The Cure?

[beau1]

One thing i will say in favour of the cure is that with Foo's and Kasabian atleast there will be an alternative act playing, but as neil said yesterday 30% chance of playing aint worth arguing about yet.

[Kierkegaard]

It's not a question of whether or not Muse would headline Bestival, it about whether Bestival would ever want to book Muse.

I'd just like to say that I love The Cure. They are big enough to headline anywhere. Worldwide, they are a bigger name than Muse. Outside of Europe, Muse were still doing support slots for U2 last year. They make for a far more exciting and interesting proposition as a Reading headliner than any band that they've had since Arcade Fire in 2010.

However, unfortunately, I think that there is something in eFestival's point about how few and far between their shows are.

I've just dug this up. Here is every single UK show that The Cure have played in the past 15 to 16 years.

2011

10/10 Bestival, Robin Hill, Isle Of Wight (50,000)

15/10 Royal Albert Hall, London (4,000)

2009

26/2 The O2, London (20,000)

2008

20/3 Wembley Arena, London (12,500)

2006

1/4 Royal Albert Hall, London (4,000)

2004

5/3 Barfly, London

9/7 Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester (50,000)

17/9 Old Billingsgate Market, London (3,000)

2003

11/12 Islington Academy, London (800)

2002

27/7 Hyde Park, London (65,000)

2000

9/2 Astoria, London (2000)

22/4 Wembley Arena, London (12,500)

1998

11/10 Kentish Town Forum, London (2,300)

1997

16/12 Shepherds Bush Empire, London (2,000)

17/12 Shepherds Bush Empire, London (2,000)

Total capacity: 230,100

Total capacity minus Bestival: 180,100

Total Stone Roses Heaton Park 2012 capacity: 220,000

Total Foo Fighters Milton Keynes Bowl 2011 capacity: 130,000

Total Take That Wembley concerts 2011: 720,000

Interestingly, Stone Roses split at the end of 1997, The Cure have been going the whole time since. Combined, they have played to about the same number of people in the UK within those sixteen years as Stone Roses will play to in one weekend at Heaton Park.

[TYLER_4]

Like i said i'll continue this debate when they are announced, but i just cant see it happening.

And beau1 im not saying they cant headline big festivals just that i dont see it as a smart booking after last year selling so slowly, especially as he seems to be going for the safer options this year.

[gazza_20]

Bestival didn't sell out until Aug. Bestival is 30,000+ smaller.

Bestival is easier in some ways (price, specifically) to sell and harder in most others. So I'd expect The Cure to have a bigger impact on sales at R/L than they did at Bestival but perhaps a smaller proportional impact.

Part of the problem around them is that a fair number of people that would buy a ticket for a standard gig will probably swerve them at festivals, particularly festivals (such as Bestival & R/L) where there's a pretty tight age demographic (compared to others such as Glastonbury where you see many more of an older age).

[gazza_20]

There is one thing that comes to mind though. It's said they do about 1 Uk show a year now. Say a big band goes away for 3 years and returns, that's no show from them in the same time The Cure have played (based on 1 show a year) 3 shows and easily sold them out.

[Justiceforcedave]

This is what I posted in the 2012 thread...

It seems to me in this Cure debate, that most people are doubting their ability to headline on the basis that they don't know many/any of their songs.

• They won god like genius at the NME in 2009.

• They have headlined Glasto 3 times.

• Read any review of their bestival set from last year, each one is glowing (I was there, it was amazing imo!).

• In Europe this year they are considered big enough to headline festivals alongside Radiohead, The Stone Roses, Pearl Jam, The Chill Peppers and Bruce Springsteen

• They were considered big enough to headline Coachella in 2009.

So ignoring record sales and the fact that they are held in high regard by many people (subject to opinion) If I was a young person who didn't know many/any of their songs I wouldn't be saying "They don't deserve to headline" or "they aren't the right band for reading". I'd probably be saying "Wow who are this band? I need to start listening to them".... and if after that I still didn't like them, I'd probably put it down to personal preference and still be able to accept that they are a headline band.

