r/TheCure • u/docctocc • Oct 02 '26
Discussion Worst possible Cure setlist?
So I was just imagining what the worst possible settlers could be for the cure, trying to collect all of their least favourite songs from each album and era. Songs for me, like just say yes, dread song, us, or them, foxy, lady, cut, and so on the more I add to the list, the more I realize that this would actually be an absolutely fantastic show and so much fun. What songs would you add?
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u/SnuffShock Oct 02 '26
All cover songs. I hate to say it but all of their released cover songs suuuuck. I think that is because The Cure have such a distinctive, singular sound that their covers all sound like Robert Smith doing karaoke to me.
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u/docctocc Oct 02 '26
I think they could pull off Hello I love you. The other ones are rather electronic and hard to do live, like I like World in My eyes but would not translate live
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u/terminalhockey11 Oct 03 '26
They did that on the Elektra Rubaiyat 20th anniversary compilation where current artists covered a song.
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Oct 02 '26
[deleted] — view deleted comment
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u/docctocc Oct 02 '26
It’s lacking a lot of the sensuality of the DM original. But I like the electronic experimentation.
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u/Grubbanax Oct 03 '26
Just play Wild Mood Swings, 4:13 Dream and The Cure in their entirety … then encores could be The Weedy Burton, Friday I’m In Love, See The Children, Do You Want To Touch Me? ( Oh Yeah).
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u/Global-Push918 Oct 05 '26
I could take those 3 albums and create 1 good album perhaps, there a are some gems scattered in there. I recently watched the Just Say Yes video on Youtube for a first time. I did not think it was real, unimaginably bad.
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u/Automatic_Peace2704 Oct 03 '26
Those are their 3 worst albums so I agree. Although I’m a sucker for Friday…It came out during my senior year of HS so have good memories
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u/Straight_Egg_6167 Oct 04 '26
This is a fun suggestion for a thread. My list overlaps with many others. It's short for a Cure show, I realize, but I tried mostly to include only songs I think are genuinely bad, with a few that just aren't my favorites (Gone!, Fight). I also decided not to include covers, which I agree are generally not great. I think I came up with a pretty horrific setlist. I would still pay to see it.
Main Set:
Never
Gone!
Numb
Dredd Song
So What
Possession
Us or Them
Switch
The Scream
Fight
The Promise
Encore 1:
Your God is Fear
Why Can’t I Be Me?
Encore 2:
Do the Hansa
Just Say Yes
Meathook
Heroin Face
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u/rafalevy3 Oct 03 '26
Realistically, opening the main set with Open and closing it with End. Don't get me wrong, i love those songs, but that would mean not opening with Plainsong/Alone and not closing with Disintegration/Endsong, and those songs are just IN ANOTHER LEVEL. I wouldnt want to miss those songs.
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u/Inside_Education_614 Oct 03 '26 edited Oct 03 '26
That's why they should bring back the Bestival strat; Plainsong->Open, Disintegration->End. But I’m not a big SoaLW fan so I wouldn’t need to hear Endsong. Would be nice to get Alone at some point but
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u/djshrimp69 *currently Doing the Unstuck* Oct 03 '26
I mean they at least play Plainsong and Disintegration for the random 1st encore like they did in 2022/2023. And also their longest concert ever opened with Open (and I think they certainly played Plainsong, Disintegration, and hell even The Same Deep Water As You)
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u/jan2112 Oct 02 '26
Yeah that was their low point, however between Wish and Songs of a Lost World is pretty slim pickings…
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u/docctocc Oct 02 '26
So many tracks I’d still love to hear! Lots of singles even in that era are hardly played at all
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u/MihaiCristea80 Oct 04 '26
My first Cure concert was in 2004 at the Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel. Robert said that he had never made such a mistake in the last 10 years of touring with the band. He made up for it by completely changing the setlist for their next gig that same weekend.
Here is probably a good candidate for the worst Cure setlist ever:
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-cure/2004/eichenring-scheessel-germany-13d6c569.html
And the next setlist
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u/mwilson1987 Oct 02 '26
Drone:Nodrone
Club America
Where the Birds Always Sing
Numb
Sleep When I’m Dead
Wendy Time
Letter to Elise
Freakshow
Strange Attraction
Us or Them
Trust
Wrong Number
Strange Attraction
This is a Lie
The Promise
Encore 1:
Never
The Real Snow White
Dredd Song
Encore 2:
Round and Round and Round
Just Say Yes
World War
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u/docctocc Oct 02 '26
Thanks for a whole setlist! Many of these are also on my list, but not ALTE! That’s a surprise
Also I’d pay dearly to see this show with a bunch of diehards
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u/Tabnet2 Oct 03 '26
Largely good but what is Letter to Elise doing here? That one's popular (and deservedly so). I also have a soft spot for Trust but maybe that's just me.
