Show: Cursive
Date: February 25, 2012
Venue: Glasshouse
City: Pomona, CA
Cursive
Photos by Nicolas Bates
Written by Nicolas Bates
On Feb. 25, the Glasshouse in Pomona, CA hosted an evening with Cursive. Just one night before, Cursive had sold-out the Troubadour in West Hollywood, CA. A few minutes before Cursive was set to take the stage, a large crowd, not previously formed, sauntered in, in what seemed like only a few minutes—the Glasshouse seemed to fill to capacity. The last time Cursive toured in 2010—fairly recent—but you’d never know it judging by the excitement and anticipation in the air. It was almost like they hadn’t played in a decade. And, perhaps, the fact that Cursive would be shooting a live DVD made the crowd slightly more excited.
Tim Kasher and company walked casually on stage and were greeted by massive cheers. Cursive isn’t your run-of-the-mill rock band, and nothing about the crowd’s reaction said otherwise.
Cursive opened their set with “Drunken Birds,” off their latest release, I am Gemini, to a well-lit stage and somewhat muggy Glasshouse. Tim Kasher seemed reserved in his movement and playing, but exuded the confidence of a great guitar player. Perhaps a song or two later, Tim Kasher opened up for “The Casualty,” stepping back from the mic and swinging his guitar through the air, really diggin’ in to the song. As he made his way back to the mic for the first verse, the crowd threw up their hands in anticipation of the vocals. During the song, Tim Kasher and guitarist Ted Stevens trade off vocals duties during the chorus. If not watching the performance, one may have thought it was Tim Kasher the entire time, as the two sound incredibly alike.
Cursive went on to play the likes of “Sierra,” The Cat and Mouse” and “The Sun and Moon.” A highlight of the night was listening to the piano in “Driftwood: A Fairy Tale.” It was so crisp, clear and fitting for the song. As Tim Kasher sang the lyrics “liar, liar…” it seemed as thought the entire crowd sang it along with him. There really was a happy, cheerful vibe at the Glasshouse that night, and many lyrics were sung alound by the crowd.
Throughout their set, the members of Cursive generally maintained a calm demeanor. Tim Kasher would get a little wild here and there, as if something had suddenly been injected into him, but for the most part, he remained calm as well; but always played with emotion.
As the night came closer and closer to an end, Tim Kasher stopped to greet the crowd with: “How is everybody?” and then went on to thank them for being a part of the tour. Other songs played included: “The Martyr,” “I Couldn’t Love You” and “Twin Dragon/Hello, Skeleton.” After their last song, “From the Hips,” Tim Kasher declared they’d be back after a couple shots to play a few more songs.
Cursive played a rather lengthy encore, at four songs: Dorothy at Forty,” “Sink to the Beat,” “Art is Hard” and “Eulogy for No Name.” The crowd’s need for Cursive had been satiated, but it was apparent they would’ve stuck around longer.
Cursive played a diverse set that night at the Glasshouse, and that seemed to please concertgoers to the utmost. Older tracks, of course, seemed more favored than new ones. Regardless of old are new, it is always a pleasure to see such an eclectic band play a show. Be on the look out for their live DVD, whenever and wherever it may be available.