The cure – Bestival live 2011 - Hits and misses

Recorded last September on the Isle Of Wight – when that location was not the boggy mess it became for this year’s Isle Of Wight Festival – this very generous set (32 songs, including encores) offers a good number of hits, but also a few misses.

10 July 2012 | BRUCE DENNILL

Not rated yet.

6/10 THE CURE – BESTIVAL LIVE 2011 (JUST)

The sheer amount of music on offer probably has something to do with that as, while The Cure have been around long enough to have produced enough material to fill another couple of hours beyond this, their greatest hits package is substantially shorter, and the strictly fans-favourite stuff often meanders on for a bit.

So this Bestival set wanders from highlight to highlight pleasantly enough, but lacks the drama that a similarly protracted concert from the likes of, say, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band would deliver.

Just Like Heaven, Friday I’m In Love, Lullaby, The Lovecats and Why Can’t I Be You? get, predictably, the biggest cheers.

Certainly, that will have to do with their chart pedigree, but it’s also true that the arrangements in those instances are more listener-friendly – less meandering and more polished. – BD

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