nickcaveandthebadseeds.com

kdk · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 7

i was up against the stage and had the best time of my life! a few people around me were barely moving or smiling the entire night, but to hell with them! The Man locked eyes with me and sang a whole verse during We Call Upon the Author. it was my first Bad Seeds concert and i truly hope not my last. Mr Cave is one of the most interactive performers i've had the pleasure of experiencing live. he was talking to all of us up front, too, which is a pleasure - moving from one side of the stage to the other, making eye contact, talking to us, improvising on song lyrics. i didn't care about the crowd behind me, all that WAS was happening before me Smile

also, watching Warren Ellis do his thing was fucking incredible. that man is a singular creature. watching the way Mr Cave looked at him, too, that was perfection - they were having a lot of fun, and the look in Cave's eyes was of humor and delight. i can see how inspired he is by Ellis.

Stephanie H. · Joined: 07 Oct 2008 Posts: 7 Location: Jersey City, NJ

Hi, I'm a new poster / member here but a (relatively) long-time Nick Cave fan (over a decade by now) who was in attendance at the NYC show. This is a re-worked review I posted to another music forum including some responses to questions / points in this thread. Hope you all enjoy.

I was right up front too, and had no idea that the crowd overall was a "bad" or nonresponsive one, because folks up front were enthusiastic and damn near crazy. A fight almost even broke out between some folks beside my friend and I because one was trying to push up closer to the stage and other people were not having any of that.

Nick Cave dedicated "Midnight Man" to "Matt" because before the song, this fellow Matt shouted, "God bless you, Nick!" which seemed to touch Mr. Cave, who returned the sentiment and asked the person who said that what his name was. In addition to saying that one requested song (thanks for letting us know it was "O'Malley's Bar," I was wondering about that) required too many brain cells to play, he responded to another request by saying, "That one's too gloomy," and then following that with a touch of his extremely dry wit: "So how about we play one about a man dying in the electric chair instead."

I have to say I find something tacky about yelling requests at a show like this, with a major artist and band who have worked out what songs they want to play far in advance. I feel that's something you do with a cover band playing at a bar, not Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It's like going to a five-star chef and ordering whatever you already eat and have developed a taste for instead of trusting his culinary judgement and letting him surprise you with his own vision. But as stated above, Nick seemed to take it pretty good-naturedly, while nonetheless ignoring most, if not all of the requests.

But if I'd yelled anything, it would have been "Brother, My Cup Is Empty." Of songs they've played this tour but didn't play in NYC, I would have enjoyed seeing "More News From Nowhere" and "I Let Love In." But I was very pleased with the setlist they played, and while I was hoping for a second encore, I don't know how they would have topped the ferocious version of "Stagger Lee" with which they ended the set. I don't even particularly enjoy the studio version of that track, but live it was transcendent and cathartic.

"God Is In the House" also carries over better live than on record, the theatrics and humor of the song more evident in its delivery. "We Call Upon the Author" may be my favorite song from Dig Lazarus Dig and it was one of the tighter songs of the set, but the best live performance of a song from the new album may have been "Moonland," which gains in depth and trancelike atmosphere in the live setting.

"Lyre of Orpheus" was another one that benefited from the live show dynamic, as we were invited to fill in the "Oh mama" parts of the chorus. An interesting woman next to my friend and I who was obviously a big Nick Cave fan (she seemed to know the lyrics better than Nick Cave did) and a bit of an exhibitionist, as well as the most gothed-out person I saw, with the black doll-like dress and pigtails, either intentionally or unintentionally sang the "Oh mama" part at the wrong moment several times, drawing a glare from Nick. It was hard to tell whether this look expressed amusement or disapproval. I found it entertaining either way.

I thought the sound was excellent, even up front where it usually tends to be more muddled than elsewhere in the venue. The dual drummers added sonic force and complexity to the sound, allowing for a lot of rhythmic flourishes. The rest of the band was tight and able to follow / improvise around Nick Cave's various ad-libs and whims. They created a massive wall of noise that was gripping, powerful, and immersive.

Warren Ellis is a force of nature. With his current facial hair configuration, he looks like someone the band could have picked up off the streets in NYC right before the show, dressed up real nice, and handed a guitar. That or a crazy pirate, or a character from a particularly grisly Grimm's fairy tale. The electric mandolin he played only added to his strange stage appearance. Yet it sounded incredible, as did everything else he played; he pushed himself and his instruments to the edge of what he and they could do, producing everything from beautiful violin melodies to strange rhythmic effects with instruments I'd never seen before.

