Connect with us

Music & Concerts

The Cure triumphs at Merriweather

Marathon three-hour set packs hits, deep cuts

Published

on

the Cure, gay news, Washington Blade

Robert Smith of the Cure. (Photo by Bill Ebbesen; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Last Wednesday, June 22, British alternative-rock titans the Cure brought its first extensive tour of America in nearly a decade to Merriweather Post Pavilion. A sea of people packed the venue on a beautiful summer night to see one of the most enduring and influential bands of the last 40 years.

It was clear from the beginning that the Cure has lost none of its considerable power, as members started the show with the fiery rocker “Open” from their 1992 album “Wish.”

Robert Smith looked and sounded much like he always has. He walked out on stage in his usual disheveled black frock, dark spiderweb hair and mussed red lipstick. Smith is now 57, but his distinct swampwater voice is as powerful as ever. Over the course of 32 songs, he switched back and forth between acoustic and electric guitar, keeping the between-song banter to a minimum (and most of the time his thickly accented mumbles were inaudible anyway). Bassist Simon Gallup, who has been alongside Smith since almost the beginning, stalked around the stage with restlessly intensity, while guitarist Reeves Gabrels, keyboardist Roger O’Donnell and drummer Jason Cooper formed a tightly wound and explosive musical unit. One might argue that Simon Gallup’s bass was too high in the mix and Roger O’Donnell’s keyboard was a bit too low, but that would be a minor quibble. By and large the Cure sounded fantastic.

The band effortlessly switched from brooding rockers to somber emotional pieces to ebullient pop, the schizophrenic combination for which the Cure is so famous. The crowd was incredibly enthusiastic as the band traipsed through its enormous catalog, pulling out big hits, deep album cuts and a few obscurities for the die-hards. “Pictures of You” was an early highlight, with the spine-tingling swirls of keyboard and guitar backing Smith’s bittersweet memories of a love he let slip through his fingers. Big hits like “Just Like Heaven,” “The Walk,” “In Between Days” and “Lovesong” had the large and surprisingly diverse crowd singing along to every word. The rarely played “Bananafishbones” was a treat, as was “All I Want,” a hard-edged deep cut the band dusted off from 1987’s “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me.” The behemoth of the main set was the seven-minute epic “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea,” which featured blistering guitar work by Gabrels.

The band played four encores, beginning with the throbbing bass-heavy “Sinking” from 1986’s “The Head on the Door.” An incendiary take on “Shake Dog Shake” was followed by the 1994 soundtrack hit “Burn” from “The Crow,” and then their old warhorse “A Forest,” a classic from 1980’s “Seventeen Seconds.” As the night wound toward its conclusion, the band amped the crowd to a fever pitch as they rampaged through a series of hits including “Lullaby,” “Wrong Number,” “Fascination Street,” “Let’s Go to Bed” and “Close to Me.”

By the time of “Why Can’t I Be You?,” a clearly winded Robert Smith gamely tried to hit the song’s very high notes without much success, but it hardly mattered — the crowd did a wonderful job filling in for him, singing every word with blissful euphoria. The show closed with “Boys Don’t Cry,” a 1979 single that was never a hit on either side of the Atlantic but somehow 37 years later a packed amphitheater in suburban D.C. sang a long to every word as if it was a worldwide chart-topper.

At the end of the epic three-hour show Merriweather was still full. After the band waved their goodbyes to thunderous applause, Robert Smith stood alone in the spotlight on the stage, basking in the crowd’s love and appreciation. He paused momentarily in front of each section as the entire place stood and cheered, arms in the air clapping wildly. It was an amazing moment. Smith seemed like he didn’t want to leave the stage, he was so obviously touched and moved. Eventually he shambled off, looking over his shoulder one last time at the still-standing, still enthusiastically cheering crowd, and it was finally over just as the clock was hitting 11 p.m.

1.  Open [“Wish” – 1992]
2.  High [“Wish” – 1992]
3.  Pictures of You [“Disintegration” – 1989]
4. Closedown [“Disintegration” – 1989]
5. Kyoto Song [“The Head on the Door” – 1985]
6. A Night Like This [“The Head on the Door” – 1985]
7. The Walk [non-album single – 1983]
8. The End of the World [“The Cure” – 2004]
9. Lovesong [“Disintegration” – 1989]
10. If Only Tonight We Could Sleep [“Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” – 1987]
11. All I Want [“Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” – 1987]
12. Push [“The Head on the Door” – 1985]
13. In Between Days [“The Head on the Door” – 1985]
14. Just Like Heaven [“Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” – 1987]
15. Bananafishbones [“The Top” – 1984]
16. Never Enough [“Mixed Up” – 1990]
17. From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea [“Wish” – 1992]
18. End [“Wish” – 1992]

