What did The Cure play at Glastonbury 2019?

2 November 2024, 22:00

Robert Smith of The Cure performs on the Pyramid Stage ar Glastonbury Festival 2019. Picture: Julie Edwards/Alamy Live News

Robert Smith and co performed a stunning headline set at Glastonbury 2019 - here's the full story of what they played.

Glastonbury was just one in a long line of high-profile appearances for The Cure in the summer of 2019. They travelled to Australia in May to perform their album Disintegration in full at Sydney Opera House to mark the LP’s 30th anniversary.

The season saw them top the bill at most of the world's major festivals, including Rock Werchter in Belgium, Fuji Rock in Japan, Roskilde in Denmark, Mad Cool in Spain, NOS Alive in Portugal, Austin City Limits in the US and many others.

Robert Smith of The Cure performs on the Pyramid stage during day five of Glastonbury Festival 2019. Picture: Grant Pollard/Invision/AP/Alamy

The Cure's set at Glastonbury was the fourth time they'd appeared at the festival, having taken headline slots in 1986, 1990 and 1995. This put them on a par with Coldplay, who only this year beat Smith and his crew by topping the Pyramid Stage bill for a record fifth time.

The Cure's Glastonbury set included all their major pop hits, plus a selection of deep cuts from their 40 year history, including the classics Boys Don't Cry, Close To Me, In Between Days and Friday I'm In Love.

Here's what The Cure played:

The Cure - Burn (Glastonbury 2019)

The Cure - Glastonbury setlist 30 June 2019

Plainsong (opening track from 1989's Disintegration)
Pictures of You (single taken from 1989’s Disintegration)
High (single taken from 1992’s Wish album)
A Night Like This (album track from 1985’s The Head On The Door)
Lovesong (single taken from 1989’s Disintegration)
Last Dance (album track from 1989’s Disintegration)
Burn (taken from the soundtrack to the film The Crow, 1994)
Fascination Street (single taken from 1989’s Disintegration)
Never Enough (stand alone single from 1990)
Push (album track from 1985’s The Head On The Door)
In Between Days (single taken from 1985’s The Head On The Door)
Just Like Heaven (single taken from 1987’s Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me)
From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea (album track from 1992’s Wish album)
Play For Today (album track from 1980’s Seventeen Seconds)
A Forest (single taken from 1980’s Seventeen Seconds)
Shake Dog Shake (the opening album track from 1984’s The Top)
Disintegration (title track of the 1989 album)

Encore:

Lullaby (single taken from 1989’s Disintegration)
The Caterpillar (single taken from 1984’s The Top album)
The Walk (stand alone single from 1983)
Friday I'm In Love (single taken from 1992’s Wish album)
Close To Me (single taken from 1985’s The Head On The Door)
Why Can't I Be You? (single taken from 1987’s Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me)
Boys Don't Cry (stand alone single from 1979)

The Cure - Friday I'm In Love (Glastonbury 2019)

The Cure first headlined Glastonbury in 1986

Following the success of their 1985 album The Head On The Door and its singles Close To Me and In Between Days, the following year saw The Cure’s first headline appearance at what was then known as the Glastonbury CND Festival. The other headliners were The Psychedelic Furs and Level 42, while also on the eclectic bill were Madness, Simply Red, The Housemartins and The Pogues.

The Cure’s Glastonbury set in 1986 was heavy with their recent “pop” hits such as Boys Don’t Cry and The Walk, but they still managed to keep the mood veering between light and dark, delivering three encores and ending the show with the emotional Faith and the downright angst-ridden title track from their album Pornography. No Love Cats.

Robert Smith of The Cure performing live in 1986. Picture: Pete Still/Redferns/Getty

The Cure - Glastonbury 21st June 1986 setlist

Shake Dog Shake
Play For Today
Kyoto Song
Primary
Charlotte Sometimes
A Strange Day
In Between Days
The Walk
A Night Like This
One Hundred Years
Push
A Forest
Sinking
Encore 1: Close To Me / Let’s Go To Bed
Encore 2: Give Me It / Boys Don’t Cry
Encore 3: Faith / Pornography

the cure the walk live 21 06 1986 Pilton Worthy Farm England subtitulada

The second time The Cure headlined Glastonbury was in 1990

The band’s relationship with the festival was strained after their 1990 appearance. The headline slot came off the back of the massive success of their Disintegration album the previous year. Only two encores this time, ending with a sneak preview of the forthcoming single Never Enough. No Love Cats.

However, the set was halted by one festival-goer being air-lifted hospital. Speaking about their 1990 set in an edition of The Cure newsletter from December of the same year, the Lullaby singer said: "Glastonbury was ok, but its organisation does leave an awful lot to be desired.

"There should have been crush barriers in the main field - the one particular incident down the front with the girl being given the kiss of life shocked us a bit too much to really get into the set."

The Telegraph's review of the festival mirrored Robert Smith's sentiment at the time, describing the scenes as like a "war zone," writing: "Interruption by helicopter or ambulance was the least of the problems facing the performers on the celebrated Pyramid stage: these were hardly the ideal conditions to demonstrate artistic excellence."

The 1990 line-up also included Happy Mondays, James, Sinead O’Connor and De La Soul.

Robert Smith onstage with The Cure in 1990. Picture: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images

The Cure - Glastonbury 23rd June 1990 setlist

Shake Dog Shake
A Strange Day
A Night Like This
Catch
Pictures Of You
Fascination Street
Lullaby
Dressing Up
The Same Deep Water As You
Lament
Just Like Heaven
The Walk
Primary
In Between Days
A Forest
Disintegration
Encore 1: Close To Me / Let’s Go To Bed / Why Can’t I Be You
Encore 2: 10.15 Saturday Night / Killing An Arab / Never Enough

Happy Mondays & The Cure Glastonbury 1990

The Cure’s third headline Glastonbury appearance was in 1995

Following the international success of their album Wish in 1992 (their first UK Number 1 LP), the rest of the 90s were a bit of a grey period for The Cure.

Drummer Boris Williams and guitarist Porl Thompson had both left, while bassist Simon Gallup went on sabbatical, so sessions for the next album were protracted. Glastonbury 1995 was an opportunity for Robert Smith to unveil the new line-up (featuring Jason Cooper on drums) and even premiere some new material - despite the new album, Wild Mood Swings, being nearly a year away from release. The show was an early example of Glastonbury being televised and guitarist Thompson made a brief return for the final song End.

Amongst the new material (Want, Mint Car, Jupiter Crash) the set was a mix of recent hits (Friday I’m In Love, High) and some dark classics (Disintegration, A Strange Day). Still no Love Cats.

The Cure played Sunday night, while Oasis headlined the festival for the first time on Friday, while Saturday was the infamous occasion that The Stone Roses were due to perform. They were replaced by Pulp after Roses guitarist John Squire broke his collarbone.