Photos + Review: The Cure @ SLEEP TRAIN AMPHITHEATRE (Chula Vista ,CA)

The Cure (Crawley, West Sussex, England)
May 20th, 2016
Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, CA

When it comes to The Cure I have learned to expect quite a bit from a live show.

Turin 1992, the Wish Tour marked the first time I had ever seen The Cure perform. That show completely changed me. Or perhaps it coincided with a time of major changes in my life thus starting a parallel journey that seems to have somehow connected me to their music immensely.

Every show and every tour since then seems to have gotten stronger, bigger, and still somehow more intimate and personal as more memories attached to their songs have been created.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I have fallen in love to “Plainsong” or how many break-ups I have survived singing along to “A Letter To Elise” or the countless make-out sessions that were inspired by “Just Like Heaven.”

Pornography was on constant play in my bright yellow portable CD player (remember those?) my final year of college in San Francisco. Show, the European release helped me and my now husband survive a cross county move in an old U-haul with four cats.

“Fascination Street” will forever hold it’s place as the sexiest song ever written -don’t worry I won’t share memories related to that song!

It seems that while other bands have slowly faded as they’ve grown older, The Cure have endured the test of time proving to be timeless magicians capable of capturing audiences for three hours straight leaving them still wanting for more. Yes, THREE HOURS, don’t be surprised, they have performed for longer before. Which is only a further testament of their amazing live presence.

Though their studio albums are flawless, The Cure are, were, and will always be a live band. When they are on stage their music simply comes alive, able to swallow you and hold you captive the entire time. A sold out amphitheater and you feel as if the band is delivering each song specifically to you. Their energy is simply contagious and the chemistry amongst them is simply impossible to ignore.

As they announced the upcoming tour they promised a setlist that would cover their entire career, including B-sides and songs they haven’t performed in decades. They definitely kept their word and went beyond. Each city and each show had a different setlist delivering unique experiences each fan will treasure for life. The only downfall to this on my side was that I did not win the lottery. Not for lack of trying, although I did hope to be able to follow them on tour. Luckily (in this case) nowadays most people are attached to their mobile devices at shows and most videos find their way onto youtube. Oh yeah and I cried like a baby in the photo pit. I mean we are talking about The Cure, can you blame me?

The setlist to this incredible show:
Open
High
Pictures Of You
Closedown
This Twilight Garden
A Night Like This
All I Want
Push
Jupiter Crash
Last Dance
Lullaby
The End Of The World
Lovesong
A Letter To Elise
Fascination Street
The Hungry Ghost
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea
End
—-Encore 1—-
It Can Never Be The Same
—-Encore 2—-
At Night
M
Play For Today
A Forest
—-Encore 3—-
Step Into The Light
Us Or Them
Burn
Wrong Number
—-Encore 4—-
The Walk
The Exploding Boy
Inbetween Days
Doing The Unstuck
Friday I’m In Love
Just Like Heaven
—-Encore 5—-
Boys Don’t Cry