The Cure at Allstate Arena
After they cancelled their only ‘07 date in Chicago to go back in-studio to finish their new album, The Cure finally made their way to Rosemont last Saturday for a 3 hour performance at Allstate Arena. Was it worth the wait? Tell us what you thought of their performance!
May 19th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I have honestly never heard a show at Allstate sound better than Saturday. What a setlist!
My only issue were the snacks. Seriously, $4.50 for a bottled water? It’s cheaper at the Cubs game!
Did anyone else see that goofy guy in the front row?
May 19th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I’ve always loved The Cure and so has my girlfriend. We went with a group of friends and all had a blast. The classics brought back many memories and I’m glad we got to see them. I was bummed they cancelled last year like you mentioned, and even though the wait was long, I’d say it was worth it. Thanks XRT.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Great show. I haven’t seen The Cure in many years. The sound, energy, and song choices were all excellent. Great to hear 10:15 Saturday Night among all the others. I would have liked to have bought a t-shirt, but plus $40 is just too much for me to justify.
May 20th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
What a great show! I have been a Cure fan for years and now my son and daughter are big fans as well. We all went and had a blast! The set list was a great cross section of their music over the years. Glad they included a couple of the new singles.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:56 am
awe-inspiring! amazing and fantastic. $ and time well spent. w0w…
thanks!!!
May 21st, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Awesome awesome awesome. Regardless of Robert Smith thinking/applogizing for sounding ‘fn awful’ - I thought he sounded fine. The perfect blend of great old ones, new and mainstream. Loved it loved it loved it!!
May 21st, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I’ve been to many a show and with many a line-up, but somehow this show just blasted the others out of the water! They took the style back to the roots with no keyboards and Robert playing on almost every song. He didn’t stay to the same set-list that he always does. ‘The Kiss’ blew me out…I had been dying to hear that one forever and out of nowhere there it was! I will stop jabbering, but damn did we have a fantastic old time.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:56 am
Great setlist. Great crowd. Robert Smith was really “on”, talking and walking the stage and even dancing. The songs were missing that extra something without the keyboards though.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:47 am
I don’t attend concerts as much as I used to, so when I do it is for someone that I feel will put on a great show. I have to say that I was very impressed with their performance. I was also disappointed with the ‘07 cancelled show, but the Cure made up for it tenfold. The fact that they played mostly older songs made the show great! They played both of my favorites - LULLABY & PICTURES OF YOU!!!! I insisted that our friend in NYC get to the upcoming show and he now has tix.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
A long time Cure fan. It was a great show so glad we won the tixs from WXRT! It was worth the trip from Knox IN.
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:49 am
Echoing some of the earlier comments, I have to say it was a great setlist… a good mix of old and new stuff. Songs like “One Hundred Years” were meant to be played live. My wife and I last saw Robert and the boys on the Bloodflowers tour and we both agree that this performance was as solid and as tight as we’ve ever seen. Great crowd as well.
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Awesome show! I haven’t seen the Cure since ‘92. I was disappointed that they cancelled last year but last Saturday made up for it. They played everything I liked except “Lets Go To Bed”. I couldn’t help but notice that the fan base is aging as well, as much of the audience appeared to be in their 40s or early 50s but there were a fair number of 20-somethings as well. Robert kept apologizing but I thought he was excellent as was the rest of the band!
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
One week before the show, I received the BEST 50th birthday present ever - a ticket from my friend Rhonda to see my beloved CURE! We had tried so hard last year to get decent seats to no avail. Needless to say, I thought the show was fabulous! Three hours! Who plays 3 hours anymore? And they played songs from nearly all of their albums! I have seen them many times over the last 25 yrs - this was by far the best. I was sad they didn’t play 2 of my faves - A Forest and Fascination Street - but I will live.
I would KILL to go again…
Thank you, WXRT!
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Yeah, that goofball in the middle of the stage-front row dancing around and motioning to the audience like a fool every 13 seconds? I’m sure he was tired the next day. He seemed to be there more so people can see HIM than he was interested in the show, hahaha….
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
well its been 8 yrs since the cure hit the windy city area and thank god for that robert looked and sounded amazing for being 49 yrs old the rest of the band members were incredible as well when the first note was strummed a tear came to my eye and the hair on my arms stood straight up it was amazing me brian and pat danced our skulls off the rest of the night and couldnt agree more that the cure had not missed a beat its a live concert so things are not always perfect but thats what we love most. thank you wxrt and the cure for kicking our concert season off to a killer start rock on!!!! loyal xrt fans
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:53 pm
AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! I was in the fifth row and everyone up front stood for the entire show…well over 3 hours. Such a gracious band,,,Robert Smith apologetic for sounding bad when really the acoustics sucked and the many thank yous, the many smiles, his dancing. Snuck a camera in and did get some great pictures. The Cure…surpassing the test of time, multi-generational as a 51y/o dancing the aisle with my 20y/o daughter…like no other!!! What good memories.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:00 pm
The Cure put on an Great Show. I was lucky enough to win tickets as a WXRT VIP and had great seats in 101. I actually had my 18 year old grandson with me and he loved it!!!I love when the gap between generations stays vey narrow and it’s easier done with enjoying the same music. Thanks to XRT and the Cure for a great time! Loved It!
