The Cure Promises to Come Back

"Thank you. We'll come back and see you again," were the final words from Robert Smith to a sold-out crowd last night at Tampa's Amalie Area for the penultimate show of their Songs of a Lost World tour.

This was a stark contrast to the first time I saw The Cure in September of 1989. It was the final US show in support of Disintegration, which was widely referred to as The Cure's farewell tour, at an amphitheater outside Boston. That night, Smith mumbled, "Thank you, and we may never see you again," as he walked off stage. Did a bunch of high school kids witness the final performance of one of their favorite bands? Talk about deflating the crowd.

Robert Smith's reports of The Cure's demise were widely exaggerated. Ironically, they kicked off their next US tour at the Providence Civic Center in May of 1992, just a few miles from where he delivered what we thought was a final farewell to many of the same people.

To many, including myself, The Cure was not just a welcome alternative but a necessary part of the music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Disintegration, and Wish provided a vehicle that rocketed us past the overly misogynistic Girls, Girls, Girls hair metal and the exceptionally awful Ice, Ice Baby corporate rap.

More than anything else, during this time, The Cure made it acceptable not to be like everyone else. We could be a little different, feel a little different and listen to different music we loved with other like-minded people.

This atmosphere was on full display last night. It was an amazing reunion of 16,000 individuals who had never met. Doc Martens, torn fishnets, teased hair, thick eyeliner, and black-on-black created the common bond.

Rather than playing a few songs on the PA before taking the stage, the sound of trickling raindrops permeated the arena. These sounds would soon be replaced with a thunderous roar as the band took the stage.

They opened with Alone, an unreleased track with the a typically long intro, which allowed Smith to meander across the stage collecting flowers and other small gifts from fans. While several other unreleased songs were included on the 27-song setlist, The Cure followed up with Pictures of You, instantly delivering life to the crowd.

The Cure has mixed up the playlist on this tour. Last night didn't include anything off their 1979 debut album but covered a lot of other ground, including A Forest from the 1980's Seventeen Seconds album.

With an extended set list, The Cure included many deep cuts that may have been unfamiliar to some. Whether known or not, The Cure delivered their signature, almost orchestral sound throughout the night.

Smith's voice has held up amazingly well, and in an awkward way, he seemed to enjoy himself on stage. With his classic black sweater, teased hair and bright red lips, he poked fun at himself several times.

While The Cure is known for its deep, melodic sound, many of the band's biggest hits and crowd-pleasers tilt towards poppish love songs. After playing for more than two hours, they delivered what many in the crowd came to hear.

The second encore included Lullaby, The Walk, Friday I’m in Love, Close to Me, Why Can’t I Be You?, and In Between Days. And I don't know how you choose the order of Just Like Heaven and Boys Don’t Cry, but tonight before Smith's concluding message, the band ended with Boy's Don't Cry.

I do hope Smith delivers on his promise to tour again and that The Cure keeps making new music.

Sidenote: More artists need to follow Smith's lead in taking on Ticketmaster. Smith was adamant about keeping ticket prices affordable and eliminating as many senseless fees as possible. Tickets weren't transferable, delivering a blow to scalpers. When Ticketmaster screwed up and overcharged, he forced them to issue refunds on certain fees.

Set List:

Alone

Pictures of You

A Fragile Thing

A Night Like This

Lovesong

And Nothing Is Forever

Burn

At Night

Push

Play for Today

A Forest

Shake Dog Shake

From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea

Endsong

Encore 1 :

I Can Never Say Goodbye

It Can Never Be the Same

Want

Plainsong

Disintegration

Encore 2:

Lullaby

The Walk

Friday I’m in Love

Close to Me

Why Can’t I Be You?

In Between Days

Just Like Heaven

Boys Don’t Cry