date leg of the Shows of a Lost World tour across the United States and Canada. All shows also featured the Twilight Sad as a supporting act. On 5 April, Smith announced that second dates had been added in San Diego, Montreal, and Atlanta and a new show had been added in Portland, bringing the scheduled number of concerts to 34. On 27 April, a second show in San Francisco was announced, bringing the tour to 35 dates. On 23 May in Los Angeles, the Cure performed another new song, "Another Happy Birthday", which dated back to 1997. However, this song did not make the final album.
On 21 June 2023, the band announced that it would be headlining four Primavera Sound festivals across South America and on 23 June it announced three standalone concerts with the Twilight Sad and Just Mustard performing as support acts.

## Ticket sales

Tickets for the North American leg of the tour were sold through Ticketmaster. When registration for ticket sales opened on 10 March, the band announced that tickets would be non-transferrable and that the band would not be using dynamic pricing, a process where ticketsellers alter prices given high or low demand, nor selling platinum tickets in order to keep tickets affordable for fans and to reduce the ability of resellers to resell tickets. Ticketholders would only be able to resell the tickets for face value on a ticket exchange. These choices led to tickets for the tour selling for an average of $68.57. On 15 March, Robert Smith tweeted that dynamic pricing was a "greedy scam" that artists chose to participate in. When asked for comment by Rolling Stone, StubHub, the biggest ticket reselling platform in the US, criticised the restrictions on ticket transferability, StubHub claimed they hurt consumer choice and encouraged artists to keep tickets transferrable. On 31 March, Smith said that 7,000 tickets that had been listed for resale on secondary markets had been identified and cancelled.
Ticket sales opened on 15 March. Soon after ticket sales opened, some fans posted screenshots on social media showing that the additional fees added onto the ticket prices were high relative to the price of the ticket, sometimes exceeding the price of the ticket itself. On 16 March, Smith tweeted that he was sickened by how high the additional fees were and would be asking how they were justified. The next day, Smith tweeted that after negotiations, Ticketmaster had agreed to refund a portion of the ticket fees as a gesture of goodwill. Buyers who had purchased the lowest-priced tickets would receive $10 and all other buyers would receive $5. He also said that tickets purchased after that day would incur lower fees.

## Set list

This set list is representative of the show on 10 May 2023, in New Orleans. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour.
* "Alone"
* "Pictures of You"
* "A Night Like This"
* "Lovesong"
* "And Nothing Is Forever"
* "The Last Day of Summer"
* "A Fragile Thing"
* "Cold"
* "Burn"
* "Fascination Street"
* "Push"
* "Play for Today"
* "Shake Dog Shake"
* "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea"
* "Endsong"

### Encore

* "I Can Never Say Goodbye"
* "Want"
* "A Thousand Hours"
* "At Night"
* "A Forest"

### Encore 2

* "Lullaby"
* "Six Different Ways"
* "The Walk"
* "Friday I'm in Love"
* "Doing the Unstuck"
* "Close to Me"
* "In Between Days"
* "Just Like Heaven"
* "Boys Don't Cry"

