Merriwether Post Pavillion, Columbia, MD. Un-effing-believable. I enjoyed Wang Chung for what they were, but I was really there for The Cars. I left there all about Wang Chung. They knew how to rock the crowd. The Cars performance was technically perfect--their sound is not just production room mastery--but they didn't do anything to engage the crowd. Maybe that was supposed to be ultra-cool, but I was disappointed. I wanted to feel like throwing my panties at Ric O'Casek but he just didn't move me.

Another tale from Seattle....Jan/Feb 1986, it is snowing hard in Seattle. The Circle Jerks play Gorilla Gardens (the Fremont version of Gorilla Gardens, not China Town original), anyway this is a very small underground punk club...one entrance, one exit....your basic Fire Marshall nightmare. So all the opening bands play, and the Circle Jerks finally get on stage and play one maybe two songs. The Fire Marshall's come in and shut down the show. The crowd gets very upset, bottles flying through the air, etc...then this flood of cops comes through the front door. The last thing I remember is this guy standing in front of me trying to get out, I see a billy club in the air and crack down on his head....blood everywhere. It turned into a full blown riot. We ran outside where people were running everywhere, cops everywhere. Some people had set several dumpsters on fire, and started to build a large bon fire in the middle of the street. We tried several times to sneak out of the area, but it was hard due to all the police. Right before we found a fence to hop near an alley I remember seeing about 20 people tipping a car over into one of the bon fires.

Colin Hay, playing acoustic in this instance, did a one-nighter at the Australian Embassy in Bonn, Germany. He is as polished as ever and has even ventured further into becoming an entertaining stand up comedian. Who can it be now?, Be good Johnny, Overkill were great to hear acoustically, but the one that brought a tear to my eye, as an ex-pat Aussie, was obviously Down Under. Still great to hear

I was a 19 year old working in a dead end job with my 20 year old Dead-Head best friend. The DJ on the radio mentioned that tickets were still available for that nights Culture Club show at the Spectrum in Philly. I jokingly asked my friend if he wanted to go. We laughed about it, but 20 minutes later he comes up to me and says lets go see Culture Club. He was dead serious so we drove to Philly that evening (in his VW micro bus no less!) and paid $10 for 2 tickets from a scalper out on Broad St. This was when they were already on the downward track so scalpers could barely give tickets away. We went in and it was us 2 burn out freaks and 15,000 screaming teeny boppers with their yuppie parents. We laughed our heads off thru the whole show. JUst too funny. Good lighting though. Reminded me of lights at a Genesis show.

Pittsburgh, PA. One of my very close friends called me and said he was getting tickets and asked if I wanted one. I said "absolutely!" Anxiously, I awaited all summer. I quite literally watched the days on my calendar pass in anticipation of what I knew would be excellent. You see, Culture Club, and Boy George and Martha in particular, helped me through a very rough and awkward time in my life. A time when I felt so different and totally alone. I was 12 years old when "Do you really want to hurt" aired for the first time. I immediately related to the music and the lyrics. No longer did I feel alone. And through those rough teenage years, Culture Club's music inspired me to keep going on with so much hope. My friends (so I thought they were at the time) all listened to heavy rock. I would go home and throw on my headphones and crank "Kissing to be Clever." Finally, at age 19, I came to terms with myself sexually, and what a difference my life has been!

I never even dreamed I would have the most unique and rare opportunity to see Culture Club in concert. Next thing I know, it is August 14th, 1998, the day of the show in Pittsburgh. I left work three hours early amd met up with my very close friend and two other friends. We loaded up the car and took off for the Starlake concert site. We jammed to Culture Club the entire trip! We arrived at 5p.m. and tailgated until 6:45p.m., bugers,hot dogs, beer, and you guessed it, more Culture Club. We went through the gates of the outdoor arena, and immediately I purchased a tee shirt. Howard Jones began at about 7:15, and he put on a fantastic show! Hits like "No one is to Blame" and "Things Can Only Get Better" were performed. And some real rocking new material, excellent! Then came Human League, belting out tunes like "Don't You Want Me" and "Human." Awesome! Then the arena's background music began again, lights back up. Suddenly, the arena's background music gets louder as they play "YMCA" by the Village People. We all stood up and did the dance, and I said to my friends, "I think Culture Club is up after this background song." Somehow I just knew it. At the end of the tune, the lights dimmed. And did the crowd go nuts, cheering!!" And on comes Culture Club. Boy dressed in his fabulous black suit, jacket lined with diamonds and a red, gold and green hat. Super! The band began with "Church of the Poison Mind" and we just danced and danced! The tunes just kept flowing, with hits like "Miss Me Blind", "It's a Miracle," and to my amazement, "The Crying Game." Boy's and Martha's voices as strong as ever! My heart was filled with love for them! And Roy, John and Mike jamming the instruments in excellence! I let go of all stress and was totally uninhibited, even had tears in my eyes as Boy George belted out "Victims," sent chills up and down my spine!! My close friend and I began a dance rally in the center of the pavillion, strangers all dancing together and having so much fun! To sum it up, I had the absoulute best time in my life at 28 years old!

