Info:

Line up:
Robert Smith- guitar, vocals
Simon Gallup- bass
Perry Bamonte- guitar
Jason Cooper- drums
Roger O'Donnell- keyboards

Reviews:
POSTED TO DESCENT:
My husband and I just arrived home in Boston after a tumultuous journey to NYC to see the Cure.

After a near 5-hour journey plagued with car troubles, my husband and I arrived safely at our hotel. We checked in, showered, and headed to the Roseland Ballroom. We arrived a little before 6 p.m. only to find that the line for the venue extended a block and a half. We got in line and waited patiently for show time. While in line, scalpers ran up and down the line asking to buy extra tickets “2 for $120” only to sell them later for $200 each. Another man chanted a Jesus mantra. Fellow Cure fans snuggled together and drank coffee trying to fend off the extremely harsh wind. My husband and I were fortunate to meet some nice people in line who made the time pass more quickly. Two girls in front of us had won tickets to see the Cure through a radio promotion. The couple behind us were “good sports” as they were both fighting off the flu. At one point, a security guard asked the crowd to move back 50 feet so that we would not be blocking the entrance to Miss Saigon. You can imagine how excited everyone was to comply with his wishes. We all wanted to move closer to doors of the venue, not further away. Needless to say, we adhered to his directions.

Around 7:15 p.m., we were allowed to move up. We were stopped at different segments by security guards. It was like a game. Start. Stop. Start. Stop. The closer we got to the venue, the more we were teased. “Stop here, please.” Finally, my husband and I made it inside and out of the cold around 7:45 p.m.

My husband and I got a place in front of the stage halfway between Robert and Roger. We were approximately 4 “rows” back. (You can never accurately count rows in a general admission concert.) There was a very nice man, though extremely tall, in front of us. He was the tallest man at the concert, easily 7 feet tall. I was able to see around him well enough. He let a few girls go in front of him, even. During Out of this World, one girl in back of him jumped on his back. When she finally let go, she sobbed uncontrollably and complained embarrassingly about not being able to see. The man politely explained that he, too, had waited in line for several hours to get tickets and that he was justified to have his spot. I whole-heartedly agreed. Another couple who came in late, a tall waif blonde and a dorky man with dark-rimmed glasses, ran and pushed bodies aside to get a place in front of Robert. I was bothered by their obvious plan. They did achieve their objective, though. A few songs later, it was oddly comforting to see that the dark-rimmed dorkman received a taste of his own medicine when a drunk frat boy thrusted his way forward yelling “Robert, Robert, Robert.” A fight eventually broke out between the two of them. I grabbed my head as not to get hit by the flying fists. They both calmed down and achieved some kind of peace and co-existence. The dorkman was later seen throwing a CD on stage. Not the brightest move, by any means. The CD hit Simon’s bass and laid on the floor for the remainder of the concert.

With all the commotion, I think I was distracted for a total of five songs. I had a hard time even getting the lyrics straight. Maybe Someday was one of the highlights of the evening. I was looking forward to the playful intonation Robert had in London…”Maybe Some Daaay,” but no luck. The favorite of the night for me was 39. He used such force in his voice when singing; “I used to feed the fire…” it was admittedly sexy. Robert, Roger, and Simon were all perfectly aligned for A Forest. It was probably the most precise performance of A Forest that I had ever seen. We all thought they were going to go into Forever as it looked like Perry was going to change guitars. That would have been amazing! Figurehead was remarkable. The drums were potent with the additional drum machine underneath.

Overall, it was gratifying evening, though I think we are going to skip on Jones Beach concert this summer and travel to more tranquil venues in Boston and Toronto.

In closing, I would like to say thank you to the kind, tall man. Through all the trouble he was given, he remained calm and reasonable. Through the nasty fight that ensued next to me, he was protective of all of us. He reaffirmed that there is hope for humanity.