Encore 1

19. Sinking [“The Head on the Door” – 1985]
20. It Could Never Be The Same [new unreleased track]

Encore 2

21. Shake Dog Shake [“The Top” – 1984]
22. Burn [“The Crow” Soundtrack – 1994]
23. A Forest [“Seventeen Seconds” – 1980]

Encore 3

24. Dressing Up [“The Top” – 1984]
25. Lullaby [“Disintegration” – 1989]
26. Fascination Street [“Disintegration” – 1989]
27. Wrong Number [new single for “Galore” hits collection – 1997]

Encore 4

28. Hot Hot Hot!!! [“Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” – 1987]
29. Let’s Go to Bed [non-album single – 1982]
30. Close to Me [“The Head on the Door” – 1985]
31. Why Can’t I Be You? [“Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” – 1987]
32. Boys Don’t Cry [non-album single – 1979]

Advertisement
FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM
SIGN UP FOR E-BLAST

Music & Concerts

Red, White, and Beyoncé: Queen Bey takes Cowboy Carter to D.C. for the Fourth of July

The legendary music icon performed on July 4 and 7 to a nearly sold-out Northwest Stadium.

Published

on

Beyoncé performs on July 7. (Washington Blade photo by Joe Reberkenny)

Just in time for Independence Day, Beyoncé lit up Landover’s Commanders Field (formerly FedEx Field) with fireworks and fiery patriotism, bringing her deeply moving and genre-defying “Cowboy Carter” tour to the Washington, D.C. area.

The tour, which takes the global icon across nine cities in support of her chart-topping and Grammy-winning country album Cowboy Carter,” landed in Prince George’s County, Maryland, over the Fourth of July weekend. From the moment Beyoncé stepped on stage, it was clear this was more than just a concert — it was a reclamation.

Drawing from classic Americana, sharp political commentary, and a reimagined vision of country music, the show served as a powerful reminder of how Black Americans — especially Black women — have long been overlooked in spaces they helped create. “Cowboy Carter” released in March 2024, is the second act in Beyoncé’s genre-traversing trilogy. With it, she became the first Black woman to win a Grammy for Best Country Album and also took home the coveted Album of the Year.

The record examines the Black American experience through the lens of country music, grappling with the tension between the mythology of the American Dream and the lived realities of those historically excluded from it. That theme comes alive in the show’s opening number, “American Requiem,” where Beyoncé sings:

“Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but
If that ain’t country, tell me, what is?
Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years
They don’t, don’t know how hard I had to fight for this
When I sing my song…”

Throughout the performance, Beyoncé incorporated arresting visuals: Black cowboys on horseback, vintage American iconography, and Fox News clips criticizing her genre shift — all woven together with voiceovers from country legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. The result was a multimedia masterclass in storytelling and subversion.

The “Cowboy Carter” tour has been a social media sensation for weeks, with fans scrambling for tickets, curating elaborate “cowboy couture” outfits, and tailgating under the summer sun. At Commanders Field, thousands waited in long lines for exclusive merch and even longer ones to enter the stadium — a pilgrimage that, for many, felt more like attending church than a concert.

One group out in full force for the concert was Black queer men — some rocking “denim on denim on denim on denim,” while others opted for more polished Cowboy Couture looks. The celebration of Black identity within Americana was ever-present, making the concert feel like the world’s biggest gay country-western club.

A standout moment of the night was the appearance of Beyoncé’s 13-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Commanding the stage with poise and power, she matched the intensity and choreography of her mother and the professional dancers — a remarkable feat for someone her age and a clear sign that the Carter legacy continues to shine.

It’s been nearly two decades since Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child parted ways, and since then, she’s more than lived up to her title as the voice of a generation. With Cowboy Carter,” she’s not just making music — she’s rewriting history and reclaiming the space Black artists have always deserved in the country canon.

Continue Reading

Music & Concerts

Berkshire Choral to commemorate Matthew Shepard’s life

Concert held at Washington National Cathedral

Published

on

Craig Hella Johnson’s fusion oratorio ‘Considering Matthew Shepard’ will be performed at the Washington National Cathedral. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Berkshire Choral International will present a concert performance of composer Craig Hella Johnson’s fusion oratorio “Considering Matthew Shepard” on Friday, July 11, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington National Cathedral. 

The program will be guest conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Benson, a native of the DMV who currently serves as Director of Choral Activities at San José State University. The concert is a partial benefit for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Notably, Matthew’s remains are interred at the National Cathedral and his parents, Dennis and Judy, will give opening remarks at the performance.

Tickets are $20 – $65, and 50% of ticket proceeds will be donated to the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Tickets are only available online at berkshirechoral.org

Continue Reading

Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

Published

on

The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. 

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts. 

Continue Reading

Popular