May not be what you want but there is no denying it makes sense as a booking, Kasabian and the Foos are about as mainstream as you can get in terms of rock bands, plenty of room to through in something a little more left field with some heritage ; ) young people who want the obvious bands will buy their tickets anyway....and maybe some of the people that wouldn't normally go will buy theirs. Win win for reading.

So if the argument Is that the Cure can't pull off a headline slot...then you are misinformed, if it's that they don't appeal to you please see above.

...but as is always the case with these things, that's just my opinion ; ) I await people picking apart my bullet points and telling me why they don't have any relevance in this case.

[Kierkegaard]

There is one thing that comes to mind though. It's said they do about 1 Uk show a year now. Say a big band goes away for 3 years and returns, that's no show from them in the same time The Cure have played (based on 1 show a year) 3 shows and easily sold them out.

[gazza_20]

I take your point, but when other big bands come back, they normally do so with big sales.

Take Foo Fighters. 130,000 at Milton Keynes Bowl. 20,000 at The O2. Ignore Isle Of Wight and T in the Park for the time being. That's 150,000 ticket sales after only a two year absence. Divide it up over the three years (2009, 2010, 2011) that's 50,000 tickets a year.

Take The Cure. 4,000 at Royal Albert Hall. Even include Bestival - 50,000. That's 54,000 after a two year absence. Divide it up over the three years 2009, 2010, 2011) that's 18,000 tickets a year.

That's a pretty big difference for two bands sharing the same billing.

[zahidf]

I have heard that the Cure will be headlining Electric Picnic.

This would make Reading more likely of course, and fits into that map that came out of their tour dates a few weeks ago.

[gazza_20]

I have heard that the Cure will be headlining Electric Picnic.

This would make Reading more likely of course, and fits into that map that came out of their tour dates a few weeks ago.

[eFestivals]

I have heard that the Cure will be headlining Electric Picnic.

This would make Reading more likely of course, and fits into that map that came out of their tour dates a few weeks ago.

the thing is, what you've heard could be a rumour that's circulating as a result of the map rather than being something idependent of the map. It wouldn't be the first time that there's a circular rumour like that.

Having said that, I'd always taken from the map that they'd defo be playing Electric Picnic, cos there's not really any other festivals they could be playing now Oxegen isn't happening.

[Justiceforcedave]

I take your point, but when other big bands come back, they normally do so with big sales.

Take Foo Fighters. 130,000 at Milton Keynes Bowl. 20,000 at The O2. Ignore Isle Of Wight and T in the Park for the time being. That's 150,000 ticket sales after only a two year absence. Divide it up over the three years (2009, 2010, 2011) that's 50,000 tickets a year.

Take The Cure. 4,000 at Royal Albert Hall. Even include Bestival - 50,000. That's 54,000 after a two year absence. Divide it up over the three years 2009, 2010, 2011) that's 18,000 tickets a year.

That's a pretty big difference for two bands sharing the same billing.

[beau1]

I take your point, but when other big bands come back, they normally do so with big sales.

Take Foo Fighters. 130,000 at Milton Keynes Bowl. 20,000 at The O2. Ignore Isle Of Wight and T in the Park for the time being. That's 150,000 ticket sales after only a two year absence. Divide it up over the three years (2009, 2010, 2011) that's 50,000 tickets a year.

Take The Cure. 4,000 at Royal Albert Hall. Even include Bestival - 50,000. That's 54,000 after a two year absence. Divide it up over the three years 2009, 2010, 2011) that's 18,000 tickets a year.

That's a pretty big difference for two bands sharing the same billing.

Edited February 3, 2012 by beau1

[cheeseisamazing]

the thing is, what you've heard could be a rumour that's circulating as a result of the map rather than being something idependent of the map. It wouldn't be the first time that there's a circular rumour like that.