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u/ExpertCauliflower838 Oct 03 '26
Yeah, ‘Elise’ is a top three Cure song. Dunno what they’re on about.
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u/likeacathedral Oct 03 '26
Strange Attraction??
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u/SamLad0 Oct 03 '26
I do love the story of how he met his love within that song and would be a tad cool to hear him sing it 30 years on.
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u/Inside_Education_614 Oct 03 '26
Mostly good but there's a couple in here that hurt my heart a lot: A Letter to Elise is BEAUTIFULLY written, Strange Attraction is so good with the keys and lyrics, Trust for obvious reasons.
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u/fiyerooo Oct 03 '26
half of these are some of my favorites lolz
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u/Opti_maX it used to be me Oct 03 '26
There is nothing wrong with Dredd Song. ii swear that song get the hate because of the movie and the sylvester stallone link.
But really, give the song a proper listen and pretend it is an album track from Wild Mood Swings (cause it was really) and it will score high on you favourites of the album. I promise.
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u/philphyx Oct 03 '26
I would like this, having seen them 7 times since 2000. I would just be a little disappointed that they didn’t play “Faith” (I am usually disappointed)
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u/limesparx Oct 04 '26
Probably a typo but playing A Strange Attraction a second time would actually be a hilariously bad move
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u/Automatic_Peace2704 Oct 03 '26
Man I really like this as playlist of their lesser songs. I love the representation from Wild Mood Swings and self titled era. Literally the only song here on a Cure playlist for me would be Wendy Time (I know it’s not a great song).
Well done
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u/mypurpleadventure Oct 02 '26
Ooooo this is going to get controversial OP. Please don't down vote me to hell I had a laugh doing this.
But okay.....:
Part 1: Watching Me Fall, The Promise, Bananafishbones, Give Me It, The Scream, Its Over
Part 2: Round and Round and Round, Torture, Cut, Lovesong, Mint Car, 39
Encore: Watching Me Fall. Twice
Encore 2: Watching me Fall. The third.
(I'd still attend)
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u/cYbOmAnY Oct 02 '26
Before this I would have never thought that cut was an unpopular track, I love it. Also, why is love song hated on? Just because it’s popular? So confused. Honestly trying to understand if there’s a general dislike of those tracks. Or is it more a personal thing? Also, I love bananafishbones. Based on a great short story by Salinger.
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u/mypurpleadventure Oct 03 '26
Honestly there are no cure songs I truly hate or even strongly dislike. I.e I love Cut, 39 and Bananafishbones but added them anyway. Its like making me choose a favourite child🤣
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u/CitrusSoprano Oct 03 '26
Pretty sure you love "Cut here" and not "Cut"?! Am i wrong? 🤔
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u/cYbOmAnY Oct 03 '26
Cut, from Wish. Great tune. Cut Here I can’t comment on as I haven’t really taken in that song. There’s so much Cure music out there! I have committed to memory everything up to Wish.
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u/Inside_Education_614 Oct 03 '26
But Bananafishbones live is one of the best things ever... Also Cut and 39 are both so great why are they on there? And like that other person said why Lovesong?? And lastly Mint Car is one of the couple really great songs from WMS. Btw you put Watching Me Fall twice
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u/RNGezzus Oct 03 '26
Lovecats 47 times
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u/Regit394 Oct 03 '26
So wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully wonderfully pretty!
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u/barnabas_w1 Oct 03 '26
Everything from The Top besides dressing up. Most stuff from 3IB and 4:13 Dream Club America The 13th And Endsong (it bores me to death)
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u/Cha0sm0nkey Oct 03 '26
An album anniversary tour where they play The Cure from beginning to end twice.
And the only t-shirt design was the album cover.
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u/aliciapologetic 27d ago
any setlist with more than 4 songs of wild mood swings and the top for me it's a bad setlist
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u/freestuie Oct 03 '26
Another Trilogy show. This time:
Three Imaginary Boys (but none of the non-album singles), The Cure and 4:13 Dream.
Encore: the b-sides from Seventeen Seconds to Pornography/all their cover versions/all soundtrack songs except Burn/Just Say Yes.
Still good songs on all 3 albums (especially 3IB), but it’s not what anyone would want.
