Curiosa: It’s like Ozzfest, but not…

     My favorite thing about the Cure is how they have the talent to capture human emotions into three to five minute songs. They’ve been doing it now for nearly 30 years without any serious disappointments. It is not surprising that they have influenced today’s hip bands. Those hip band’s young fans are given the chance to see and experience their biggest influence, The Cure.
     How could anyone pass up the opportunity to see The Cure, Interpol, Muse, Auf Der Maur, The Cooper Temple Clause, The Rapture, Mogwai, and Head Automatica all in one venue? Only one thing stands in the way: the price tag. From about 40 to 75 dollars a ticket prevents many fans from seeing their favorite bands. Of course, there are ways such as winning tickets from your local radio station, but those chances are pretty slim. All the pavilion seats still managed to be filled at the concert I attended.
     I honestly dislike the venue that held Curiosa (it will not be named, but with enough investigation you’ll figure it out). Last year when I saw Radiohead, the traffic was awful, the security staff was strict, and I was stuck on lawn. I hesitated when I heard that Curiosa would be stopping by within a reasonable distance. I wanted to go anyway, because the line-up was extremely appealing. The security staff was still strict, but I arrived to the venue on time and I wasn’t stuck on lawn.
     I could hear the howling of Head Automatica’s Daryl Palumbo from the parking lot-ok, so I wasn’t exactly on time, but I wasn’t missing out on half of the concert. I assume that it was the last song in their set, because by the time I actually got into the venue Mogwai already had their instruments ready on the main stage. I was wandering around the venue and didn’t get to judge their stage presence, but their music is so beautiful. They are justifiably an instrumental band, because their music is so atmospheric and just so beautiful that it would overpower any vocals. I was walking around the pavilion and then there was this unexpected thunderous blend of instruments that caused me to present an odd expression of surprise on my face. As they were finishing off their set, I walked to the second stage to see The Cooper Temple Clause. I stayed for one song and wasn’t impressed with the front man’s lack of movement and overall mediocre songwriting.
     Tired of all the walking, I decided to sit down at the pavilion to wait for the Rapture. I’ve heard “House of Jealous Lovers” and dismissed it as a whiny and jumbled over-hyped dance punk song. However, the Rapture is a band you cannot simply listen to; you have to experience the Rapture to understand what they are all about. And they are all about fun. You can tell from the band members’ relaxed composure that all they really wanted was for people to dance and enjoy the concert. People down at the pit and clumps of people in the pavilion were dancing erratically trying to spread the message, but no one else seemed to receive it. They’re really enjoyable live and even had one of the members playing the sax.
     Ex-Hole and Ex-Smashing Pumpkins femme Melissa Auf Der Maur was next on the second stage. She probably released all her pent up anger into her new solo career which results in extremely dark and moody songs. If she lightened up a little, she could probably be a lot more promising, otherwise no comment. Interpol was on the main stage next, and they showed up in their formal attire, all black, except for drummer Sam Fogarino’s lime shirt. They sped through most of the songs on Turn on the Bright Lights including “Obstacle 1,” “NYC,” and “Say Hello to the Angels” while incorporating some new songs that will appear on their upcoming release Antics. The crowd really seemed to enjoy their set. Every time they recognized a song, they clapped and yelled. Interpol finished off their great set with “PDA” with Daniel Kessler taking over vocal duties and having a short guitar solo. The rest of the band came in and Paul Banks reappeared with a black hat and a cigarette in his mouth.
     Muse is a band with a lot of buzzzzz. A lot of people were looking forward to their rock. They were okay. I couldn’t judge their stage presence, considering all I saw was the blinding lights of the second stage. Then, THE CURE took the main stage. They started with what sounded like an intro to “Pictures of You” as Robert Smith took the time to smile at the crowd and wave, but the intro was actually to “Plainsong.” They played through a lot of great songs including, “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” “The Walk,” “Lovesong,” and “One Hundred Years.” They had corny projections as their background, but the experience was so magical that it didn’t really matter. They finished up the set with “Disintegration” and nobody seemed to move because they knew the Cure would come back on.
     The first encore (you read that right, the first) was all the pop hits any guy/gal could ask for. Playing the wonderful “Close to Me” and gesturing to “Lullaby” was so great. “Lovecats” was a pleasant surprise and “Friday I’m in Love” was very startling. Smith admitted that he had to play the song, because after all it was a Friday. He messed up on a couple of lines, but it was the first time they played the song in a while so it is understandable. I lost it when they played “Friday I’m in Love” though, because it was so perfect on a breezy Friday night. My seating neighbors probably thought I was high or extremely crazy. I wasn’t really high on anything but the music (stay drug free kids). They ended with the eccentric “Why Can’t I Be You.” They reappeared on stage as Smith said, “We thought we were going to play all the pop hits, but it seems as if we forgot a few.” They proceeded to play the blissful “Just like Heaven” and “Boys Don’t Cry.” By the end of the two hour set, people moaned and I was almost at the verge of tears. I couldn’t believe that it was over so soon. This concert was fifty times better than HFStival. Can’t wait for another Curiosa fest.