Robert Smith reveals the surprising reason why David Bowie inspired The Cure’s hour-long shows

The rocker also explains why he resists Ticketmaster’s price hike: “It’s a good vibe that’s self-fulfilling”

Robert Smith is far from the first musician to take a stand against Ticketmaster, but his desire to advocate for concertgoers dates back to 1978.

In a rare interview with The TimesThe Cure frontman recalled a disappointing experience watching his future friend David Bowie perform at London’s Earls Court in 1978 when Smith was just 19. The concert lasted only 42 minutes, and left the Gothic pioneer furious. At the time of the show, The Cure had just released their debut album, Three imaginary boysjust a month before.

“I’d hate to not be able to justify myself to that 19-year-old,” Smith said, promising to give fans a much longer show if he ever gets the same platform as Bowie. The goth pioneer kept his promise and The Cure became famous for their hour-long shows, the longest of which was a 50-song, four-hour concert in Mexico City for Smith’s 54th birthday on 21 April 2013.

Related: The Cure’s Hilarious Red Carpet Interview’s Robert Smith Is A Social Media Hit

Smith, 65, also believes concert tickets should be more accessible to consumers. For The Cure’s 2023 Shows of a Lost World tour, Smith announced that the band would not participate in Ticketmaster’s dynamic pricing, which alters the price based on demand. To combat scalpers, tickets could not be resold for more than face value. More than 7,000 tickets were canceled due to suspected rigging, and fans subjected to additional service fees received partial refunds from Ticketmaster as requested by Smith.

“I was surprised at how much profit is made,” Smith said of the concert ticket industry. “I thought, ‘We don’t have to make all this money.’ My fights with the label have been about how we can do a lower price.”

Smith goes on to explain his rationale for lower ticket prices, which he believes will make concertgoers happier, spend more money, and come back. “If people save on tickets, they buy beer or merchandise. There is good will, they will come back next time,” he explained. “It’s a good atmosphere that is self-fulfilling and I don’t understand why more people don’t do it.”

Related: Ticketmaster and Live Nation promise to show advance ticket prices in meeting with President Biden

The “Boys Don’t Cry” singer also had words for artists who engage in dynamic pricing and high service fees: “It was easy to set ticket prices, but you have to be pig-headed. We didn’t allow the dynamic pricing because it’s a scam that would go away if all the artists said, ‘I don’t want this!’ But most artists hide behind the “Oh, we didn’t know” management, they say.

In 2023, President Joe Biden called “junk fees” that drive up ticket prices. Ticketmaster, owned by Live Nation, pledged to be more transparent in its pricing by showing the full price with included fees when browsing the site.

In May 2024, the Department of Justice sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster for their “monopolistic control” of the concert industry. “The result is that fans pay more fees, artists have fewer opportunities to play concerts, smaller promoters are shut out, and venues have fewer real options for ticketing services. It’s time to break up Live Nation.” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.

The Cure will release their first album in 16 years. Songs of a Lost World, on November 1.

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Read the original article on People.