Robert Smith has had several terrible, horrible, no good very bad days in Washington state. Luckily, when goth icons The Cure performed at Climate Pledge Arena during their Songs of a Lost World tour it was not one of those days.
But just because the bad luck was gone doesn’t mean it was forgotten. Actually, it was top of mind for Smith as it was the first thing he mentioned to the crowd before the band broke into a near three-hour set filled with hits, deep cuts and fan favorites from throughout the legendary group’s 45-year career.
“That was absolutely terrible,” Smith said, addressing the crowd before the band began its set.
He was referencing the last time The Cure performed in Washington state, which was in 2016 as headliners for the Sasquatch! Music festival. The show marked the band’s second time headlining the festival and its set had to be cut short by 45 minutes due to high winds and wildfire smoke in the area.
The other time Smith had bad luck in the Evergreen State came in 2004, when his Curiousa Festival had to be canceled due to a family emergency. The date was replaced with a show billed as “An Evening With The Cure” in Everett and during the show the band made up for the cancellation by playing a set with five encores. Reportedly, due to the cancelation of the Curiosa date the Everett show didn’t sell well which is why the arena was only two-thirds full for the makeup show.
Maybe it was the group’s recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Maybe it was Smith’s recent crusade against Ticketmaster. Maybe it was an effect of fans needing live music post-pandemic. Or perhaps The Cure’s status as a legacy act made fans think the show might have been the final time the group tours the U.S. Whatever the reason (it was likely a combination of all those reasons) ticket sales were not a problem for this show.
The band played a dynamic 29-song set to an enthusiastic capacity crowd that seemed to hang on every note of every song. The concert began with “Alone,” a song off the band’s upcoming album “A Lost World.” It was one of six unreleased songs expected to be on the new album the band performed.
From there the set went on to include a collection of deeper cuts like “The Last Day of Summer” and the dark “Another Happy Birthday,” which was played in honor of bassist Simon Gallup’s 63rd birthday, as well as crowdpleasers like “Burn,” from “The Crow” soundtrack and “A Forest,” which the adoring crowd turned into a bit of an anthemic clapalong.
Smith and his band ended the night with a stellar second encore that would have made even the mopiest goth dance. It started off slow with “Lullaby,” which was accompanied by cool spider-themed motions on the giant video screens behind the band. From there “The Walk,” “In Between Days,” “Why Can’t I Be You,” “Friday I’m In Love” and “Boys Don’t Cry” left the crowd satisfied and wanting more.
While The Cure is known for helping pioneer goth music and culture with songs that are darkly maudlin and sincerely sad, their performance was the exact opposite. Instead of feeling downtrodden and depressed, the evening felt celebratory and victorious. And if it truly was the last time a Seattle crowd gets to see The Cure play a note in person, the band didn’t disappoint and went out on a very high note.
Photo courtesy Climate Pledge Arena
