Last week, The Cure launched their latest US tour with a jaw-stopping set in New Orleans. The show spanned 28 songs and four encores, including the debut of two new tracks in “Step Into the Light” and “It Can Never Be the Same”. It also featured a handful of rarities, some of which hadn’t been played live in some three decades.
The band has played five more shows since then, and the setlist have gotten more and more nuts. During their second shows in New Orleans, Robert Smith & co. dusted off “Screw”, from 1985’s The Head on the Door, for its first live performance in 30 years. The Disintegration tracks “Closedown” and “Last Dance” also appeared on the band’s setlist for the first time in over a decade. What’s more, “This Twilight Garden”, the b-side to the 1992 single “High”, received its live debut.
In Austin, The Cure performed their 1985 b-side “The Exploding Boy” for the first time in 30 years, and also waxed nostalgic with rare live renditions of “Bloodflowers” and “Out of This World”. Meanwhile, in Houston, they dusted off “The Last Day of Summer” after 14 years.
Perhaps most impressive was the set given in El Paso. Amid a 35-song, five-encore set (!), the band rolled out “The Perfect Girl” for the first time in 26 years, as well as “(I Don’t Know What’s Going) On” for the first time since 2004. Additionally, Smith led the English outfit to unearth “Watching Me Fall” for the first time since 2007 and “The Snakepit” for the first time in 16 years.
Fan-caught footage of “Last Dance” has surfaced and can be seen above. Below, watch them play “Screw”, “Closedown”, “Last Dance”, This Twilight Garden”, “The Perfect Girl”, and “The Snakepit” via YouTube user edgeofthewind. The full setlists for each show can also be found below.
“Screw”:
“Closedown”:
“The Twilight Garden”:
“The Perfect Girl”:
“The Snakepit”:
New Orleans #2 Setlist:
Plainsong
Pictures of You
Closedown (first performance since 2004)
A Night Like This
The End of the World
Lovesong
Doing the Unstuck
Just Like Heaven
Last Danceb(first performance since 2002)
This Twilight Garden (live debut)
Lullaby
Fascination Street
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Screw (first performance since 1985)
Want
Us or Them (first performance since 2008)
The Hungry Ghost
Prayers for Rain
Disintegration
Encore:
The Same Deep Water as You
Encore 2:
Other Voices
Charlotte Sometimes
Primary
Encore 3:
Step Into the Light
Never Enough
Wrong Number
Encore 4:
Burn
It Can Never Be the Same
Encore 5:
Boys Don’t Cry
Austin Setlist:
Out of This World (first performance since 2008 )
Pictures of You
Closedown
A Night Like This
All I Want
Push
Last Dance
Lovesong
Just Like Heaven
This Twilight Garden
Lullaby
Fascination Street
Screw
The End of the World
Want
Us or Them
The Hungry Ghost
Prayers for Rain
Bloodflowers (first performance since 2008)
Encore:
Step Into the Light
Shake Dog Shake
Never Enough
Wrong Number
Encore 2:
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Close to Me
The Exploding Boy (first performance since 1985)
In Between Days
Doing the Unstuck
Friday I’m in Love
Encore 3:
Burn
It Can Never Be the Same
Encore 4:
A Forest
Boys Don’t Cry
Houston Setlist:
Open
High
A Night Like This
Lovesong
Pictures of You
Lullaby
A Strange Day
Push
In Between Days
Just Like Heaven
The Last Day of Summer (first performance since 2002)
At Night
M
Play for Today
Want
Shake Dog Shake
The Hungry Ghost
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
One Hundred Years
End
Encore:
Burn
It Can Never Be the Same
Encore 2:
Step Into the Light
Fascination Street
Never Enough
Wrong Number
Encore 3:
The Lovecats
Close to Me
The Caterpillar
The Walk
Let’s Go to Bed
Why Can’t I Be You?
Encore 4:
A Forest
Boys Don’t Cry
Dallas Setlist:
Plainsong
Pictures of You
Closedown
A Night Like This
alt.end
The Walk
Sleep When I’m Dead
Lovesong
Just Like Heaven
Trust
Last Dance
Lullaby
Fascination Street
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Want
Us or Them
The Hungry Ghost
Prayers for Rain
Disintegration
Encore:
Charlotte Sometimes
Push
In Between Days
Primary
Encore 2:
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Close to Me
Let’s Go to Bed
Why Can’t I Be You?
