The Windup to Cure Tour 2022
Ever since discovering I was not the only Cure Fan on earth to want to go to multiple shows, I’ve documented my experiences – some years more than others. At first, I thought it was a way to prove to my family and nay-saying friends that I was not the only one. Or perhaps even as a reminder to myself. But that started way back in the 90s. Dare I say it may have even been in revolt to the cruel world of the 80s when I discovered The Cure. I skipped the 1989 Disintegration Tour in some feeble attempt to show my newfound indifference (peer pressure). I had been made fun of for years by the mean girls at school, only to have them featured in my High School Yearbook with the band (rules of the game).
Them vs me, 1987/88.
Alas, I digress. For my sixth tour fully following the band and a multitude of one-offs in between, I decided to vlog with scene reports from the tour. We’d been prepping for this one for about a year. And by we, I mean fans worldwide. This was our first chance to see The Cure post-covid lockdown. The new album was long delayed. Speculation was a flutter that in a non covid-universe, we may have had a worldwide Cure Tour and new album in 2021. But the world had other plans for all of us.
Instead, a hefty European tour was announced in the winter of 2021. By this point, every single member of The Cure had some online presence. Keyboardist Roger O’Donnell has been online longer than most never fans have been alive. But Robert Smith and Simon Gallup? What a new world we were traveling through. Seriously! Tell the typical 80s/90s Cure fan they could have a shot at communicating directly with those two icons and they would have blown clove smoke right up your nose. But in late 2021, we had none other than Robert Smith himself tweeting publically that the rest of the world dates would soon follow.
Months Passed
Then a few more months. Although we got no announcement of new dates nor news on the new album, fans eager to learn more about the political taste of Robert Smith had plenty to digest. Two of his favored accounts are Greta Thunberg and God. Yet all remained quiet about tour. Record Collector Magazine even issued an entire special issue on The Cure. Although no band interviews were secured, the mag did feature some die-hard fans an reviews from music professionals. You’ll find my article on page 110 out of 114…
Rumors & The Cure Tour Launch
The first date of The Cure tour 2022 was October 6th, 2022 in Riga, Latvia. Thousands of fans from around the world had already flown in the night before, with their Ukraine support Cure Shirts in tow. I was busy getting everything in order for my own start, about ten days later in Hamburg. Plenty of rumors circulated. Would The Cure drop the new album on Spotify? Were they ready for 46 gigs? One of the longest runs in Europe since the 80s? Were we? Luckily, my pal Jojo helped fans who could not make the date by being our boots on the ground for Tour Diary #1. Jojo and I met way back in 2000 during The Dreamtour. Although now it seems as if I have always known him, we did happen to meet during the last three European shows of that tour, in Italy.
Jojo sent me some videos, interviewing fans in Riga the night before the first 2022 Cure gig. Naturally, Jojo asked his fellow fans what songs they were hoping for. As some of you know, The Cure have spoiled us. They change their setlist almost every night. They tend to practice over 100 songs before hitting the road. But in 2022, we were seriously clueless. Not a peep had leaked from even the most die-hard fan sources. It wasn’t until about four days before tour, when the official Cure social media outlets began sharing announcements. And hashtag #thecurelostworld22 was born. Hopes for news songs on tour erupted. And hopes for old favorites remained strong. I’m telling you – Cure fans are spoiled!
Somehow, fans Jojo interviewed got their Cure setlist wishes! When I first heard Mark hope for
IF ONLY TONIGHT WE COULD SLEEP, I thought…maybe? But when Colm said he hoped At Night would come back into the fold, I was certain he would be disappointed. Luckily, I was wrong! Although IF ONLY was speckled in just here and there, AT NIGHT became a 2022 tour staple.
The First Week of Cure Tour 2022 Continues
As the week progressed, fans and friends help keep the momentum going by reporting in from the scene. Aaron Law fulfilled a life’s dream of seeing COLD in Helsinki. Doug Duty brought us to the crazy busy streets outside the arena in Stockholm. And by Oslo, Eden Gallup and crew were taking us behind the scenes via social media. The roadie tour bus that is! The Cure Crew experience became as much a part of the tour as anything else. Not like it ever wasn’t. But in the age of social media and short image stories, fans could hop along and get a tiny glimpse of life outside of the fog machines and epic stage lights. Really cool to say the least. (photos by E Gallup and A Robinson.
Part Time Punks
My goal was to do what some of us punks used to do back in the days before the internet. You might issue a zine, or tip sheet, highlighting a scene in a city or a run of gigs around town. It was a thing. Is the punk scene in London different than in Washington DC? How does it feel to go the the Batcave club vs The troubadour in LA? well of course it was! and So is every city, every gig and every experience now, if you know what to look for.
Rounding Out Week One – Gothenburg and Copenhagen
Magali and Dave rounded out the first six shows by bringing us inside the venue and up close to some not so thrilled front row Cure fans. Sorry, David. At least you randomly met fans on your plane from Manchester to Copenhagen on the way out. I think that’s one of the best things about following a band around. The random run-ins at train stations, planes, and even while sightseeing. The world becomes a little more connected and a little more cozy. My videos are far from high-tech. In fact sometimes their downright painful. But as Ian Mackaye says, at least I’m trying, eh? I’m running a one-woman show over here which expands with contributions from the cure fan community – and I couldn’t be more grateful. Until next time…