Nick Cave Greater Than Ever

[Guest]

Nick Cave puts on a show for All Time at the Hollywood Bowl. I couldn't believe what I saw as Nick is back at top form and put on a fantastic evening of soul-searching rock like no other rocker can. I had a great time and met many strange Nick Cave fans!! A lot of UK fans were there!!

Professionally written review and pics from concert follows:
Nick Cave is a different story, of course. Just watch his arms, the most expressive in rock. As he stomps the stage, skinny legs stuck beneath a sheath of torso, his arms gesticulate like he's got bats for hands, his stringy, combed-back hair dyed with sqiud ink, his classic 'stache a frown upside-down. Holy mother. Hands up, who wants to die?

[Guest]

was the first time I'd seen Cave in about eight years, and I figured he'd calmed down a little. But fuck, he was as desperate and freakishly frantic as he was in his Birthday Party days, when he raced across the stage with so much evil that you thought there'd be no way that electric human would make it past age 25. But here he was, an ex junkie who made it through his dark days not only intact but determined, an artiste, a novelist, a screenwriter (haven't seen The Proposition? Rent it now) and still one of the most potent preacherman storytellers on Earth.

[Guest]

Last night Cave drew from throughout his twenty-plus year solo career, picking songs from his most recent album with longtime backing band the Bad Seeds, Dig Lazarus Dig! to one from his early classic, The Firstborn is Dead. He played "Tupelo," joy of joys, his thrilling retelling of Elvis Presley's birth; He played "Red Right Hand," which he dedicated to Wes Craven, and the world was a deeper, darker place for the next five minutes. He played "The Mercy Seat" and wings nearly sprouted out of my back (rats in paradise! rats in paradise!) as he outlined his situation: "A hooked one in my food/All things either good or ungood/And the mercy seat is waiting/And I think my head is burning."

[Guest]

The perfect metaphor for Cave's astounding performance, one that beat evil to a pulp with the sheer force of his Bad Seeds, was when an audience member handed the singer a dozen red roses. Cave accepted them while the band raged, then turned around and started beating them on his leg, red petals flying all over the place, a gesture flipped, an offering denied.

[Guest]

It felt like danger. The crowd up front, though perfectly mannered, took on the patina of a mob waiting for some shit to go down. The lights turned red and so did we. Running short on time, Cave skipped the obligatory encore exit and kicked straight into "Hard on for Love." Cave, who dances like he's riding a horse, barely in control, spit into the microphone: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want" over and over, as if trying to convince himself of that truth.

But it was "We Call Upon the Author to Explain," which he played earlier in his set, that pretty much summed up this shitty week in the wake of writer David Foster Wallace's unfathomable death, a tragic train wreck and an economic collapse. Nick Cave captured the chaos and more. Introducing the song as "A song that contains with it all things," an outraged Cave tried to make sense:

Rosary clutched in his hand, he died with tubes up his nose
And a cabal of angels with finger cymbals chanted his name in code
We shook our fists at the punishing rain
And we call upon the author to explain

He said everything is messed up around here, everything is banal and jejune
There is a planetary conspiracy against the likes of you and me in this idiot constituency of the moon
Well, he knew exactly who to blame
And we call upon the author to explain

[Guest]

Again the reviews were professionally written and I agree with most of the shit I saw and heard Wednesday night. For all of you Nick Cave fans in the UK and the Irish contingent go see him again as he is spectacular and will put on a great show as in his Birthday Years!! Lots of new pics for your avatar young jimslim!!

[koykaeng]

Great stuff Aperry, sounds like it was an incredible show.

BTW, I watched an excellent "documentary" on televison in Melbourne last week, devoted to the making of the Murder Ballads album.

Was brilliant, with lots of interesting characters featured, including Kylie Minogue & P.J Harvey.

Cheers
Koykaeng

[Guest]

Aussie rockers live long and rock hard. Love Kylie also!!

[Guest]

I have known Nick Cave since his 1970's "Boys Next Door" era and I did his tour of Australia in 1985, with Screamin Jay Hawkins.He and Mick Harvey are great musical talents and songwriters.However when I heard that he had"turned to god" over the past years it only lessened my opinion of him, as god is the last refuge of the weak and confused.

[jimslim]

I seriously doubt he has turned to God Nigel , theres always been a pretty heavy biblical tone to his work but the majority of it is tongue in cheek, his lyrics are pretty clever .
He is also obsessed with murdering women in his songs and I don't think hes actually followed that one through , at least I hope not !

He got pissed off recently when someone interviewed him about his latest album and made reference to the heavy biblical references , they've always been there just maybe more so on "Dig Lazarus Dig "

Great thread this Aperry and some brilliant pics , his Dublin concert this year was one of the best gigs I've been to in years , up there with Neil Young at Malihide Castle just outside Dublin (I feel a thread coming on !)


The barkeep says "oh God he can't be dead "
"just count the holes in the motherfuckers head " says staggerlee .

A legend of our time

[Guest]

You are right on the money slim man!! I am quite sure that no one went to that concert to find god and I know I didn't. I did find a lot of drunken louts from the UK there!! The Stagger Lee song was my highlight as his interpretation and presentation of that song is unique......goddamit!!! What is he holding above his head in your pic jimslim? Is that Billy69's infamous cock ring?

[sev7en]

Cool stuff. Always liked him but never seen him live.
Thanks.

[Dieter]

He was on drugs??


Good I lile clean boys limke the stones....he is crap...


Dieter

[sev7en]

This boy has been taking evrything. Don´t know his current condition.

[jimslim]

(Dieter @ Sep. 21 2008,03:43) He was on drugs??

Yep , he once wrote some lyrics in his own blood after injecting the old hard stuff .

A married man and clean as a whistle nowdays , and still hasn't found God