2008.03.12 Paris - Palais Omnisport de Paris Bercy (France)

[vsoleil]

Sound problem with the 2 guitars balance and not a very defined sound

That's true… the sound was not very nice. 96' show was much better. And Porl playing the Keyboard parts on his guitar… beurk  Hated it !!!!


Reading all your comments there something that makes me laugh… I remember myself reading "Ten Imaginary years" (the book)… reading Robert complaining during the "Faith Tour" that people always wanted "10:15 style" songs and not the new ones.

I think we idealise a little bit this period when they where playing Faith or pornography albums… because we where not there…

As far as I remember, the last 2000 show in paris, was very intense and not "poppy" as 2008… the setlists was for fans, and the new album. My wife hated this Gig… on the contrary It's one of the best I saw 

They will never play again entire faith album or 17 seconds… (and most of us were not at the trilogy concert)…

So I take what they give 'cause i think they make it with sincerity… and

As far as I'm concerned, I trully prefer atmospherique songs but I'm finally happy with what I saw wednesday… and Faith is not the only reason. This Faith version was not unbelievable… Robert had problem with his guitar Jack… the solo was not incredible because sometimes Inspiration doesn't come… I think it's the case for this version.

But Robert seemed to want more… that's sure


For those who live in the US, do remember that Robert always thought that when you go for a gig, it's first of all to see a show… so they play more singles than in Europe, where people is more "sensibly receptive" to the Cure darkside (especially in Paris). So I'm really not sure that they will change the setlist for a darker one for the US dates.

Hope for you that i'm mistaken 

[japanesebaby]

It was great to see japanesebaby, dsanchez, crowbi_wan, Tof, and other curefans.com members. Finally you are no longer "only" names.

hello nevyn, it was nice to meet you too
and once again it was proved to be a wise choice: always wear your cure t-shirt, to give you up on the right moment...


so, just back from paris 15 minutes ago: the last show for me on this tour, very tired now - but a really good spot to finish there. i guess most everyone of us walked out of the bercy with both in tears and with a smile (all but that one person who was spotted leaving during 'faith' ).
beforehand i never believed they'd play anything from the 'faith' encore anyway, but when robert left the stage after KAA without saying a single 'thankyou' you knew something was up... indeed!

amazing crowd at this show, almost "just like the old days" at times...
and nowhere does they sing 'play for today' quite like that (i pity the americans who never get that kind of singing over there!).
the band is in such good modd on stage, i really enjoy seeing them so happy and energetic there. it just warms your heart, to see it.

a big thanks for everyone involved, you know who you all are, it was so good to meet you.


(@brian: keep an eye on your luggage ok?)

[dsanchez]

Awesome days in Paris and awesome people. But I will post all the info Ive got on monday or tuesday when I am back in Slovakia.

For the moment, I let you with some photos from the time in Paris

http://curefans.com/index.php/v/curefans/?action=gallery

I miss you guys already

[CureCrusader]

the pictures are great.   
good to put a face to a name.

(I always thought dsanchez  looked liked his avatar! I still think he looks like simon.    )

[japanesebaby]

(I always thought dsanchez  looked liked his avatar! I still think he looks like simon.    )

haha i used to have exactly the same problem: david = simon with a hat.
(btw for the same reason i'd be a bit afraid of j, if i didn't already know he doesn't exactly look like his avatar...)


some videos from paris:

here's a really short one (just a few seconds) but a clip that that says something about the atmosphere in bercy i think: there were some people crowdsurfing already during 'plainsong'. hey nothing wrong with crowdsurfing, but at least to me 'plainsong' is not exactly the first song that comes to mind when you think about crowdsurfing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzspAz7rvS4
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7426465031732771871


'never enough':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcR768OEhTg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5962627416064715435

that's david&co. with the curefans banner (http://curefans.com/index.php/v/curefans/DSC02031-FINAL.jpg.html?action=gallery) there  in the middle of the crowds (around 0:35-0:40 and again a bit later).
i hope that bob saw it! 


'lullaby':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wt3zQRJRqI
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4270954083327313541

(a tip: choose the 'original size' setting for the window size if you can't stand the blockiness - the window's pretty small then but at least a bit sharper image. i'd like to stream in better quality, if i only knew how).

[lostflower4]

Crowd surfing during Plainsong... That's great!  :eek:

Thanks for the videos. Great sound as usual. Well, as good as Google will allow. 

[japanesebaby]

Great sound as usual. Well, as good as Google will allow. 

yes, youtube allows better sound - but due to my the format of my original video(?), it somehow manages to make the picture even crappier (if possible). i don't know why.
maybe i can try again over there but last time i uploaded these to youtube the result was worse.
anyway, that's why i said i wish i'd have a way to stream in better quality, as my original files are pretty watchable/decent quality, nothing like this.

[sullen]

some of the 2007 shows (especially Mexico) are more interesting than this stuff from 2008. It's like they took a step backwards, setlist-wise.

This has been my complaint since this tour started.
Mexico 07 was so varied, also alot of the good songs
that they played on these 3 nights have been dropped.

Huge step backwards, after I walked out of night three,
i was so excited for 2008, now this happens.......

[japanesebaby]

some of the 2007 shows (especially Mexico) are more interesting than this stuff from 2008. It's like they took a step backwards, setlist-wise.

This has been my complaint since this tour started.
Mexico 07 was so varied, also alot of the good songs
that they played on these 3 nights have been dropped.

