31/05/1980
play for today
three imaginary boys
fire in cairo
in your house
10.15 saturday night
m
at night
accuracy
jumping someone else's train
another journey by train
grinding halt
a forest slight cut in outro/ending
plastic passion
boys don't cry
subway song
killing an arab
three/forever (w/happy birthday for simon)
a forest
10.15 saturday night
play for today
and this is a super recording!! must be a radio broadcast or something special, because everything sounds great...clean guitars/bass/keyboards w/a great mix. the only complaint (and a very minor/questionable one at that) is that robert's vocals might actually be a little too loud for some people--it's not overbearing, just higher in the mix...excellent recording all things considered.
"seventeen seconds" opens this show, and it sets a nice grey tone for the night...where lots of 1980 shows end the first set w/"seventeen seconds," this night opens with it...kinda cool. "play for today" is sharp and well done...followed w/a solid "three imaginary boys."
"fire in cairo" is next, robert doesn't sing the first "f-i-r-e-i-n-c-a-i-r-o" part, but it's still good..."in your house" brings things back into the grey, robert says "this one's for death in stereo" as an introduction...death in stereo probably being an opening/supporting band. a search engine brought up more results for a band called "death by stereo," while robert called them "death in stereo." good performance of "in your house" anyway....
"at night" follows "m," and feels slightly darker than everything that came before it. with buzzing bass effects and repeated keyboard lines, "at night" casts a longer shadow. the "jumping someone else's train"/"another journey by train" performance kicks up the momentum and feels really good--"grinding halt" is good and leads directly into a good performance of "a forest."
"a forest" is always a good listen, but this one is especially good because the recording is so well-done. you can hear everything well, and the mix is great...some of robert's guitar sounds are really excellent, cutting thru everything w/sharp bursts and then diving back into the mix. there is a slight cut in the outro/ending, but it's pretty slight--not a total cd killer. good version!! robert then says "thank you and goodnight" as they end the set, but come back for more. there are a few goodbyes on this night...
the encores start w/"plastic passion," a good kick--as is a spirited run-thru of "boys don't cry," then robert again says good night...
then the band comes back out to play "subway song" and "killing an arab." "subway song" has never been a favorite, but it's done well..."killing an arab" is much better and goes really well, and then robert says "thank you, good night, that's it.......thank you," leaving at least one guitar/keyboard or something still humming in the night.
it must be 11:30pm when they come back on, as robert explains "simon's twenty in half an hour, so this is for 'im...." and then they kinda take off into a version of "three" or "forever" (depending on what some fans/collectors call it), and robert sings "happy birthday" to simon during the song. except it's not a standard happy birthday, these lyrics are kinda improvised about getting older...how "it happens to others, it happens all the time, happy birthday to you......the candles on the cake, they're waiting to be blown...i wish i was another...."
robert then uses the lingering sounds from the end of "three" to start another version of "a forest," starting w/the line "look closer and see.....up in the air...." this second performance is faster and more aggressive than the first, very spontaneous--but again--robert's guitar sounds and playing are great...after both an almost end (they pick the song back up) and then an actual end, robert says "thank you and goodnight, what a wonderful birthday...present."
they leave and then return for "10.15 saturday night" and "play for today," both repeated from earlier in the night. normally i would think that this must be a different show, but the recording quality/distinct sounds actually stay the same...same kinda crowd stuff...and it's simon's birthday--they coulda done anything really. both are well-done w/some mistakes thrown in, and robert finally says "that's it....goodnight."
this is an excellent (!!) show/recording, great sound from a 1980 performance w/interesting stuff in the mix--probably another must-have if you're a curefan!!