Seven years since their last Windy City performance, The Cure return in all of their goth splendor to a sold-out night at the United Center.
For almost three impressive hours, The Cure more than made up for the lengthy absence from touring Stateside with an equally lengthy 31-song setlist. Their absence clearly has not lost them any support from their American fans. If anything, it was quite the contrary. The sold-out crowd was decked out in their best black regalia and eyeliner aplenty in homage to the English rockers.
This tour initially made headlines when Robert Smith decided to do battle with TicketMaster over their booking fees and won. Now, it is the talk of the town due to the euphoria leading up to and resulting from attending these shows. There are a number of big tours at the moment that are making all of the headlines, and this one is up there with the best of them. And it’s understandable why after a performance like this. It might have been a long wait for the fans, but it definitely lives up to the hype and then some.
As the lights inside the United Center dimmed, the band each came out and took their places on stage. The cheers went up as Robert Smith appeared. Rather than taking his place at the microphone and kicking the set off immediately, he slowly walked around the stage, taking it all in, and seemingly trying to get eye contact with as many audience members as possible. Some fans at the very front were able to throw gifts such as roses to Robert as he got close to them.
The first song of the evening, “Alone,” is from their upcoming album Songs of a Lost World which is slated to be released sometime this year, but the exact date is yet to be given. Each night on the tour has had a slightly different setlist. The Chicago audience was treated to a tour debut of “Like Cockatoos” which hasn’t been performed live since 2018. “Lovesong,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Friday I’m In Love,” and “In Between Days” proved to be very popular with the ample-sized crowd. They also performed the highly emotive “I Can Never Say Goodbye” which was written about Smith’s late brother.
Smith has been talking about releasing new music for a number of years now, and the day that it will finally be released into the world is hopefully not too far away now. Their last album came out in 2008 so people are more than ready for the new music. The fact that they performed a number of new songs has got to be a good sign, hasn’t it?
The band’s lineup has changed over the years, which has to be expected to some degree with a band that has been going as long as The Cure has. One thing that still rings true, however, is that Robert Smith’s voice is still sounding strong all these years later.
For those who were not lucky enough to snap up one of the hottest tickets in town, the good news is you won’t have to wait another seven years for another chance. The Cure is going to be closing out the Sunday night of Riot Fest this September. The current leg of the tour runs until July 1st when it will conclude in Miami, with the majority of dates already sold-out. This is one you will not want to miss so if the opportunity comes your way to snag a ticket, make sure you jump on it!
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