Having said that, I'd always taken from the map that they'd defo be playing Electric Picnic, cos there's not really any other festivals they could be playing now Oxegen isn't happening.

[Vieuphoria]

Issue of taste but yes, personally I would rather have a lot of other bands headline rather than Muse, I don't know about Vieuphoria. I don't really like Muse, you don't really like The Cure but you wouldn't see me going to a Muse thread and saying 'Lets all just hold hands and hope its not Muse' like a bellend.

[cheeseisamazing]

I do like Muse. Pre-Absolution. They were one of the most interesting bands in the world at one point, and undoubtedly one of the best live acts ever. But after Absolution they released two really boring albums, and just became tedious live. Origin of Symmetry is still one of my favourite listens as it was a major part of my teens... but we don't need to see Muse at every festival, every year. Glastonbury 2009 was so boring i'd wished I'd not bothered. I like Muse, I just don't like seeing them headline every festival on constant rotation.

One of mine too interestingly enough.

Ha, not been here for a while. I popped on, and saw lots of crazy people.

[jonodillieono]

I do like Muse. Pre-Absolution. They were one of the most interesting bands in the world at one point, and undoubtedly one of the best live acts ever. But after Absolution they released two really boring albums, and just became tedious live. Origin of Symmetry is still one of my favourite listens as it was a major part of my teens... but we don't need to see Muse at every festival, every year. Glastonbury 2009 was so boring i'd wished I'd not bothered. I like Muse, I just don't like seeing them headline every festival on constant rotation.

One of mine too interestingly enough.

Ha, not been here for a while. I popped on, and saw lots of crazy people.

[beau1]

I know, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Blur must have been terrible .

In seriousness though I really did think Muse's performance at Glasto was lackluster. The last 2 albums have been terrible as well (bh&r not so much but the resistance was a pile of garbage).

I only listened to The Cure for the first time yesterday and I haven't been able to turn them off, if they are announced to headline then I'll be quite happy. I'd still prefer Daft Punk as the 3rd headliner though

[jonodillieono]

Disintegration and Wish.

I haven't really listened to much yet so I'm just going to guess that they're the darker ones? I've listened to a bit of Three Imaginary Boys as well, I can get Fire in Cairo out of my head

[beau1]

Disintegration and Wish.

I haven't really listened to much yet so I'm just going to guess that they're the darker ones? I've listened to a bit of Three Imaginary Boys as well, I can get Fire in Cairo out of my head

Edited February 4, 2012 by beau1

[Jacky Boy]

The Cure headlining would certainly sell me a ticket. I'm not overly fussed about Kasabian and I've seen Foo Fighters plenty of times.

Having said that I'd still prefer SOAD or RATM.

[Kierkegaard]

Just because The Cure did a deliberate choice to play in the Royal Albert Hall, doesn't mean that they couldn't play a bigger venue. They could have done a one off in Wembley Arena and possibly the 02 and still managed to sell it out (as I said, the demand for the RAH gig was in excess of 30,000). They wanted that gig to be small because of the material they were playing which makes your point pretty invalid.

[beau1]

I think you may have squeezed in a point of your own there. All I did was put the figures up, I didn't draw conclusions. I definitely didn't say that they're not capable of selling out an arena.

Nonetheless, one could argue that regardless of the nature of the show, the Royal Albert Hall venue choice wasn't that much of a departure from the norm. They've played one show a year on average for the best part of the last fifteen years, sometimes at an arena, often at venues like Royal Albert Hall or smaller - demand will always be high for those one off shows when that's the case. You say that there were 30,000 people trying to get tickets - meaning that after a two year absence from mainland UK they could have sold out The O2 one-and-a-half times.

If I were to draw conclusions, it would be that whilst The Cure are clearly capable of selling out one UK arena a year, demand suggests that they wouldn't be able to do much more than that.

Edited February 4, 2012 by beau1

[RichieParf]

Is it definite that if they played that they would be MS headliners? Couldn't they sub or second stage headline?

[jonodillieono]

They wouldn't accept less than a headline slot