CURE
CONCOCTS FEEL-GOOD SHOW
BY RICHARD PACHTER
rpachter@wordsonwords.com
There was nothing depressing about The Cure concert at West
Palm Beach's Mars Amphitheater. Sure, most of the crowd wore
black, but they happily danced, swayed and sang along as Robert
Smith, the band's guiding force, led his crew through an ethereal
but musically solid set.
Though his onstage patter was limited to thank-yous and song
titles, Smith mirrored the audience's upbeat mood despite
The Cure's traditional downbeat lyrics. The rest of the band
was in high form, too. The current lineup, together for the
last quarter of The Cure's 20-year existence, was almost telepathically
tight. Drummer Jason Cooper established a groove that the
rest of the band filled admirably. Bassist Simon Gallup was
rhythmic and melodic. Perry Bamonte played the majority of
guitar solos, but doubled some parts with Smith, who often
took the lead when his vocal responsibilities allowed. And
Roger O'Donnell stuck mostly to the keyboards, but strapped
on his six-string guitar a few times during the evening.
Despite all that, this was clearly Smith's show. Solos were
strictly in service to the songs, and not opportunities for
individual expression. But the audience would hardly have
wanted it any other way.
The Cure opened with Out Of This World from their latest
CD, Bloodflowers,
which provided most of the material for Saturday's
concert. The show may have been the band's last South Florida
appearance, as Smith is billing this tour as The Cure's farewell
trip. But he's reported to have said the same thing several
times before. If this time it's true, the band is going out
on a high note. Reviewers have hailed Bloodflowers
as The Cure's best recorded work, and their live presentation,
if Saturday's sold-out gig was any indication, has reached
a genuine and very positive peak.