23/05/2000
watching me fall
want
fascination street
a strange day
the last day of summer
pictures of you
where the birds always sing
the kiss
from the edge of the deep green sea
inbetween days
sinking
one hundred years
shiver and shake
end "she stopped loving me"
39
bloodflowers
there is no if
trust
lovesong
a forest
all cats are grey
the drowning man
faith "2 late" lyric/line
boys don't cry
just like heaven "you you you" once
10.15 saturday night
killing an arab
this recording is good--not excellent but very good. the good qualitites overcome the lesser qualities, a nice mix of instruments and a steady sound compensates for the fact that the sound isn't punchy or sparkling clean. it sounds good, it just doesn't jump out of the speakers like soundboard or radio broadcast recordings...a solid good/strong recording--enjoyable!!
and given that this is the second of two nights in new orleans, the band plays some of the different songs not included as often...the show opens up w/the dream tour strandard opening launch, "out of this world," (nice and gentle) "watching me fall," "want" (both strong and solid) and "fascination street." (strong as ever)
"a strange day" early in the set is unexpected and cool, even w/someone talking during the song (!!) followed by "the last day of summer." after a good performance of that one, the band jumps into the past w/"pictures of you." it's well done, if not overwhelming...good.
"where the birds always sing" is next, and even w/some of robert's lyrical switch-arounds, it's still about as strong a live version as i've heard..."the kiss" is good and aggressive, but lots of the good stuff is lost in the mix/recording...this one can't really capture all the guitar screaming. but "from the edge of the deep green sea" overcomes the limitations of the recording by drive alone...and "inbetween days" brightens the mood right up w/the first real single of the night. energetic and on--even w/more lyrics being switched around again...
"39" and then "bloodflowers" end the set, and end it well..."39" stomps around w/noisy guitars and thumping beats until the very end...and then "bloodflowers" is gentle and more subtle--but effective.
the encores are good, starting off w/"there is no if," "trust," (nice but some of the smaller details of the piano/synth work get lost in the recording) and "lovesong." they're all pretty well done, and lead nicely into "a forest." too bad it's cut short and not an extended performance...just a somewhat standard run thru.
the band follows up by coming out w/a great atmospheric performance of "all cats are grey" w/wonderful synths and sounds...and then w/an even more rare performance of "the drowning man." it's pretty cool, good to hear it live w/this line-up of the band in 2000 and on this tour..."faith" comes next, and is well done w/a touch of extra lyrics....can't quite make them out except for a few lines from (or extremely close to the lines from) "2 late." "i'll wait for you where i always wait..." is in there, even if it's not fully developed.
the last encore is a small handful of cure classics..."boys don't cry" is ok, "just like heaven" is made more interesting by the crowd and robert...you can hear the crowd singing along pretty well, and robert sings the second verse kinda different--i think just to play w/everyone--it's a good listen. "10.15 saturday night" and "killing an arab" close the show...both are fine, nothing really important of note--but a good end.
this set is pretty good, a fine pick-up for a trader looking for a different dream tour show/recording...w/many songs that weren't always in every show, it's a cool and different feel...still the dream tour, but a change in pace. the recording quality makes this one less than must-have, but even so--this one is recommended and a great listen.