Huge step backwards, after I walked out of night three,
i was so excited for 2008, now this happens.......

i'll say what i've said before. i think it's funny how people keep complain about the set list again and again, before they've even seen any single show from this tour. i'd understand it if people were let's say comparing the recordings and on the basis of those came into a conclusion that the performances at this moment are somehow weaker than before. but just comparing the set lists and saying that the shows are poorer now - what's the basis of that? of course a lot of us would love to hear a bunch of real old favorites instead of 'inbetween days' & co. hell, i would love to hear 'a short term effect' if i could choose - but i can't and that's it. at least the band is in top form at the moment - it could be a lot worse than that.

i think it's very clear that the band's level of performance right now is GREATLY higher than it has been for several years. ok maybe mexico 2007 was good too, i'm not saying that - because after all  wasn't there (whether listening to the show or drinking beer or what ever). but still, i cannot agree in people "condemning" the shows now only according to the set lists - set lists are just a piece of paper, there's not MUSIC in the set lists themselves. the music has to be created... and how they manage in that is what interests me.

i don't go to a cure show to just hear 'just like heaven' or 'boys don't cry', but i don't go there hoping to hear 'funeral party' or 'give me it' either just so that i can walk out of there disappointed: i go there to hopefully hear good performance from a bunch of great musicians. that's what matters most. if they choose to play 'wrong number' now then they choose to play it - but at least they deliver a damn good performance of it.

and moreover, people who complain about the set lists again and again: i wonder why doesn't anyone complain about prayer tour or wish tour set lists today? or kissing tour? no. everyone just talks about those as "classic shows", good old times etc etc. great great great. but just one look at the set lists from let's say kissing tour and everyone notices that the set lists were a LOT more static then than they are now.
so...

[japanesebaby]

and if someone should say "i don't want to go to see this band now, they don't play songs for my taste", then it's fine, i don't have a problem with that. we all have our most favorite tunes and our most hated, me just like everyone else. there's nothing wrong in hoping to hear certian things instead certian others.
but to keep hinting that the current situation is somehow "hopeless" because of the set lists alone contain this or don't contain that -  it makes no sense to me.
go to see the band. if you still don't like it or are not impressed, then fine. nothing bad with that.

also, i'd hope people talked about the recordings instead, compared the performances and so on. you can have two identical set lists for two shows but still it's possible that  one show was superb and the other one was crap - so what made it that way? it can't be the set list, there's got to be something else... so why is there so little talk about that "something"? there's heaps of talk about the set lists though...
at least imo, if it's not possible for someone to go to the shows at this time, then i'd say the second best option to find out about the current state of the band is to listen to the recordings, not staring at the set lists. but where's the discussion about the recordings? it doesn't exist... there's mostly only moaning about set lists here and there, all over internet... and then some other people like me here, complaining about people complaining about the set lists... but where's the discussion about the performances, about the music itself? where is it...?

i do respect everyone's opinion but to be honest i am almost starting to find it a bit amusing by now. set lists alone can say nothing about the quality of the performance. they are just pieces of paper.
(they make nice souveniers though, the set lists i mean, if you manage to grab one from the stage/mixing desk. or, you can always sell it on ebay to some crazy collectors who's ready to pay some crazy-assed price - for a piece of paper...)

[soulmate]

I've been reading all the reviews, impressions... and I sometimes wonder if we were at the same show! I found it pretty damn good! It was only my third Cure show, so maybe that's why I've enjoyed it so much, you know, not having your critical eye about every single thing...every single detail... I've heard songs that I love and others that I like less but what was the more important for me is the energy the band had and all the emotions they gave us! Come on, the atmosphere out there was just fantastic!!!
All these discussions about the setlists are just sooooooo tiring! Are you ever going to other concerts? With other bands? Let me tell you that they don't play totally different setlists every night!!! And they don't play that long either!
I would understand that you complained about the absence of new songs... it would be logical! But being nostalgic all the time... Things are evolving, you can't go against that! What I like the most about the Cure is the different facettes they're offering us, the dark ones as much as the brighter ones... The pop songs (not everything though ) and the old ones... Maybe I'm talking this way because I only really discovered the band a few years back and didn't experience these gigs myself... I don't know...  :roll: But what I'm sure of is that The Cure is still one of the best bands around, and they can still have us going out of a 3 hours show with wonderful memories in mind... That 3 days after Paris, I'm still thinking about it with a smile on my face... 

I've posted a few pictures in the gallery... They're not too good but as there were none there, I thought you might wanted to see them anyway!
Hope the ones who met after the show had a good time! I was a bit disappointed not to be able to come but I had to go home (4 hours drive) and work on the next morning!It was nice meeting David though

[nevyn]

yes crowdsurfing (I finally know the word ) during the "Plainsong" was something that I did not expect... But it was quite cool - although not for people who were kicked...

I've added some photos to the galery, but I must have done something wrong... and they are not visible... Could any moderator look at it?

[japanesebaby]

I've added some photos to the galery, but I must have done something wrong... and they are not visible... Could any moderator look at it?

sometimes the pics can appear as blank white, if the resolution was too high/the size of the individual files was too big. yet i can't see any such "invisible pics" in the gallery now. let's look into it.

[j]

While watching the curefans banner video from japanesebaby  , I noticed that someone must have a video on youtube of another new song that we've never heard before....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT62UXERbnE

Sounds alot like A Boy I Never Knew  :roll:

[japanesebaby]

maybe it's supposed to be "boys are never NEW".