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I hadn’t been waiting to see The Cure (even the tickets had been an unexpected gift), but if I had been, the wait would have been worth it in spades. The concert was a joyful experience. The memory of it makes me want to dance.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I almost didn’t go to the show but I saw a picture of what they all looked like now and thought I do want to go and boy am I glad I did! It was fantastic. Almost every song reminded me of dancing at Club 950 many years ago. And yes, I did see the goofy guy in the front row…
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
The show was incredible and the setlist was amazing! A fan since age 12, I cannot believe how great it was to see them live again and to see that they are just as amazing now as they were back then. They played so many old ones, so many that I wasn’t expecting to hear but was very pleasantly surprised when they did. I actually teared up during Plainsong because of the amazing sound, the lights and the overall performance of the band and spectacle of the show. Amazing! I hope they tour again (but next time PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE play in Chicago!)
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:20 pm
It’s the first time I had seen them and I was not disappointed at all. The sound was great and the set list was as if I’d handed it to them and said “Here you go, try to fit as many in as possible, thanks.” The only omission for me was “Fascination Street”, which is kind of ironic because that’s the song that made me a Cure fan. I kept thinkin’ “I know they’re goin’ to play it, I know they’re going to play it.” Alas….I still loved the show, and being that I was in the 1st row of the balcony facing the stage I loved the fact that the arena was cut in half, it made my ticket 50% better than I thought it was going to be in the 1st place. Overall great performance and set list.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
Bought the tickets last fall to take my sister for her birthday. It was quite the belated gift. She is more into The Cure than I am. But I have to say, I think I enjoyed the show more than she did. Awesome show.
May 23rd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
I thought this was a great show - great setlist too. I especially liked “Push” and “Night Like This” (I guess Head in the Door is one of my favorite albums.) I didn’t notice any problem with the vocals. I saw them at the same place (different name- Horizon) back more than twenty years ago. Hope they get back here as they promised.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Music is my drug of choice and my escape. Going to a concert is the ultimate high. The show was great with exception to the pictures of human tragedy during one of their songs. That was an instant mood breaker. The band could have sounded better with a keyboard. How could you not see the goofy guy in the front row? It was pretty funny. I think I saw him earlier carrying a fruity drink around wearing a Scott Stapp t-shirt. I don’t listen to The Cure a lot anymore but the concert made me realize how much I still truly love them and how well their music has stood the test of time. I will pick up the new CD and give it a try!
May 24th, 2008 at 10:09 am
It was a Great show, 3 Hours long!
They need to go on tour more often!
May 24th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
im sure da cure were great as ive seen them twice. been to a lot of concerts in the past 2 yrs. but being 46 im not really into the stadium shows where the band looks like little blurbs of light from 800 rows back.ive been a cure fan for 27 yrs. and still love that band. but having seen them already i wouldnt have traded my 1 MINISTRY ticket (5-11-08 h.o.b.) for 20 cure tickets. this was possibly the best rock & roll powerhouse show ive ever seen, and sadly probably their last. rock on uncle AL!!!! c-mon xrt , lets blog it!
May 24th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
The presentation of the visuals for the gig was superb. The Cure sounded like that did not let time slow them down. Smiths Vocals were right on & the lead guitar was searing. Reminded me of the Clash with the intensity. Plus, the bassist was dressed to kill in his outfit & high heels.
Over was worth the fans time & $$. Hopefully the gig was recorded? RockitDQ
May 24th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
My devotion runs deep for these fellows, and i have never been disappointed in any of their performances. Even this night, with Robert struggling with his voice, the show was not to be missed. The venue was fairly attractive, and the staff were really polite. The audience was with it, and filled in singing when Robert dropped a lyric or two. I had a fantastic night- worth the drive over from Lansing!
May 27th, 2008 at 9:34 am
A friend of mine had to bow out at the last minute so I took my 71 year old mother. She said it was the best show she had ever seen and she has been to a lot of shows. Her favorite shows were Phish before they broke up. I recently took her to see Widespread Panic so she does follow the current music scene. The thing that struck me as odd was the stage was in the middle of the Allstate Arena. If they only sold that many seats they should have chosen a different venue like the Chicago Theater. The crowd was great and the show was beyond my expectations. I hope they don’t wait too long to tour again.
May 27th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I purchased tix for the Sept. date, was bummed they changed but knew it would be worth the wait. Went to Vegas for friends 40th bday on the 15th-18th!! Sold tix to my nephew, after reading these blogs–majorly bummed I missed them! I truly hope they will be swinging through Chi-town again–soon!
September 17th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Scott Stapp
Very interesting post. A little bit confusing, but still ok.