Watch The Cure’s 3-Hour Release Show for Songs of a Lost World

Yesterday, The Cure released Songs of a Lost World, their long-awaited fourteenth album. I’ve listened to it multiple times already, and though my review is forthcoming, I’ll just say that it’s easily their best collection of songs since 1992’s Wish. To celebrate the album’s release, the band performed an epic 3-hour show at London’s Troxy — and because Robert Smith is just that sort of guy, they livestreamed the entire performance to the rest of the world and subsequently uploaded it to their YouTube channel.

The concert was actually two concerts in one. The Cure first performed Songs of a Lost World in its entirety, and let me just say, for as good as the album sounds, those eight songs sound ten times better live. After a brief intermission, they then performed a selection of classics from Wish, Disintegration, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, and The Head on the Door.

That was followed by two encores. The first featured a selection of songs from Seventeen Seconds (which turns 45 next year), including “Secrets,” which hasn’t been performed live since 2011, as well as “Play for Today” and “A Forest.” The second encore was another selection of Cure classics, including “Friday I’m in Love” (which the band hilariously whiffed), “Why Can’t I Be You?,” and a spirited rendition of “Boys Don’t Cry.” (You can see the full setlist here.)

On a related note, my Threads timeline has been full of Cure love for the last day or so, which has been delightful. Seeing everyone talk about the new album while sharing their favorite songs and Cure-related memories has been one of the best social media experiences I’ve had in a long time, and a reminder of what social media can be minus ego and rancor. I know it won’t last forever, but I’m treasuring the moment right now.