As for Nick himself, it was a very different vibe with him this time than when the same friend and I saw him in L.A. in 2002. He's every bit as intense, but in a different way. His libido seems to have increased 1000%, and he seems to have shifted into a more extroverted, less tortured mode, projecting intense sexual energy / charisma as if he's been feeding his muse truck stop aphrodisiacs and pure testosterone. The look in his eyes is still haunted and driven, but also salacious. He seemed to be having a fucking great time up on stage. He was hilarious all night long. I especially liked seeing him strike an extremely ridiculous rock star pose (pelvis thrust out, both hands flashing peace signs), saying to us, "I will... never do that again," and then doing it again not that much later... Laughing

I overheard someone next to me say she'd seen Nick Cave eight times and had never seen him interact with the crowd as much as he did at this show. I experienced the distinct thrill & honor of having Mr. Cave hold my hand and sing to me for what felt like forever during "Red Right Hand." I guess I caught his attention with a cheer at the right moment and the rest just unfolded from there. I'm still high off of that. The man has charisma to spare. He's so intimidating, and yet I felt totally at ease at that moment of contact too. Anjelica Huston once described Leonard Cohen as "part wolf, part angel," and I think you could say the same of Mr. Cave. Seductive / predatory and compassionate / tender at the same time.

I wasn't the only one at the show who had a "Nick Cave moment"; he was extremely alert to the responses of the audience and engaged with several other audience members in similar ways, making eye contact, singing to them, grabbing people's hands. He bantered back and forth with audience members yelling out things to him, worked the crowd on the front rows, coming right to the edge of the stage, engaging in eye contact with that burning gaze of his and ad libbing lyrics to direct them to audience members. It was as if he wanted to give himself completely to his audience.

He sang and played as intensely as he ever has. He shouted, pleaded, and screamed. He knocked the mic stand down several times, seemed to almost fall into the audience at one point, jumped, kicked, flung himself around the stage. He played it loose and with a dry but potent sense of humor. He doesn't seem to take himself very seriously though he's obviously confident about his abilities. Even with crib notes for his own lyrics, he would forget lyrics at a few points and laugh. If he didn't feel like coming in "on time" for a particular verse, he wouldn't. He changed lyrics to reflect what was happening in the room.

There was not a dull moment the entire show. The band and Nick gave it their all, and were willing to play the edge a little bit, choosing spontaneity over sonic perfection, which I always find sounds more perfect than shows where everyone sticks to a script and no one fucks anything up. It's certainly a lot more fun. And who'd have thought a Nick Cave show would be this fun, this light-hearted and exuberant, while losing no intensity and depth in the process. Because the show was not just entertaining, but thought-provoking and transformative. Nick Cave showed that you don't have to sacrifice passion or the ability to look at / experience the dark side of life in order to be absolutely joyful and exuberant. You can have both, even at the same time. You can come from a place of psychological disorder and spiritual wisdom at the same time; you don't have to jettison your particular mess to transcend it. What a thing to take away from a rock show, a reminder of life's joyful potential that does not negate the validity or significance of its pain either.

I will never forget what it felt like to be looked in the eyes by Mr. Cave, there is something in that man that reminds me of why it is I've chosen a path of wrestling with God and suffering in the search of absolute experience over a safer, more banal path. Why it is one risks madness and destruction in order to strike at the very core of life. I can only anticipate with great optimism the ongoing fruits of Nick's own spiritual and artistic struggles as he continues to share them with the world.

I thought I detected a faint odor of musky cologne on my hand after the show, but perhaps it was just my imagination...

They're whispering his name through this disappearing land, but hidden in his coat is a red right hand... Twisted Evil

kdk · Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 7

oh man, stephanie, i just got to relive it! thanks for that!!! Smile

and yes, the distinct honor of eye-contact and being sung to? for REAL. i'm still all a'swoonin'!

great review, thanks!

vitalis02 · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 106 Location: France

Stephanie : thank you! You just caught the essence of this incredible experience. All the memories from the Paris show in June went back as I was reading your post. A vivid writing for an unforgettable show!
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theriverlethe · Joined: 30 Sep 2004 Posts: 7

Does anyone remember what word replaced "quietly" in the line, "If we all hold hands and very quietly shout?"

Vaughn · Joined: 08 Oct 2008 Posts: 2

The show was amazing! It was my first Bad Seed gig and I hope they get back soon! Stephanie, you summoned up the experience nicely! Thanks for that.

flattop2001 · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 3

jaysutton · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 94 Location: Dallas, TX

Special K · Joined: 02 Aug 2008 Posts: 481

flattop2001 · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 3

flattop2001 · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 3

costume · Joined: 13 Nov 2005 Posts: 83

thanks very much for the recording

almost a year later and I still daydream about stabbing the loudmouth that was behind me during the show...

phantasmagoria · Joined: 18 Feb 2003 Posts: 6

Thank you so much!

Ed from Moshachusetts · Joined: 08 Mar 2009 Posts: 913

Wow! Thanks... almost the same set I saw in Montreal!