While several thousand got to experience The Cure [ tickets ] in person, countless other fans around the globe were treated to an uninterrupted hi-def broadcast of the show on FUSE, which started at 11pm EST, just about the time the band hit stride inside the Garden.

The MSG show opened with a long, slow intro to "Underneath The Stars" as Smith, bass player Simon Gallup, drummer Jason Cooper and guitarist Porl Thompson got all the dials and levels screwed down tight. A few songs later, the band stretched out with a lovely and melodic take on "The End of the World," leading into the first well-received hit of the night, "Lovesong."

Smith's vocals on "To Wish Impossible Things," were more breathy and whispered in contrast to the more prevalent wailing tenor he typically brings.

For the sitar-like leads on "Pictures of You," Thompson, who commanded attention in shiny leather pants, six-inch heels and scary harlequin makeup, donned an electric 12-string. As flashing strobe lights popped around the stage, he dished out long, languid leads intercut with the song's infectious guitar hook, eliciting the first real roar from the crowd.

Thompson shined over and over again, with a rocking power chord intro to "Fascination Street," and then counterbalancing Smith's jangling acoustic guitar with fierce, punctuating leads during "From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea." "Hot, Hot, Hot" was a fun and funky departure from the darker and more droning melodies in the first half of the show, with the lighthearted "Friday I'm in Love" providing similar relief a bit later on.

Throughout the night, Cooper held down the beat with effortless ease, cued on most occasions by Smith, who addressed the crowd only twice during the show. During one quick break, Smith lamented how he amused his fellow bandmates but faces criticism over not being understood when he talked, spewing gibberish before reminding the audience that he indeed speaks perfectly clearly--maybe it's just the accent.

This cued the prowling Gallup into the rockingest song of the night, "Baby Rag Dog Book," a driving jam that spiked the crowd into a bopping frenzy before The Cure left the stage. A few minutes later, the band re-emerged for the first of three extended encores that featured "The Kiss," new single "Freakshow," "Boys Don't Cry," and finally wrapping things all up well after midnight with "Grinding Halt" and "Killing an Arab."

In recent years, Smith has publicly rejected the idea that The Cure is one of the early pioneers of Goth, even though much of the material showcased at the MSG show fit that category with throbbing two- and three-chord construction. And, while some may argue that his voice is unnerving and, as one critic put it, "yelpy," Smith brings both lyrical and melodic elements to virtually every song with his unique and unmistakable inflections.

Despite getting a bit long in the tooth, The Cure still puts on a great show that should be the envy of acts half their age who start getting winded after an hour on stage.