I’m a casual fan of The Cure who owns two albums from the 1980s and never saw the band live. I’m also a longtime rock drummer turned record label executive who often gets the incredible perk of last-minute invitations to see live shows. So during a recent business trip to Minnesota, I found myself standing in a hockey arena in St. Paul, one of 18,000 fans there to hear The Cure play their inimitable brand of catchy British goth-rock, drenched in theatrical fog and stark, restrained lighting.
A hugely successful band that has remained true to its underground roots, The Cure and its 64-year-old singer and songwriter, Robert Smith, are unlikely heroes for the post-pandemic "revenge spending" concert era. Economists theorize that consumers are splurging on luxuries, travel, and experiences out of a desire to make up for what they missed during the pandemic, and driving up prices in the process. Last year, tickets to see the working class rock icon Bruce Springsteen in concert went for as much as $5,000; spending on the kick-off Beyoncé's world tour in May has been blamed for an inflation spike in Sweden; and tickets for the US leg of Taylor Swift's record-breaking Eras are in such high demand that Swifties are finding it's cheaper to fly to Argentina and catch her show there. Now the heavily mascaraed and scraggily haired Smith has said enough is enough.
