Early returns show pretty good reviews on the festival (The Cure site did not provide links for these):
from the Orlando Sentinel:
When the Cure finally performed, after a precisely timed procession of opening acts spread over almost four hours, singer Robert Smith showed that the band isn't ready to rest on its laurels. Music from the Cure's new self-titled album sounded as strong as anything the group has ever done.
Smith opened with the album's first song, "Lost," which showcased his evocative voice at its brooding best. "I can't find myself in the head of a stranger in love," he wailed, as banks of blue spotlights formed an appropriately moody background.
The band followed with "Labyrinth," re-creating the album's pensive, rhythmically charged arrangement with almost studio clarity. The sound mix at the amphitheater was hospitable to the band's dense sonic assault even though Smith's vocals occasionally sounded harsh when he sang in the upper register above the full band.
Although the band's generous set, which ran more than 100 minutes, was loaded with new material, Smith dipped into the Cure's catalog too. Often, the older songs dovetailed perfectly, such as a beautiful version of "Love Song" that sounded more inspired than the obligatory hit it has become.
It was one of several songs from 1989's Disintegration album that the band revisited with considerable skill. The crowd, which came close to filling the amphitheater, offered a hearty roar for "Fascination Street," which lightened the show's opening moments with a dose of dance-friendly psychedelia. Later, "Pictures of You" unfolded as a gorgeous theatrical ballad.
And, from the Tampa Tribune:
A powerful set by The Cure capped off a long day of dark-hued rock 'n' roll, much of it inspired by the headliners, at the Ford Amphitheatre on Sunday.
Dubbed Curiosa, the two- stage, festival-style tour was designed by Cure leader Robert Smith to showcase some of his favorite young bands, as well as allow those bands to pay homage to the headline act, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It drew a crowd estimated at 10,000.
The Cure's influence, though, was evident in much of the music of the seven bands whose sets preceded group.
It could be heard in the yelping vocals of The Rapture, in the clipped rhythms of Interpol and in the naked emotion of Thursday.
It would take quite a stretch of the imagination, though, to hear The Cure's influence in the music of Head Automatica, which opened the show on the second stage at 5 p.m., with an energetic set of wiseacre punk.
Scottish outfit Mogwai played next on the main stage. The instrumental group's music has an awful majesty, threatening to carry the listener away in a swarm of funnel- cloud guitars. The calm ferocity of the set reach a climax with a seven-minute barrage of guitar feedback.
Over on the second stage, Cooper Temple Clause substituted aggression for the atmospherics of its ``Kick Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose'' CD, with mixed results.
Second main stage act The Rapture almost was swallowed whole by its influences - U2 and The Cure - early in its set. However, the band emerged with something close to its own, beginning with the song ``The Coming of Spring.''
Melissa Auf Der Maur looked striking and mysterious while manning the bass for Hole and Smashing Pumpkins in years past. Fronting her band, Auf Der Maur, on the second stage, she ruined her mystique by opening her mouth and revealing a thin, nasally voice that sank her otherwise adequate alt-rock.
Interpol was a stylish blend of restrained emotion and channeled drive on the main stage. Daniel Kessler's vocals recalled Joy Division's Ian Curtis, but with a chilly reserve more in line with Roxy Music's Bryan Ferry.
Thursday's pummeling heartfelt punk might have been more at home on the punk-heavy Warped Tour, but it drew plenty of attention as the final band on the second stage.
The Cure moved gracefully between earlier material and songs from its latest album, ``The Cure.''
``Pictures of You'' had many in the crowd swaying, and a few weeping. ``On a Night Like This'' was bracing, near-perfect pop.
The new material, though, was of equal quality, from ``Lost,'' to the infectious ``End of the World.''
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Wish I could make the gathering, but I'll be catching the Wed show in Cleveland.
