The Cure kicked off their three-night residency at London’s The SSE Arena, Wembley last night, with a stunning, marathon set of 31 songs with three encores. See photos, footage and the setlist below.
Taking to the stage for a prompt 8pm start time, Robert Smith and co began their audio-visual spectacular with an expansive rendition of ‘Out Of This World’. From thereon, the set was a catalogue of consecutive classics – as the capacity crowd erupted in a dance that would endure the evening, with the band boasting the sheer calibre of their greatest hits by toploading the set with ‘Pictures Of You’, straight into ‘High’, ‘Lovesong’, ‘Just Like Heaven’, ‘A Night Like This’, ‘The Walk’, ‘Push’ and the early gem of ‘Three Imaginary Boys’.
Reviewing the gig, NME wrote: “As a crisp and frosty night gripped the streets of London, the elegiac grace and majesty of The Cure created a heightened sense of wintry atmosphere. But don’t fall victim to the misconception that The Cure are just doom-mongering cartoon goths. For every moment of post-punk darkness, there are five of total pop abandon. While the impact and influence of their more menacing work is well-documented, and can be heard in the explosive tension of tonight’s underrated and frankly headline worthy support band The Twilight Sad alone, the secret to The Cure’s longevity lies in their intrinsic and artful mastery of a perfect song.”
“Their third and final encore alone would have made for a perfect festival greatest hits headline set, but the fact that it was a lingering goodnight kiss on what was already a stellar show just goes to show their dedication to the fans. In a very literal sense, they could not have done more. Every minute mattered, every corner of this vast enormo-dome was embraced, and everything was done to ensure that one of the last huge gigs of the year also turned into one of the best. It was transcendental.”
No matter what 2016 throws out us, #TheCure remain one of the best things about life. @thecure #WembleyArena @ssearena pic.twitter.com/Mx8YG17qLK
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) December 1, 2016
“Age may weary us, but as they enter their fourth decade as a band, they couldn’t be on finer form. Seeing The Cure live in 2016 is a celebration of their legacy, but they can hardly be called a nostalgia act when they still feel so vital. The Cure still matter.”
The Cure return to play The SSE Arena, Wembley again tonight (Friday December 2) and tomorrow (Saturday December 3).
The Cure – SSE Wembley Arena, London – 01.12.16
The Cure played a marathon, hit-filled set at The SSE Arena, Wembley last night: http://trib.al/nimrVh2
Posted by NME on Friday, December 2, 2016
The Cure played:
Out of This World
Pictures of You
High
Lovesong
Just Like Heaven
A Night Like This
The Walk
Push
In Between Days
Three Imaginary Boys
Play for Today
Primary
Trust
From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea
Bloodflowers
Encore:
39
Burn
A Forest
Encore 2:
Step Into the Light
Fascination Street
Never Enough
Wrong Number
Encore 3:
The Lovecats
Lullaby
Hot Hot Hot!!!
Friday I’m in Love
Boys Don’t Cry
Close to Me
Why Can’t I Be You?
10:15 Saturday Night
Killing an Arab