Author Topic: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread  (Read 77240 times)

shemptiness

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #285 on: June 23, 2016, 05:54:55 pm »
And unless I missed something the best I could do was a Goose Island IPA.

hutch

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #286 on: June 23, 2016, 06:01:51 pm »
well.. for some context i got into the Cure around  Kiss Me Kiss Me although I can remember driving around in 1986 with high school kids with standing on a beach blaring.... then in college I really got into them freshman year with Disintegration.. I mean really got into them.. bought everything..
 
then i guess in 1996 they came out with wild mood swings and i hated it... i bought tickets and forgot about the show and didn't go...at that time i was really into the Matador bands and indie bands and discovering things like Nick Cave and Nick Drake.. so I was just not into the Cure any more... then I liked Bloodflowers more but still not enough ..but i got tickets for 2000 but i had some function i could not skip so i didn't go..so its been a star crossed history but of course over the ensuing years i guess i just got into them again and was always sad I had never seen them.. then i thought that if i did see them robert smith would be old and it would suck... but then they announced this tour and i got excited.


then the set lists started rolling in and i was like "whoa nelly"

last night getting there was like a root canal for me... picked up SideSquat in Fairfax and then it took us like two and a half hours to get parked....so when i walked in to MPP with the hordes walking in i was definitely a little discombobulated... went down to the pit and i was surprised there was a lot of space.. i guess many people were getting drinks cause the twilight sad had wrapped up.. or maybe people were having trouble finding parking.. i dunno.. point is that without any trouble about 745 i was able to amble over to the middle of the pit and find a great spot in what would be the equivalent of 15th row center.. not too shabby.. i kept thinking  a huge horde of agressive rude people would show up but it never happened... everybody was polite and nice.. there were way more women than i can remember seeing at a show in a very very long time.. .and the men/boys were not the bro crowd... not the frat fuck kind... for example very few people were wearing baseball caps.. very very few.. i foudn that unusual...anyways the tech guys worked on the sound.. the setlists got taped.. and about 5 minutes later the band comes out and it hit me "holy shit this is happening.. i'm just a few feet from frickin' robert smith"... yea i am a fanboy.. a woman next to me had the same reaction..  like "holy shit... this is like too much.. too perfect.."... and for $80? i really could not beleive it.. anyways the band started up and they pretty much maintained the same course the entire time..

robert smith was very still.. not the traditional frontman.... no "hey DC.. HOW YA DOIN!!!!!!!!!".. NOTHING like that.. not a single concession to traditional rock strictures.... but his face was quite expressive.. his eyes very much so.. i was so glad i was close by cause otherwise i would have really missed it....he appears nervous/uncomfortable up there.. no "rock star" vibe... he started in and immediately kind of scanned the crowd . .i mean really looked to get an idea what was what....i have no idea what he thought....a few songs in he said something like "you expect to get used to playing for this many people but you never do..."... which brings me to the next point.. a few very few times he tried to communicate to the crowd.. something..ANYTHING..and every time - at least where i was- it was hard to make out what the fuck he was saying.. i'm not sure if it was that weird accent he has.. or the sound balance or what...i felt like i wasn't the only one that couldn't tell.. melania who is a huge robert smith fan and was a bit on the borderline psychotically obsessed teenager about robert smith was a bit closer to the left and she could tell what he was saying so she told me later...  but from where i was it seemed like he would say something...look at the crowd to see some recognition and the people in the crowd we would look at each other like "what the fuck did he just say? he's so weird!" but in a good way.... anyways the sound was quite good but it did seem to fluctuate like the noise levels went up and down... they definitely toyed with the levels.. at one point robert smith asked his vocals go up a little bit.... the drums on a few songs- to me- sounded plodding but on others sounded great... the ace in the hole was the bass dude Simon Gallup who sounded great and more importantly gave the band some much needed pep.. cause obviously the drummer can't move... the 88 year old guitarist next to smith kept a low profile only stepping out on 2-3 wailing guitar solos that to me did not fit.. i love reeves gabrels (saw him twice with bowie)... but if he were a garnish he'd be parsley...they could ALMOST get away with being a four piece but that would be a little too much heavy lifting for robert at this point... ANYWAYs... simon gallup didn't just sound magnificent..a nd his bass didn't just lead and carry the songs.. a lot of the songs are really built around the bass and last night just emphasized that.. and he was bopping around the stage.. standing on top of something so everyone could see him wailing (a very physical approach to the bass)... and he looks like 15 years younger than Robert even though they are surely the same age.. he looked kind of like a slicker out of a james dean rebel without a cause flick... anyways thank god for him because they sorely needed him....

