25/02/2000
watching me fall
want
fascination street
the last day of summer
maybe someday
from the edge of the deep green sea
inbetween days
if only tonight we could sleep...
39
prayers for rain
one hundred years cut off painfully early
bloodflowers
a strange day
a forest intro radio static
just like heaven
boys don't cry
the figurehead
disintegration
and like the los angeles show/recording, this one is super!! taken from a radio broadcast (no radio stuff included), this is just fucking excellent sound, brilliant mix...the whole package. a 10 out of 10 for overall sound quality, there are a few pops (song transitions) and two notable flaws in the recording...but excellent anyway...
and this was the first 2000 show i got, if i remember correctly i actually had this in my dirty little hands before the promo tour was over! and this really got me started trading cure recordings, this one was amazing.
the boys play a lovely "out of this world" to start the show, followed by a strong "watching me fall." robert's vocals are especially good on that one...and the sound/mix makes them really shine, drums with a snap in the snare...a shine in the cymbal crashes/hi-hat work...crisp guitars...solid bass...just the right amount of synths and vocals. this is one of the better live recordings of "want" i think, great w/this mix--and "fascination street" is just as good and clean. everything sounds great!!
"maybe someday" follows and is good and strong...nothing amazing, but good all 'round. "from the edge of the deep green sea" comes right after, and it works on every level...excellent recording, good performance...top notch. the mix really is perfect, and the band plays well w/robert delivering some fine vocals. "inbetween days" is next, robert says a few things about it being one of very few singles that the band has been playing so far, and then says "what's the fucking point of me introducing it?!!" it's a good performance/change of pace...then "if only tonight we could sleep..." sounds amazingly cool w/all the different effects and guitar lines working back and forth...
"39" starts working to a greater effect here, thanks to an excellent mix of guitars (scratchy and squealing and noisy) drums (excellent movement and drive) and synths, over a non-stop bass line/keyboard loop. pretty sweet--something to turn up and really listen to as it builds and builds...and then "prayers for rain." this recording/performance is a favorite--really really (!!) strong, everything sounds razor sharp and the guitars really cut w/a meaner edge than most performances. and the detailed intro sounds great on this recording as well...the whole overall picture is really cool.
the first of two really unfortunate flaws comes next...w/"one hundred years." it starts off really mean and aggressive w/the drum machine and real drums, but after a good start (just one verse) it fades out and ends!! i've been told that it was due to the radio broadcast/source, but even so, very painful to listen to...it started off so good and sounded great =\
"one hundred yeras" fades directly into "bloodflowers," which is nicely done--the high quality of this particular recording helps bring out some details of the song/music...really colorful...a nice end to the set.
the band comes back out w/"a strange day," and then "a forest." the first is strong, nothing remarkable about it to mention, but it's one of many good versions...the second recording flaw pops up during the long intro of "a forest." the radio broadcast starts to get some static/interference, gradually getting a little more noticeable and more noticeable...until right before the vocals start, where it sounds like someone spliced in a cleaner recording. everything is quite easy to hear, but it's not a recording killer.
robert then introduces the next two songs as a kind of "inbetween encore" of singles even though he promised the band he wouldn't do it...something about the crowd being "so fucking loud." and so "just like heaven" throws the crowd into a fit--everyone wanted to hear it, and they got it. more unique was the only promo show performance of "boys don't cry" that came next...lots of energy and fun w/both songs, the crowd went crazy and the band seems to be more than happy to help them along.
they finish the night back in the dark w/"the figurehead" and "disintegration." both are powerful and moving, performed w/some real emotional investment...serious moods--really good. "the figurehead" is stark and restrained, but "disintegration" is full of noise--robert and perry both playing guitars layered in the mix, with simon and jason pushing forward w/out any hesitation...just enough synth to feel it adding some color...and robert delivering an emotional--but never lost or out of control--vocal.
"thank you very much, you've been fucking excellent...see you later in the year..." and they were gone.
this is a great show/recording--a few flaws really knock it back a bit, but this is still a must-have for curefans...the performances and (overall recording quality) make for an excellent set, they easily compensate for the set-backs. almost everyone i know who trades/collects has this recording and rates it highly...if you don't have this one yet--pick it up thru some trading--you won't be disappointed.