My review of last nights Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds show (as if youve been holding your breath)? Lets start with the venue, the Hammerstein Ballroom. Why were the upper two balcony levels unsold? Were they structurally unsound? It certainly wasnt due to the drawing power of the band. They couldve easily filled those seats. The PA? It crapped out halfway through Tupelo. The monitors kept working, so you could hear Nick say, I guess well come back when its fixed... Luckily, they got it fixed quickly and the band resumed right where they left off. The band? They know this stuff backwards and forwards and still imbued it with tension, drama and theatrics. My one complaint concerns Warren Ellis (who has affected a definite Rasputin mien). Whatever demon distortion device he was utilizing could probably split the atom. Every time he kicked that bastard on, whether via violin or his signature Eastwood tenor guitar, the upper frequencies and volume swamped the rest of the band. In that moment thered be Warren and vocals and not much else. Yes, he used it strategically - but every time I saw him lift his foot to bring it down on that switch I instantly shoved my forefingers in my ears. The upper frequencies he was generating were hazardous to my (ear) health. Yes, I looked like an If its too loud, youre too old wanker but I need my hearing to do my job. As for the man himself: Nick Cave is operating at a level few achieve. Hes utterly magnetic: your eyes are always on him. Hes mastered the art of the minute movement. He crooks a pinky and it means more than some other performer doing backflips. He works the crowd relentlessly, stalking the apron of the stage, seeking communion again and again. But he is utterly in control. When some audience members tried to get him to crowd surf he shook his finger No, looking not unlike the gremlin in the John Lithgow Terror at 20,000 Feet Twilight Zone movie installment. Then he beckoned those same audience members to him. You want to be near me? You want to feel my heart beating? Then you come to me. I do not go to you. It was a power move but then all of his stage moves are, whether its the casual slip downstage to the piano, dropping his main mic on the floor as he goes, or grabbing an audience members hand for support so he can lean out over the edge of the stage. He locked eyes with every member of the audience he could see. He understands the significance of that moment - He saw me! He looked me right in the eyes! - and didnt withhold. Go see Nick live if you can. If not, go see 20,000 Days On Earth, the documentary about his work. My one regret about last nights show? I wouldve loved to see him outdoors the night before in Prospect Park. But I dont know if I couldve put up with some of the more adamant fans, the ones who get all messed up and make utter assholes of themselves by annoying the living shit out of you. Dont get me wrong, Ive been an acolyte of Nicks since the Birthday Party - but the uber fan of anyone - and Springsteen fans are especially singled out here - have this need to let you know that THEY know. They know all the words to all the songs. They know when so-and-so is going to take their moment in the spotlight. They stand behind you, talking loudly to their concertmates about the interview they just read and the rare bootleg they just bought. They need YOU to know that they care more deeply than you. That they are all up in that bands ass. Meanwhile, Ive met Nick Cave, I shook his hand, I interviewed him on the radio and he signed my copy of Bunny Munro. I win. So please shut the hell up and let me enjoy the show.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 14:26:54 +0000
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