musicSunday, June 28, 2026
The Cure's return to the stage after a year and a half is the biggest story today, with a notably festive set at Primavera Sound. Elsewhere, a musician's essay on treating music as a daily chore offers a practical counterpoint to romantic notions of inspiration, and a retrospective on Bryan Ferry's 1985 album finds new resonance in its polished surfaces.
Two live shows and a retrospective album review give the day a mix of present and past.
The Cure's Primavera Sound set is their first show in 18 months, and the review emphasizes a shift from their previous somber tone to a more festive one. That's the real news, a band known for gloom leaning into celebration.
The Bryan Ferry review argues that 'Boys and Girls' was ahead of its time in treating instrumental parts as spatial design. It's a fresh angle on an album often dismissed as mere yacht rock.
Zach Top closed out NEBRASKAland Days with Diamond Rio celebrating 35 years. A straightforward festival wrap-up, notable mostly for the scale, thousands attended.
A personal essay and a couple of catalog entries round out the day with reflections on how music gets made and revisited.
The essay's core argument, that treating music as a daily chore, not a mystical calling, leads to finished work, is a useful counter to the inspiration-worship that stalls many musicians.
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