so some songs i loved the drummer.. some songs i thought it was just like thud thud thud thud thud monotone beat boring.... not that many but a few

thing is as has become apparent the Cure has like 100 songs that are really beloved to choose from and the fact you know you are getting a long show makes it really exciting because you know you're going to get so many songs you love.. this is pretty unusual.. when you go see legacy acts that play 17 songs and they're pushing 5 songs from the recent album everybody loathes, 1 "surprise" cover.. there isn't that much space to hear many of the songs you love

not so with the cure


we did not get the disintegration heavy show with 9 songs from that album.. intead we got a more diverse set list in some ways..

32 songs the bulk from head on the door (6) , kiss me kiss me (I think 5), disintegration (I think 5), wish (4)..  so 20 out of 32 from the 1985-1992 period... oh and also the to me execrable never enough which was the beginning of the end for smith's penchant for writing great stuff.... anyways out of the rest the vast vast majority was stuff from the top (3), japanese whispers (2) etc...

worked for me.. although love cats, charlotte sometimes and one other tune where missed...

but enough about the set list.. it was a killer set list... the high moment for me was the push-in between days- just like heaven trifecta... perhaps my two favorite cure songs back to back.. you kidding me?

so a few songs in i settled in and no longer felt discombobulated... being in rush traffic for over two hours only to get in line with thousands of strangers will do that to me..

so what am i forgetting.. obviously roger o'donnell on keyboards.. the fact i forgot him tells you that i didn't think that much about him during the show.. sure he was there going ploink ploink ploing.. another real effusive outwards personality not....good lord.. he seems like a real nice guy.. and i love his contributions to their albums.. the flowing synths on disintegration must be him at least in part....but up there he didn't do all that much interesting. he had a small keyboard and seemed to be channeling a kraftwerkian sprockets vibe up there....standing kind of still ...

i guess i was kind of fixated on robert smith who was 15 rows or so straight in front of me.. i watched his guitar playing with great interest... he sure came up with a lot of great riffs.. and reeves did not get to play all of them.. laid back on quite a few.. may have completely sat out 1 or 2 songs..

at some point robert smith talked about how the floor reminded him of his parent's floor and he'd bring out a toy train set during the 3rd encore.. it seemed like nobody hear or understood it...

to me the sound seemed to improve for the last half of the show (the encores)......it no longer oscillated in my recording device which leads me to believe something improved and i don't think its just that i moved back 2-3 feet... the crowd like i said was very friendly.. no testosterone.. no people going back every other song to get better/use bathroom.. none of that bullshit... it worked.. robert had no testosterone going and neither did the crowd.. lots of women everywhere.. women who probably dragged their men to the show.... one of the oddest phenomenon how a butt ugly guy like robert smith can have thousands of women fawning over him but there's something to be said for poetry..... at least where i was everyone stayed fixed .. nobody tried to cut in.. nobody bumped into you... nobody held a camera for 45 minutes striaght blocking your view..

