This 2cd is sold with a sticker "All profits from the sale will go to the Isle of Wight Youth Trust" which is all fine by me.
But let's get down to the contents, recording quality and song selection. It is probably not the first The Cure live cd in any The Cure fan's collection, and probably not the last, since several more have been announced. This one is for the light-weighters or the casuals.
Mostly focused on pop and party hits or harmless songs with a few exceptions like "One Hundred Years". Masterpieces like "A Forest" and "Disintegration" just vanishes in the pop fluff. Nothing wrong with a great (The Cure) pop song but it needs something to accompany it, like a dark (The Cure) song.
Why it still works to some extend has nothing to do with the recording quality that is actually quite mediocre. Albums like "Concert (live)" [raw punk 80s sound), Entreat (live) [probably one of the best sounding live records ever], Paris (live) [deep, dark and cold] will all kick it's ass in recording quality any day, and they will also kick it in setlist selection.
"Bestival" however, works because the guitar and bass are crispy and very enjoyable, it works because the band is ignited (even if they MUST be bored by the setlist), and because the 3 of the last 4 songs save it all. "Jumping Someone Else's Train", "Grinding Halt" and "10:15 Saturday Night" are fucking awesome and reminds me of my birthday party in 2008.
Robert decided to piss off the audience or probably only me?, by renaming "Killing an Arab" to Killing Another". How lame is that? Prince renamed "The Cross" to "The Christ", but that was because of whack Jehovah religion (not because of intelligent or logical thinking), this altering of lyrics are however Robert being plain ridiculous. I am sorry, but you lost some of my respect there, Robert. (If a listener can't see/reflect beyond the original title then that person is a cunt or just not too fucking intelligent.)
Anyway, I don't hate this release, it just makes me choke 'cuz of too much sugar and candy pop stuff and too little dark and real The Cure depression. Had The Cure only released the songs on this 2cd set then I would never have become the hardcore fan I am and have been for many years.
Casual fans will love it - no doubt, and rate it higher than I did. I would however have killed myself, if this was the setlist The Cure threw in my face at a festival. Luckily enough, I've only seen and heard way better concerts. Sorry, you casual fans out there...
The Cure, I wish you better luck with the next live compilation!!! :D I still believe in you!
Note: if you are a casual pop fan, then add at least one star to this rating. :)
Rating: 
Band: The Cure
Record Title: Bestival Live 2011
This Release: 2011
Record Format: CD
Record Label: Lost Music
Content Type: Record Review
Language: 
Updated: 2011-12-16 23:30
Created: 2011-12-16 22:36
