01/06/1979
accuracy
grinding halt
another day
object
subway song
foxy lady
plastic passion
three imaginary boys
boys don't cry
fire in cairo
killing an arab
do the hansa
it's not you
meathook
10.15 saturday night reprise/reworking
the sound isn't great--but it's listenable, all the instruments are mixed evenly and that helps...but there's just some tape distortion, probably due to the equipment at the time. but even so, this is a listenable recording...i've got a few australian shows from the 2000 dream tour which are worse!
they boys start out w/"10.15 saturday night" and "accuracy," as as always--the band is pretty tight...someone near the taping equipment says something to that effect, "it's a great sound isn't it?" he asks...to which another person replies "very good, very good." robert then introduces "grinding halt" as the song that some people thought was a single but wasn't...michael must be doing a few extra vocals on the little "everything's coming to a grinding halt" choruses, not bad--but adding nothing to the mix really.
"the next one's for ummm...for every girl that's standing next to you, it's called 'object.'" and off they go--pretty good stuff. the boys are pretty chatty, calling "subway song" "the fairground song" because it's "what happens to you when you're at the fairgrounds generally." and then after the song robert lets out a very half-done yelp (where the scream is on the studio/album take) before asking "scary eh??"
before "foxy lady," robert says "this is a jimi hendy song" and then michael jokingly adds that it's "hey joe," another hendrix classic...but it's "foxy lady" complete w/michael's odd vocal take. "plastic passion" is good even though robert slips on a couple of lyrics..."three imaginary boys" is very good, a hint of the way the band would develop in the future w/simple lines and atmosphere...
the most perfect cure pop song of the time, "boys don't cry," follows--a good performance that gets some of the best crowd response...and a really sweet little version of "fire in cairo" comes right after, it's not overly punky and fast like some early versions--and michael adds some really good harmony vocals (something very very rarely--if ever--found, no-one else ever did more vocals) in "fire in cairo."
the boys close out the set w/"killing an arab," which is good, even w/a few mistakes...
the encores are a collection of cure piss-takes ("do the hansa" and "meathook") w/a good "it's not you" and then a revisited "10.15 saturday night." robert kinda introduces "do the hansa" w/a few words about the fact that hansa is a german record label, and then after the song ends--while the crowd is clapping and all, robert says that "you were supposed to boo that one."
robert plays a few chords from "meathook" just messing about and sings "i'm siiiinging in the rain" very off and says that it's for porl--then they play the song...as soon as "meathook" ends, the band launches right into a very fast and harsh rework of "10.15 saturday night." what is usually the outro (w/the bass solo-kinda things) becomes a slower break-down (!!) part, and then it speeds back up again.
very cool and interesting stuff here, the early date of the performance and unique takes on some very rarely done songs....all add up to a nice package--a must-have piece of cure history.