SANTA MONICA, CA. (Geffen Records) - Over 25,000 Floridians braved the heat to see the kick off of the Curiosa Festival 2004 in West Palm Beach on Saturday, July 24th and in Tampa on Sunday, July 25th.
Music fans from all over the state gathered to hear The Cure perform a set that included such classics as "Fascination Street," "Just Like Heaven," "In Between Days" and new songs such as "The End Of The World," the current single off their new self-titled set which was released on I Am/Geffen Records on June 29th and debuted at No 7 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.
The Cure has put together a stunning lineup for the highly anticipated Curiosa Festival 2004. The main stage hosts The Cure, Interpol, The Rapture and Mogwai on all dates. A second stage is also part of the festivities showcasing the talent of Thursday, Muse, Cursive, Melissa Auf Der Maur, The Cooper Temple Clause, Head Automatica and Scarling. Second stage performers will vary per market throughout the tour; log on to https://www.thecure.com/events to see which bands will be performing on each date.
The next date on the 26 city tour will be Nashville on July 28th at the Starwood Ampitheatre.
In addition to an afternoon filled with music from bands that Robert Smith hand picked himself for this tour, the Curiosa Festival 2004 also offers a host of other attractions. For those seeking a brief reprieve from the sun, there is a 'chill out zone' with huge parasol, mist machines, and a sound system playing soothing sounds of nature. Various booths are set up on the festival site with vendors selling merchandise, or offering henna tattoos.
Fans can buy the latest release from all of the bands featured, from the festival's own onsite record store. Various charities will have a presence at selected shows, including Amnesty International, Rock The Vote, The Red Cross, Greenpeace, Water For People, and Guitars 4 Kids.
"The Cure" is the band's 13th studio record and their first album of new music since 2000's Grammy nominated "Bloodflowers." Reaction from the media includes a 4 star review in Rolling Stone which states "the new album is their most adventurous and passionate since Disintegration," while People Magazine gave the disc 3 1/2 stars and featured it as a "Critics Choice" saying "The Cure has found it's groove again."
"'The Cure' is a stunner" hails New York Newsday and The New York Post gave the disc 3 1/2 stars, "the Cure has made a terrific collection that establishes the band's place in contemporary rock."
Led as always by lead singer/guitarist Robert Smith, the Cure line-up since 1994 comprises longtime bass player Simon Gallup, guitarist Perry Bamonte, drummer/percussionist Jason Cooper, and keyboardist Roger O'Donnell. The Cure first formed in southern England in 1976 as Easy Cure. In 1978 the 'Easy' was dropped, and The Cure was signed to the Fiction label.
In May 1979 their debut album "Three Imaginary Boys" was released to great acclaim.
Other landmark Cure albums include "Pornography" (1982), "The Head on the Door" (1985), "Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me" (1987), "Disintegration" (1989), "Wish" (1992), "Wild Mood Swings" (1996) and the "Bloodflowers" (2000).
Below is a current list of remaining tour dates and venues for the Curiosa Festival 2004:
July 28th - Nashville, TN - Starwood Amphitheatre
July 29th - Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
July 31st - New York, NY - Randall's Island
August 1st - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center
August 3rd - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
August 4th - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
August 6th - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 7th - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
August 9th - Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
August 11th - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 12th - Chicago, IL - Tweeter Center
August 14th - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
August 15th - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 17th - Denver, CO - Coors Amphitheatre
August 18th - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
August 21st - George, WA - Gorge Amphitheatre
August 24th - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
August 25th - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
August 27th - Los Angeles, CA - Home Depot Center
August 28th - San Francisco, CA - SBC Park
August 29th - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
