The Cure Plays Hits, Robert Smith Tears Up in Oslo — SkimNews
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- The Cure headlined Øyafestivalen in Oslo with a two-and-a-half-hour set mixing their 2024 album "Songs of a Lost World" with career-spanning hits like "Lovesong," "In Between Days," and "A Forest."
- Robert Smith teared up as the final notes of "Just Like Heaven" rang out, telling the crowd "It's strange, that song. Every now and then, that last bit…" before trailing off and smiling.
- Smith's demeanor contrasted sharply with his more nervous 2023 Hollywood Bowl show — the reviewer said he appeared to have embraced aging, and noted Smith previously said The Cure would retire in 2029 timed to the band's 50th anniversary.
- The set closed with "Endsong" (the only other track from "Songs of a Lost World") before a 10-track encore ending with "Boys Don't Cry," which Smith jokingly introduced as "a new song."
- During the encore, Smith hammed it up — miming a spider climbing his body in "Lullaby," hissing and pawing through "The Lovecats," and dancing "like a goth fairy" during "Close to Me."
- The full band — bassist Simon Gallup, keyboardist Roger O'Donnell, drummer Jason Cooper, and guitarist Reeves Gabrels — played "as tight as ever," with Smith's voice described as "velvety smooth and without a single crack."
Why it matters: Smith previously said the band would retire in 2029 timed to their 50th anniversary, leaving fans with roughly four more years of live shows. This Oslo performance suggests that stretch will lean into nostalgic, emotionally unguarded territory — Smith openly weeping during one of his biggest hits is a marked shift from the nervous frontman of 2023.
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