the crowd.. i dont' know.. tough to say.. .probably good but could have been more outgoing...i thought one of the songs towards the end the crowd kind of let down the performance and it was a bit of a trainwreck but not sure which

overall, i was spellbound..  i thought the sound was really good, the crowd didn't get in the way of my enjoyment as can happen.... security was not an issue running around hassling people...  my favorite instruments were the bass and smith's guitar... i loved it and it made my contretemps over the years seeing them totally worthwhile.. i think it would be hard for me to have a more enjoyable experience.. maybe if they could get those two giant fans to move a little faster.... at one point i moved about 15 feet diagonal to see how melania was doing and then moved back cause it just wasn't the kind of scene where if you're even somewhat tall you can just move in and block people.. and i was fine with that... i saw quite a few guys singing along to the songs which -given the lyrics- was interesting.. but i am guilty of doing the same....i did see two young teens macking which was also interesting.. one guy repeatedly held up a really cool looking robert smith MUPPET!.. the first time robert saw it he kind of chuckled a bit... .somebody kept holding up a small square sign.. what it said i haven't the foggiest notion....

after the show couldn't even buy a water.. i guess they want people to drive home drunk... i barely drank at the show...thanks SideSquiint fo the beer!

the show was so good for me that i would be reluctant to see them again unless i could replicate the circumstances... it would be hard to top for me..

hutch

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #287 on: June 23, 2016, 06:13:30 pm »
oh yeah... the rarities we got were:


bananafishbones which i think is the one SideSpice thought was One Hundred Years.. I didn't even recognize it! and Sinking which was AWESOME... and If only tonight we could sleep.. which i loved...


i think they should always play either catch or strange girl and we got neither

Robert really put his heart into singing sinking and a few others (pictures of you).. and then some of them were just fun songs to sing and he didn't have to work too hard...

I mean really thinking about it the only way to top that would be to see them at the 930 club and that ain't  happening!

shemptiness

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #288 on: June 23, 2016, 06:16:35 pm »
Jesus.  That was long even for a short story.

hutch

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #289 on: June 23, 2016, 06:37:18 pm »
I noticed a run on sentence in my review.. I am deeply disturbed...

Space Freely

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #290 on: June 23, 2016, 09:34:41 pm »
Jesus.  That was long even for a short story.

I was wondering how a guy with a job and a family finds the time to write such a review.  :P

dyecraig

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #291 on: June 23, 2016, 10:18:45 pm »
I noticed a run on sentence in my review.. I am deeply disturbed...
it's like i was there, thanks hutch!

hutch

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #292 on: June 24, 2016, 04:36:23 am »
I noticed a run on sentence in my review.. I am deeply disturbed...
it's like i was there, thanks hutch!

thanks.. part of the reason i like to write down my thoughts is that if i don't in a few years i forget it.. when i write it down and read it a few times it really helps it stick in my brain... and since i don't keep a concert journal (which i and everyone should) this post will help...

bearman🐻

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #293 on: June 24, 2016, 08:36:37 am »
I noticed a run on sentence in my review.. I am deeply disturbed...
it's like i was there, thanks hutch!

thanks.. part of the reason i like to write down my thoughts is that if i don't in a few years i forget it.. when i write it down and read it a few times it really helps it stick in my brain... and since i don't keep a concert journal (which i and everyone should) this post will help...

I've been keeping a concert journal for this very reason. Over 700 shows. My entries keep getting longer because I try to put as many details in it as possible. More than anything it is  to help me piece together where I was, what I was doing...and it's amazing how many times I've gone out of town with the specific purpose of seeing a concert.

killsaly

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #294 on: June 24, 2016, 02:08:30 pm »
hutch, you're being an unfunny tool.  it's rapidly getting embarrassing for you.
I will co-sign with Sweets on this. If anyone was consistently tweaking Hutch as frequently as he pokes at Killsaly, the moderators would've gotten involved. I guess Killsaly should suck up to Seth, maybe someone might give a crap about him then.
Thanks.  I have no idea what I did to him to make him want to constantly mess with me. 

I will still be around but I am going to lurk for a bit.  I enjoy this place, and have made several friends from here, but I don't need to deal with harassment on a daily basis.   I can't post anything without a certain poster replying with something meant to upset me.   I don't really care about this person or what he says, but enough is enough.   I can't post an announcement or what I am listening to or where I am going without him trying to harass me.  Every single day.  Grow up, you act like a bully.  When I ask someone to stop doing something to me and they keep doing it, it's harassment.  Maybe he thinks he is funny... I can't be in the wrong here with so many people calling him out on it...

