The Cure Live Review - Radio City

Playing for near three hours, including three encores, The Cure gave their biggest fans everything they could ever ask for. The magnificent interior and sound of Radio City Music Hall gave it all a glorious feeling, as the longtime kings of gloom played a masterful set in front of thousands dressed in their blackest attire.

30 years have done nothing to take the pain, hurt, and desperation out of Robert Smith's wail. The legendary frontman sounded as good as ever, while the rest of the band built a powerful wall of sound behind him.

Seeing a band like this, so long past their prime is often just a disappointing nostalgia trip. The good feeling hardly comes from the performance, but instead from the memories it creates. The nostalgia was definitely present during The Cure's performance last night, but there was much more to the good feelings created than a few memories. Even if you never shut yourself in your room listening to "Boys Don't Cry" on repeat while dealing with the most depressing of your teen years, it was a great show. Not once did it feel like a group of old men trying to bank in on their past by just going through the measures. And with the three encores and a set that lasted as long as a major league baseball game, they better have been enjoying it.

It probably didn't need to be so long, and the set often didn't flow as well as the best of their records (often lumping together 2 excitement-inducing hits, and then following with an extremely depressing deep cut). But how can one complain about overload, especially after the 1-2 punches of "Pictures of You and "Lullaby," and "In between Days" and "Just Like Heaven." Just watching Robert Smith sing "Close To Me" from the side balconies was worth the price of admission.

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