The Cure at Fiddler’s Green in Denver

My husband Bryan and I were married 20 years ago this May in Denver. We’d only lived here a short time and had not met many people yet, so most of the guests flew in from Maryland (where we grew up) and Germany (where my family is from). Since everyone came from afar, we postponed our honeymoon for many months to enjoy their company.

What does this have to do with The Cure?

The band was playing a concert in June that year, 1996, at Fiddler’s Green. It was a great concert and the first time we had seen a show at the venue that would change names many times before settling right back to its original moniker. At that very show, we met a guy named Jeff who quickly turned into our best friend for life.

Five years later, his now-wife Danielle entered the picture and then their son came along so my singleton would have a pseudo-brother. These are the guys we spend holidays with, go on vacation with, and everything else in between.

So when The Cure announced they were returning to Denver, in 2016, at Fiddler’s Green, almost to the day we met Jeff… we knew we were going. I was lucky enough to be approved to shoot and we made a super-duper adult date night out of it.

The Cure in Concert

The band did four encores which maybe sound excessive, but when you are The Cure, you can do any damn thing you want and be awesome doing it. Robert Smith warned us as he started the first one, “This part will be as long as that last bit.” (See the full setlist from Denver below photos.)

After many lineup changes, the band came back to bassist Simon Gallup, keyboardist Roger O’Donnell, drummer Jason Cooper and guitarist Reeves Gabriels. Gallup was all over the stage, almost to the point of stalking the crowd, while Cooper sat back behind a huge drum set and pounded out the beat. Robert Smith was… Robert Smith.

I was then stunned as I settled into to my lawn seat and watched the show from that vantage point – because the lights and video techniques being used were ingenious. It was truly beautiful from the first mournful note through the medley of hits we were gifted with all night.

Certainly, a great way to celebrate 20 years of music… and friendship.

The Cure – Denver Concert Photos

The Cure – Denver 2016 Setlist

Out of This World
Pictures of You
Closedown
High
Lovesong
Just Like Heaven
The Last Day of Summer
Cold
A Strange Day
A Night Like This
Push
In Between Days
Fascination Street
The Hungry Ghost
39
Bloodflowers

Encore 1:
It Can Never Be the Same
Want
Shake Dog Shake
Burn

Encore 2:
At Night
M
Play for Today
A Forest

Encore 3:
Hot Hot Hot!!!
The Caterpillar
The Walk
Let’s Go to Bed

Encore 4:
Lullaby
Close to Me
Why Can’t I Be You?
Boys Don’t Cry