## Tour dates

European Leg :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening acts | Attendance | Revenue |
| 6 October 2022 | Riga | Latvia | Arena Riga | The Twilight Sad | — | — |
| 8 October 2022 | Helsinki | Finland | Helsingin jäähalli | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 10 October 2022 | Stockholm | Sweden | Avicii Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 12 October 2022 | Oslo | Norway | Oslo Spektrum | The Twilight Sad |
| 13 October 2022 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Scandinavium | The Twilight Sad |
| 14 October 2022 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Royal Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 16 October 2022 | Hamburg | Germany | Barclaycard Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 17 October 2022 | Leipzig | Germany | Quarterback Immobilien Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 18 October 2022 | Berlin | Germany | Mercedes-Benz-Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 20 October 2022 | Kraków | Poland | Tauron Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 21 October 2022 | Łódź | Poland | Atlas Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 23 October 2022 | Vienna | Austria | Marx Halle | The Twilight Sad |
| 24 October 2022 | Prague | Czech Republic | O2 Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 26 October 2022 | Budapest | Hungary | Budapest Sportaréna | The Twilight Sad |
| 27 October 2022 | Zagreb | Croatia | Arena Zagreb | The Twilight Sad |
| 29 October 2022 | Munich | Germany | Olympiahalle | The Twilight Sad |
| 31 October 2022 | Bologna | Italy | Unipol Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 1 November 2022 | Florence | Italy | Nelson Mandela Forum | The Twilight Sad |
| 3 November 2022 | Padua | Italy | Kioene Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 4 November 2022 | Milan | Italy | Forum di Milano | The Twilight Sad |
| 6 November 2022 | Geneva | Switzerland | Geneva Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 7 November 2022 | Lyon | France | Halle Tony Garnier | The Twilight Sad |
| 8 November 2022 | Montpellier | France | Sud de France Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 10 November 2022 | Barcelona | Spain | Palau Sant Jordi | The Twilight Sad |
| 11 November 2022 | Madrid | Spain | WiZink Center | The Twilight Sad |
| 13 November 2022 | Toulouse | France | Zénith de Lille | The Twilight Sad |
| 14 November 2022 | Bordeaux | France | Arkéa Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 15 November 2022 | Nantes | France | Zénith de Nantes Métropole | The Twilight Sad |
| 17 November 2022 | Frankfurt | Germany | Festhalle Frankfurt | The Twilight Sad |
| 18 November 2022 | Strasbourg | France | Zénith de Strasbourg | The Twilight Sad |
| 19 November 2022 | Basel | Switzerland | St. Jakobshalle | The Twilight Sad |
| 21 November 2022 | Stuttgart | Germany | Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle | The Twilight Sad |
| 22 November 2022 | Cologne | Germany | Lanxess Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 23 November 2022 | Antwerp | Belgium | Sportpaleis | The Twilight Sad |
| 25 November 2022 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Ziggo Dome | The Twilight Sad |
| 27 November 2022 | Liévin | France | Arena Stade Couvert de Liévin | The Twilight Sad |
| 28 November 2022 | Paris | France | Accor Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 1 December 2022 | Dublin | Ireland | 3Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 2 December 2022 | Belfast | Northern Ireland | SSE Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 4 December 2022 | Glasgow | Scotland | OVO Hydro | The Twilight Sad |
| 6 December 2022 | Leeds | England | First Direct Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 7 December 2022 | Birmingham | England | Utilita Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 8 December 2022 | Cardiff | Wales | Motorpoint Arena | The Twilight Sad |
| 11 December 2022 | London | England | OVO Arena Wembley | The Twilight Sad |
| 12 December 2022 | London | England | OVO Arena Wembley | The Twilight Sad |
| 13 December 2022 | London | England | OVO Arena Wembley | The Twilight Sad |
North American Leg :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening acts | Attendance | Revenue |
| 10 May 2023 | New Orleans | United States | Smoothie King Center | The Twilight Sad | — | — |
| 12 May 2023 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 13 May 2023 | Dallas | United States | Dos Equis Pavilion | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 14 May 2023 | Austin | United States | Moody Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 16 May 2023 | Albuquerque | United States | Isleta Amphitheater | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 18 May 2023 | Glendale | United States | Desert Diamond Arena | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 20 May 2023 | Chula Vista | United States | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 21 May 2023 | Chula Vista | United States | North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 23 May 2023 | Los Angeles | United States | Hollywood Bowl | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 24 May 2023 | Los Angeles | United States | Hollywood Bowl | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 25 May 2023 | Los Angeles | United States | Hollywood Bowl | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 27 May 2023 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 29 May 2023 | Mountain View | United States | Shoreline Amphitheatre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 31 May 2023 | Portland | United States | Moda Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 1 June 2023 | Seattle | United States | Climate Pledge Arena | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 2 June 2023 | Vancouver | Canada | Rogers Arena | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 4 June 2023 | Salt Lake City | United States | Vivint Smart Home Arena | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 6 June 2023 | Greenwood Village | United States | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 8 June 2023 | St. Paul | United States | Xcel Energy Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 10 June 2023 | Chicago | United States | United Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 11 June 2023 | Cuyahoga Falls | United States | Blossom Music Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 13 June 2023 | Clarkston | United States | Pine Knob Music Theatre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 14 June 2023 | Toronto | Canada | Budweiser Stage | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 16 June 2023 | Montreal | Canada | Bell Centre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 17 June 2023 | Montreal | Canada | Bell Centre | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 18 June 2023 | Mansfield | United States | Xfinity Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 20 June 2023 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 21 June 2023 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 22 June 2023 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 24 June 2023 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 25 June 2023 | Columbia | United States | Merriweather Post Pavilion | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 27 June 2023 | Atlanta | United States | State Farm Arena | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 28 June 2023 | Atlanta | United States | State Farm Arena | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 29 June 2023 | Tampa | United States | Amalie Arena | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 1 July 2023 | Miami | United States | Kaseya Center | The Twilight Sad | | |
| 17 September 2023 | Chicago | United States | Douglass Park | — | | |
South American Leg :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening acts | Attendance | Revenue |
| 19 November 2023 | Mexico City | Mexico | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez | — | — | — |
| 22 November 2023 | Lima | Peru | Estadio Universidad San Marcos | The Twilight Sad Just Mustard | | |
| 25 November 2023 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Sarmiento Park | — | | |
| 27 November 2023 | Montevideo | Uruguay | Antel Arena | Just Mustard | | |
| 30 November 2023 | Santiago | Chile | Estadio Monumental David Arellano | Just Mustard FrioLento The Cruel Visions | | |
| 3 December 2023 | São Paulo | Brazil | Interlagos Circuit | — | | |
| 7 December 2023 | Asunción | Paraguay | Parque Olímpico | — | | |
| 10 December 2023 | Bogotá | Colombia | Movistar Arena | — | | |