Encore 3:
Step Into the Light
Shake Dog Shake
Never Enough
Wrong Number
Encore 4:
Burn
A Forest
Boys Don’t Cry
El Paso, TX Setlist:
Out of This World
Watching Me Fall (first performance since 2007)
Pictures of You
Closedown
High
Lovesong
Push
In Between Days
Just Like Heaven
A Letter to Elise
The Snakepit (first performance since 2000)
Lullaby
Fascination Street
Want
Shake Dog Shake
39 (first performance since 2004)
Bloodflowers
Encore:
Other Voices
The Drowning Man (first performance since 2011)
Charlotte Sometimes
Primary
Encore 2:
If Only Tonight We Could Sleep
Catch
The Perfect Girl (first performance since 1990)
Why Can’t I Be You?
Encore 3:
Hot Hot Hot!!!
(I Don’t Know What’s Going) On (first performance since 2004)
Let’s Go to Bed
Close to Me
Encore 4:
Step Into the Light
Never Enough
Burn
It Can Never Be the Same
Encore 5:
A Forest
Boys Don’t Cry
The Cure 2016 Tour Dates:
05/19 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan *
05/20 – Chula Vista, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheater *
05/22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl *
05/26 – Mountain View, CA @ Shorline Amphitheatre *
05/28 – Ridgefield, WA @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheater *
05/29 – George, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival
05/31 – Vancouver, BC @ Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park *
06/02 – Boise, ID @ Century Link Arena *
06/03 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center *
06/05 – Denver, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *
06/07 – Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center *
06/08 – Kansas City, MO @ Starlight Theatre *
06/10 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/11 – Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion *
06/12 – Toronto, ON @ Bestival Toronto
06/14 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *
06/16 – Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena *
06/18 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/19 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/20 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden *
06/22 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion *
06/23 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion *
06/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Aaron’s Amphitheater Lakewood *
06/26 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater *
06/27 – Miami, FL @ Bayfront Park Amphitheater *
07/16 – Honolulu, HI @ Neal S Blaisdell Arena
07/17 – Honolulu, HI @ Neal S Blaisdell Arena
07/21 – Auckland, NZ @ Vector Arena
07/23 – Byron Bay, AU @ Splendour in the Grass
09/08 – Isle of Wight, UK @ Bestival
10/07 – Helsinki, FI @ Hartwall Arena *
10/09 – Stockholm, SE @ Ericsson Globe Arena *
10/11 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum *
10/12 – Gotenburg, SE @ Scandinavium *
10/14 – Copenhagen, DK @ Forum *
10/17 – Hamburg, DE @ Barclaycard Arena *
10/18 – Berlin, DE @ Mercedes-Benz Arena *
10/20 – Lodz, PL @ Atlas Arena *
10/22 – Prague, CZ @ O2 Arena *
10/24 – Munich, DE @ Olympiahalle *
10/26 – Vienna, AT @ Marxhalle *
10/27 – Budapest, HR @ Papp Lazlo Sports Arena *
10/29 – Bologna, IT @ Unipol Arena *
10/30 – Rome, IT @ Palalottomatica *
11/01 – Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum *
11/02 – Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum *
11/04 – Basel, CH @ St. Jakobshalle *
11/06 – Stuttgart, DE @ Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle *
11/07 – Frankfurt, DE @ Festhalle *
11/08 – Leipzig, DE @ Arena *
11/10 – Cologne, DE @ Lanxess Arena *
11/12 – Antwerp, BE @ Sportspaleis *
11/13 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome *
11/15 – Paris, FR @ AccorHotels Arena *
11/17 – Lyon, FR @ Halle Tony Garnier *
11/18 – Montpellier, FR @ Park & Suites Arena *
11/20 – Madrid, ES @ Barclaycard Center *
11/22 – Lisbon, PT @ MEO Arena *
11/24 – Bilbao, ES @ BEC *
11/26 – Barcelona, ES @ Palau St Jordi *
11/29 – Manchester, UK @ Manchester Arena *
12/01 – London, UK @ SSE Wembley Arena *
12/02 – London, UK @ SSE Wembley Arena *
12/03 – London, UK @ SSE Wembley Arena *
* = w/ The Twilight Sad
