The Cure conjures up magic at the Pantages Theatre

Robert Smith leads The Cure through "The Weedy Burton" at The Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, Nov. 23.


My wife and I knew the traffic driving from Orange County to Los Angeles on Thanksgiving Eve would be horrendous. But with this our first chance to see The Cure since 2000 - and likely our only chance to see the band on its special Reflections tour - we jumped (or rather crawled up the 5 Freeway) at the chance.

Are we glad we did too.

For anyone even somewhat interested in Robert Smith and company, the Reflections tour dates are among the most celebrated live shows of the goth pioneers' 30+ year career. On Nov. 23, The Cure again delivered their first three albums in their entirety and then three strong encores offering up just about every gem crafted during the band's earliest period.

While casual alt music fans likely would have appreciated the handful of so-called modern rock "hits" ("Boys Don't Cry," "Let's Go To Bed," "The Lovecats") performed across the three-hour, eight-minute concert, the discerning fans who filled the relatively-intimate Pantages Theatre cheered after each of the 45 selections.

The band sounded terrific, and adding to the magic of the night were the wonderful acoustics of the venue. From the opening salvo of "10:15 Saturday Night" and intoxicating cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic "Foxy Lady" to the propulsive mystique of "A Forest" and weighty "Charlotte Sometimes," Smith led the band (whose line-up shifted throughout the night as a trio, a quartet or quintet depending on the set/encore) throughout so many highlights I am among several thousands of others at the sold-out show who hope a DVD of one of the Reflections dates arrives soon. For now, I hope you enjoy the short clips available to view on this post. I also recommend you read writer Ben Wener's review on the Orange County Register site.

Setlist: The Cure at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011:

Three Imaginary Boys
1. 10:15 Saturday Night
2. Accuracy
3. Grinding Halt
4. Another Day
5. Object
6. Subway Song (see below for the video of this song)
7. Foxy Lady
8. Meathook
9. So What
10. Fire In Cairo
11. It's Not You
12. Three Imaginary Boys
13. The Weedy Burton


Robert Smith leads The Cure through "Subway Song" at The Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, Nov. 23.

Seventeen Seconds
14. A Reflection
15. Play For Today
16. Secrets
17. In Your House
18. Three
19. The Final Sound
20. A Forest
21. M
22. At Night
23. Seventeen Seconds

Faith
24. The Holy Hour
25. Primary
26. Other Voices
27. All Cats Are Grey
28. The Funeral Party
29. Doubt
30. The Drowning Man
31. Faith

Encore:
32. World War
33. I'm Cold
34. Plastic Passion
35. Boys Don't Cry
36. Killing An Arab
37. Jumping Someone Else's Train
38. Another Journey By Train

Encore 2:
39. Descent
40. Splintered In Her Head
41. Charlotte Sometimes
42. The Hanging Garden

Encore 3:
43. Let's Go To Bed
44. The Walk
45. The Lovecats