1989 was a great year for cure fans, with the release of disintegration and the associated "prayer tour". It was my first chance to get to see the band live... and it it could have been very close to home, as the provisional prayer tour was scheduled to close at St James Park, Newcastle! ... see the scan of the international news service letter that was issued in March 1989...
No such luck when the official tour announcement was made - the stadium shows were replaced with arena dates - and it was the first Birmingham show for me. A good choice as it turned out.
plainsong, pictures of you , closedown, kyoto song , a night like this , just like heaven , last dance, fascination street , lovesong, charlotte sometimes , the walk , a forest , inbetween days , the same deep water as you , prayers for rain , disintegration,
As with many concerts in the late 80's/early 90's I travelled to the venue on an organised coach trip, arriving late afternoon on a sunny July day. The show was sold out and we had a good spot on the floor, stage left. The setlist was pretty standard for the tour and included every track off the disintegration album. WCIBY included some of "lovecats", disintegration had a bit of Joy Division "isolation" riffed at the start & faith ended the show - it was absolutely classic, with lyrics of 2late incorporated.
No such thing as digital compact cameras back in the day - I bought 2 prints from the prayer tour in a London shop some years later - I guess these may be from Wembley a few days after the Birmingham show...