I can only pray that someday I have the chance to say "thank you" and "I love you" to Boy George and Culture Club, for being such a big part of my life and showing me I am not alone. And I hope they stay together, because on the next tour, I am going to several cities!

Pine Knob Theater, in Clarkston Michigan, the Culture Club along with Howard Jones, and Human League played. It was an experience to remember. The show was fantastic up until the Culture Club appeared. Then the show became unbelievably fantastic. The voice of Boy George, is not only unique, but one of perfect harmony, what a mega-talent. The band was excellent also, especially Roy Hay. I wouldn't hesitate to see them again.

The new music is excellent, I just hope everyone in the band can keep focused on the music, and keep their personal feelings out of it. Great to see them back!

Never some band played like The Cure in the concert Live in Orange, Provence, France August 1986. Excellent was Robert Smith singing and wonderful the play of the guitars, battery and sinthetyzer by Thompson, Gallup and Tolhurst. I watch it over and over again

Where to begin? The Cure are my favourite band, and its been one of my ambitions to see them live for a long time. I finally got to fulfill that ambition when my girlfriend got two tickets to see them in London on the 27th July. We journeyed for eight hours on a bus to see the only UK show they were doing, and I'd do it again and again without a doubt:) The band were amazing, the support were amazing, and the sheer power of the performance for two solid hours. Robert Smith is as an amzing singer live as he is on record, and it was one of the most moving concerts I have witnessed. Sheer brilliance.

Last month I was fortunate to see The Cure for the first time. Now, I am a product of the early 80's (1982) and I was brought up listening to a-ha, Flock of Seagulls, Kajagoogoo, Nena, Blondie, Thomas Dolby, and of course The Cure...etc...I never imagined I would get back into the New Wave music scene after it was over..of course I was small, but I knew enough about it..anyway..Robert Smith's performance was one of the most amazing of the ones I've seen in my 18 years. With every song he sang, he gave it his all, and never held anything back..It was trully,something I will remember for my life.

I stumbled upon finding out about this concert quite unexpectedly. I've always enjoyed listening to The Cure, but I only just started *really* getting into them about three or four months ago. So I was unaware of the tour going on at the time, and when I saw their name on Ticketmaster as I was buying tickets for a different band, I was pretty shocked. I decided I'd get myself a couple of tickets for a New Jersey show... And as cheap as it may sound, buying those tickets has completely changed my life. I still imagine not seeing the small print of 'The Cure' on that website, and it seriously pains me! It was about a month to the concert, so I decided to catch up on their music. I bought some more cds and videos, including their last album, Bloodflowers. I was immediately in love with everything I acquired, especially the latter - this album seriously amazes me. I can remember the first time I listened to it and how it made me feel. That feeling still comes over me every time I put it in (which is extremely often). It's the first time I can honestly say a certain album is the greatest I've ever heard. So, through the course of a month, I became quite the fan. I also grew extremely infatuated with Robert Smith - that man is simply incredible. Finally the night of the concert came... and through many instances (i must give a condensed version!), I got from my seat three sections back to fourth row center. The tensity was so extreme as the band filed onstage and opened with a Bloodflowers song, "Out Of This World". The band gave off such an exciting power, and it was extremely contagious. Everyone around me was in a trance... Robert was definitely the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. He gave the concert his all, and he sang with so much feeling and emotion that he brought me to tears more than once. The setlist was fabulous - it wasn't a singles-focused concert, but instead a compilation of what I consider most of their best work. It was focused mostly on three albums -Pornography, Disintegration, and Bloodflowers- which are arguably The Cure's greatest. All have basically the same heartwrenching theme, and to hear them played live is certainly a blessing. They performed three encores which were the highlight of the show. The most emotional part, I think, was the first encore song: at the beginning of "Plainsong" Robert came to the edge of the stage to talk to people, accept presents, and look off into the crowd. It was as if he were trying to fuse everything into his memory. They played with even more force at the end; no signs of getting tired. The encores were also much more serious and heartfelt... The concert ran about three hours, the longest one I've ever been to - and absolutely the best. I could only smile the next morning as my friends gushed to me about how I really 'missed out' on our Eighth Grade Dance... if only they could have seen me at the show! I am now a truly devoted fan, and The Cure's music has affected me like no one else's. I am sad to see them finishing their career together, but an album like Bloodflowers and a tour like The Dream Tour makes for the perfect exit.