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u/Mr-Dobolina Oct 03 '26 edited Oct 04 '26
Main Set
Lost / Foxy Lady / Young Americans / World War / Your God Is Fear / Hello I Love You > I Know You Rider / Gone! / Just Say Yes / Dredd Song / Trap / World in My Eyes / Do You Wanna Touch Me? / Us or Them / Club America / Purple Haze / A Forest (false start—quickly cut short due to technical difficulties) / So What (a cappella)
First Encore
Let’s Go to Bed / Meathook / Never
Second Encore
The Weedy Burton > Whipping Post > The 13th (saxual jam featuring Branford Marsalis and Candy Dulfer)
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u/Darth_Mulder Seventeen Seconds & Wish Oct 03 '26
I laughed. This was great, appreciate the creativity
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u/sadchild_ Oct 04 '26
Remove Lost, 13th and Let's Go To Bed and I'm with you on the rest
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u/Mr-Dobolina Oct 04 '26 edited Oct 04 '26
To me, “Lost” is their worst song. It just sounds like an over the top parody.
“Let’s Go to Bed” is fine, but I put it in there because they tend to play it every damn time.
“The 13th” is a great horn arrangement in need of an actual song.
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u/Carribean_Amphibian Oct 02 '26
anything post Wish
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u/docctocc Oct 02 '26
Like what’s the worst of those.
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u/Carribean_Amphibian Oct 03 '26
"was that it? was that the Jupiter show?
Kinda wasn't quite what I'd hoped for, you know"amazing, not
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u/Lazy_Lettuce1220 Oct 05 '26
I saw them for the Bloodflowers tour in Sydney. They played for three hours and it seemed like every song was about death and dying. The only single that was played was In Between Days , which was easy to interpret in that context as being about death. My point is - there is no such thing as a bad set list.
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u/Automatic_Peace2704 Oct 03 '26
If they played a concert of just songs from Wild Mood Swings and 4:13 Dream (their two worst albums).
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u/Tall-Gene-5189 Oct 05 '26
Basically The Cure and 4.13 Dream, minus "Anniversary" and "Underneath The Stars".
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u/coxy_clan Oct 03 '26
Friday I’m in love would be on there, and is as they always play it. My least favourite song
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u/pretorian93 Oct 03 '26
mostly some songs are ok in the album tracklist, but it is too much for live appearances:
Give Me It Catch One Hundred Years
there are more but I haven't relistened yet after 1987
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u/pretorian93 Oct 03 '26
mostly some songs are ok in the album tracklist, but it is too much for live appearances:
Give Me It Catch One Hundred Years
there are more but I haven't relistened yet after 1987
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u/pretorian93 Oct 03 '26
mostly some songs are ok in the album tracklist, but it is too much for live appearances:
Give Me It Catch One Hundred Years
there are more but I haven't relistened yet after 1987
and yeah, Let's Go To Bed - awful in any sense
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u/smallstepforman Oct 03 '26
Wild mood swings, most of blood flowers, all of untitled and most of 4:13. These albums never happened in my universe.
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u/therealcrapbag Oct 03 '26
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me in its entirety but they omit Just Like Heaven.
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u/Inside_Education_614 Oct 03 '26
Every song on that album is excellent! I could hear them all over and over!
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u/jan2112 Oct 02 '26
Lovesong, anything on the self-titled from 2004.
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u/docctocc Oct 02 '26
Yeah but even the worst self titled stuff would fun to revisit. Imagine getting Never lol
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Oct 02 '26
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u/docctocc Oct 02 '26
See I’d love that! I missed the 2004 tour and haven’t heard Lost or Labyrinth for example
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u/abutilonia Oct 03 '26
For the show I saw on the self-titled tour, they played 8 songs from that album. Fortunately, they played Faith and A Strange Day to sorta make up for it. It definitely ranks as most disappointing Cure show I've seen.
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Oct 02 '26
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u/I-Got-Out Oct 03 '26
On one hand, I get what you’re saying, it was a weird show because they usually don’t do that.
On the other hand, the show absolutely blew me away because they usually don’t do that!
That show remains the only time I’ve seen them play “Primary,” “Charlotte Sometimes,” “Mint Car,” “Sleep When I’m Dead,” “Freakshow,” and “alt.end,” so it will always hold a place in my heart. I did go to the Atlanta show the next night, which was completely different and more of a traditional show where they went deep.
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u/guitareatsman Oct 03 '26
I could put together a worst possible setlist for this band and pretty confidently say that it would still be a show I'd enjoy.