The Cure – Glasgow Summer Sessions
Bellahouston Park, Glasgow
It’s fair to say that judging by my facebook newsfeed at least, most of the bands on the BBC Glastonbury coverage this year went down like a lead balloon with fellow music fans. Much as I love Glastonbury, there isn’t that much on the 5 biggest stages which are televised that takes my interest, with most of the more interesting stuff on the other 74 stages. However, there was one band who stood out like a bright beacon in a sea of mediocrity right at the end of the Sunday night on the main stage – The Cure.
Though I was disappointed not to get tickets this year, I know what pyramid headline sets can be like – with a constant stream of curious people coming to watch for a bit then heading off to another stage, the constant pushing and shoving can really get on your nerves when you’re trying to enjoy the performance.
There were no such problems at the Glasgow Summer Sessions however!
With a single stage providing a sterling lineup consisting of The Joy Formidable, The Twilight Sad, Mogwai and The Cure, there was no need to go anywhere else!
Sadly, we missed all the support bands, which is unusual for us, but other commitments meant that we couldn’t have got there much earlier, but luckily I’d seen The Twilight Sad and Mogai last November and will probably catch The Joy Formidable again soon.
It was clear how big a deal this show was when boarding the Glasgow train at Wigan we saw several couples who were obviously going to the show. We’d normally stay at a Travelodge or Premier Inn when it’s just somewhere to sleep for the night, but everyone else must have had the same idea and strangely The Hilton was actually cheaper so we stayed there – and I’d say about half the couples in the bar were Cure fans.
Even in the uber the driver was listening to Pornography (The Cure album, I should add!)
Growing up in the 70s in Edinburgh, Glasgow always seemed like a bleak, industrial city, but over the decades it’s transformed into a fabulous buzzing city, whilst retaining the warmth of the people and real characters – a bit like Liverpool.
If you saw The Cure on the Glastonbury coverage then you will know that they are on absolutely amazing form at the moment. With a back catalogue chock-full of iconic hits, superbly delivered, it’s no wonder it went down so well with the gathered audience for the sold out show with 35,000 in attendance.
The first time I ever heard The Cure was “Boys Don’t Cry” back in 1979 – it took me 40 years to get around to seeing them, but it was well worth the wait.
Setlist:
Plainsong
Pictures of You
High
A night like this
Just one kiss
Lovesong
Last dance
Burn
Fascination Street
Never enough
Push
In between days
Just like heaven
From The Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Play for today
A forest
Primary
Shake dog shake
39
Disintegration
Encore:
Lullaby
The Caterpillar
The Walk
Friday I’m in Love
Close to Me
Why Can’t I Be You?
Boys Don’t Cry
The atmosphere was amazing, with a joyous crowd who know how to have fun.
It’s 27 years since The Cure last played Scotland, so when Robert Smith announced they wouldn’t leave it so long next time, there was a massive cheer.
It was a superb weekend, and I can definitely recommend The Glasgow Summer Sessions as a place to see bands. I’m certainly tempted to check out the Edinburgh Castle sessions too next year.
Words + Pictures: John W. King (photos taken with pocket camera)