I am just tired of this and will waste my online time elsewhere.  If one of my friends on Facebook acted like he does, I would have blocked and unfriended them.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2016, 02:10:12 pm by killsaly »

wml7

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #295 on: June 24, 2016, 02:17:15 pm »
hutch, you're being an unfunny tool.  it's rapidly getting embarrassing for you.
I will co-sign with Sweets on this. If anyone was consistently tweaking Hutch as frequently as he pokes at Killsaly, the moderators would've gotten involved. I guess Killsaly should suck up to Seth, maybe someone might give a crap about him then.
Thanks.  I have no idea what I did to him to make him want to constantly mess with me. 

I will still be around but I am going to lurk for a bit.  I enjoy this place, and have made several friends from here, but I don't need to deal with harassment on a daily basis.   I can't post anything without a certain poster replying with something meant to upset me.   I don't really care about this person or what he says, but enough is enough.   I can't post an announcement or what I am listening to or where I am going without him trying to harass me.  Every single day.  Grow up, you act like a bully.  When I ask someone to stop doing something to me and they keep doing it, it's harassment.  Maybe he thinks he is funny... I can't be in the wrong here with so many people calling him out on it...

I am just tired of this and will waste my online time elsewhere.  If one of my friends on Facebook acted like he does, I would have blocked and unfriended them.

When you see Hutch next time, you need to do this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt3n1UH6iOs
 ;D

hutch

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #296 on: June 24, 2016, 02:28:00 pm »
hutch, you're being an unfunny tool.  it's rapidly getting embarrassing for you.
I will co-sign with Sweets on this. If anyone was consistently tweaking Hutch as frequently as he pokes at Killsaly, the moderators would've gotten involved. I guess Killsaly should suck up to Seth, maybe someone might give a crap about him then.
Thanks.  I have no idea what I did to him to make him want to constantly mess with me. 

I will still be around but I am going to lurk for a bit.  I enjoy this place, and have made several friends from here, but I don't need to deal with harassment on a daily basis.   I can't post anything without a certain poster replying with something meant to upset me.   I don't really care about this person or what he says, but enough is enough.   I can't post an announcement or what I am listening to or where I am going without him trying to harass me.  Every single day.  Grow up, you act like a bully.  When I ask someone to stop doing something to me and they keep doing it, it's harassment.  Maybe he thinks he is funny... I can't be in the wrong here with so many people calling him out on it...

I am just tired of this and will waste my online time elsewhere.  If one of my friends on Facebook acted like he does, I would have blocked and unfriended them.

you're the one constantly insulting me FUCKFACE.. its a public forum.. if you don't want to engage in conversations just ignore my comments instead of freaking out and acting like a first class TOOL.


good riddance.

this thread is emblematic of you... instead of actually posting something about the cure you post a bunch of off topic crap nobody cares about like fucking somebody is a G or some shit.

hutch

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #297 on: June 24, 2016, 02:32:00 pm »
there is nothing bullying about anything i posted... its sad to see real bullying become trivialized...

commenting about how Seal sucks is not bullying sorry to say...

killsaly

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #298 on: June 24, 2016, 02:40:59 pm »
 ::)

I made one comment, an inside joke, about DFA being a Certified G.

YOU, turned it into two pages of nagging at me.  Calling him gay.  Trying to get under my skin. 

How is that not bullying?  I did NOT engage you in a conversation.  You replied to what I said.  I explained it.  You would not let it go.

It got to the point where Julian, Kosmo and Sweetcell agreed that you should stop.

Saying Seal sucks is having an opinion.  Bringing up Seal every single day because you think it will bother me, is harassment. 

Defending myself means I am a tool?  Telling you to stop means I am a tool? 

Why don't YOU ignore my posts?  You keep pushing at me. 
« Last Edit: June 24, 2016, 02:43:19 pm by killsaly »

killsaly

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Re: Official 930 Club The Cure at Merriweather 6-22 Thread
« Reply #299 on: June 24, 2016, 02:44:32 pm »
There is no "good riddance"; I am going anywhere I said I was going to lurk for a bit.