That’s how it was with NICK CAVE
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
October 08, 2024, Barclays Arena
It is fair to say that veteran Nick Cave is one of the most influential artists of our time. Since 1983, he has been delighting fans and critics alike with his highly unique and unmistakable sound, somewhere between rock, punk, alternative and gothic. A little blues, early Roxy Music/Brain Ferry, a later Johnny Cash, a pinch of gospel and a whole lot of songwriting. His music and style are inimitable, but always full of emotional intensity and a lyrical obsession with the themes of love, faith and death. This special mixture, performed with his deep voice, the profound poetry of his lyrics and the power of his words make him so unique and indispensable in today’s musical landscape.
With The Bad Seeds, he can now look back on 18 studio albums and four live albums. In addition, there are two solo albums and, together with his long-time friend and band colleague Warren Ellis, 17 film compositions. So the repertoire is huge. And since the last tour was seven years ago, a new one was eagerly awaited. In 2024, the time has finally come again: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are touring all over Europe. A total of 17 countries can look forward to seeing them. Including Germany with concerts in Oberhausen, Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. His latest album “Wild God”, which reached chart positions in the top 5 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England and many other countries, will be in his luggage. The album is also the namesake of this year’s tour. – We were there in Hamburg!
At around 20:30, the time had finally come: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds took to the stage to fanatical applause. He was joined by multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis and a four-piece gospel choir, who showed off their impressive skills right after the first song “Frogs” with “Wild God” together with Nick Cave. So there he almost was, the “Wild God”. The show continued with “Songs of the Lake”. The three songs from the new album were followed by the first classics such as “O Children”, “Jubilee Street” and “From Her to Eternity”, followed in turn by two songs from the new album “Long Dark Night” – a heart-rending ballad typical of Nick Cave – and a dramatic-sounding “Cinnamon Horses”. This was followed by “Tupelo”, a classic from 1985, and then, as a kind of contrast, the bombastic “Conversion”. This was pure energy and passion and one of those songs that makes us swallow deeply after the last note. – So there it is, the “Wild God”. During the following and very moving ballads “Bright Horses”, “Joy” and “I Need You”, you could see a close-up of Nick Cave moved to tears on the screen. These were certainly the most emotional moments of the evening and you could feel the loss and grief suffered in these compositions. And quite a few in the audience felt visibly moved.
This was followed by alternating songs from the new album and many classics from what is now 41 successful years. Of course, one was not to be missed: “The Mercy Seat” was definitely one of the highlights and also one of the most haunting pieces. Nick Cave showed all his emotional power here, while the audience sang along to his angry lyrics. After two and a half hours including two encores, a bombastic and at the same time very emotional evening came to an end with Nick Cave as the preacher at the center of the action and thousands of hands reaching out to him. He accompanied his audience as if leading them from a pulpit on his journey through love, light, darkness and life. Always seeking his closeness, almost tangible love for the audience. He was more at the front on the catwalk directly in front of the audience than on stage, allowing himself to fall into and be supported by the roaring crowd, clasping hundreds of hands and creating a unique intensity and intimacy in an impressive way. For 150 minutes, he not only thrilled his fans in Hamburg, no, he overwhelmed them as “Wild God”!
Text & Photos: Thomas Friedel Fuhrmann
Setlist:
– “Frogs” – “Wild God” – “Songs of the Lake” – “O Children” – “Jubilee Street” – “From Her to Eternity” – “Long Dark Night” – “Cinnamon Horses” – “Tupelo” – “Conversion” – “Bright Horses” – “Joy” – “I Need You” – “Carnage” – “Final Rescue Attempt” – “Red Right Hand” – “The Mercy Seat” – “White Elephant” — “Palaces of Montezuma” – “O Wow O Wow” – “Weeping Song” —- “Into My Arms”
