This is exciting. I'm seeing him next week. (And My Bloody Valentine tomorrow. Side topic, I've been worried that I'm only excited to see shows by groups that mattered when I was young, like, "Oh, goodie, Wire is coming!" For some reason, I cannot work up a sweat about the new wave of faux psychedelic beardos controlling the music scene recently.)

Anyway, when I went online to look up tickets to the Bad Seeds show, the local paper headlined a blurb about it that read, "Hell freezes over. Nick Cave plays Montreal." But I've seen Nick Cave play Montreal, I murmured as I thoughtfully munched a prune. I think that means that I'm disgracefully old, too.

Sent by Terry | 11:06 AM ET | 09-24-2008

In an Esquire interview about Grinderman, Nick Cave commented on the death of the rock star:

"The more information you have, the more human our heroes become and consequently the less mysterious and godlike. They need to be godlike. It's something to lift us out of the commonplace and the mundane. And in the information age, they're becoming less and less godlike. Everyone is able to make music these days. Everyone can take a crack at it. To me, that equality has diluted the power of the rock star. The rock star is dying. And it's a small tragedy. Rock stars have blogs now. I have no use for that kind of rock star."

The guy is from a different era... and he gets it.

Sent by Kevin in Dallas | 11:25 AM ET | 09-24-2008

really excited to see this show in philadelphia in a few weeks. nice review.

Sent by Joe | 11:48 AM ET | 09-24-2008

if you can, go see sigur ros in portland next month. they were amazing live when i saw them a few years ago. i visited portland for the first time last month and i'm bummed i didn't delay my trip a month to see them again.

Sent by jaime safianow | 12:37 PM ET | 09-24-2008

Bah! BAH! The jealousy I feel right now is just about indescribable!

I only recently began listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, mostly out of curiosity and chance. During a discussion over beers about music, friend of mine whose knowledge on the subject dwarfs my own shared with me that in her opinion, Leonard Cohen was the greatest rock lyricist who's ever lived (agreed), with Tom Waits being a close second (never really did it for me). I asked her, "Well, is there anyone else that is that good?" "Yeah, a guy from Australia named Nick Cave." She went on: "His fans are super protective of him. If you don't know every single album and every single word he's written, every facet of his life, they get indignant about it."

I'm not too sure if that last part is true, but if Carrie's experience is even remotely accurate, one can see why. I personally think his new album, "Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!!" is the best thing I've heard all year, perhaps in years. It's dark, but funny and wise, sort of a rambling account of seedy lives and bohemian energy seen through a lens of schadenfreude. And I'm just getting started in listening to his stuff. Here's hoping he stops somewhere in the Midwest that isn't too difficult for me to travel to!

Sent by Ryan | 12:55 PM ET | 09-24-2008

i live for these moments!

Sent by sarah | 1:07 PM ET | 09-24-2008

I'd love to see Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but will just have to keep listening to and watching the "Abattoir Blues" live CD and DVD set from a couple of years ago----an incredible document of Mr Cave's incendiary live show---go buy it.

Sent by Willvis | 1:49 PM ET | 09-24-2008

Me. Jealous. I hate it when I'm looking the other way.

Sent by Jeff Selis | 2:32 PM ET | 09-24-2008

Yep, I was at your show...the first time I saw Nick live. The most energetic live performance I've ever seen. Nick f'ing killed it. 'Nuff said.

Sent by Todd Mintz | 7:07 PM ET | 09-24-2008

i'm so jealous! i really wanted to go to that show, but it was sold out before i could afford it... in june!

Sent by aaron | 7:28 PM ET | 09-24-2008

you pretty much described how I felt at my first Sleater-Kinney show...
but I guess I was already a growing fan at that point... but the opening riff to the Fox floored me for sure...

Sent by Kramer | 7:41 PM ET | 09-24-2008

Nick Cave has always been one of those musicians I've always wanted to buy but just never got around to it. So the next album I buy will be a Nick Cave album! He's plays live in Wings of Desire (beautiful movie), and I believe there is also PJ Harvey connection but I'm too tired to remember or Google it.

Sent by Michael | 10:53 PM ET | 09-24-2008

Killin!

I like all the British music references in your review; The Fall, Wire, Slade, Moody Blues? etc etc. But no Waits comparison, ok.
With a double-drum attack the Crystal Ballroom must have been like a trampoline.

Sent by Markie Smith | 12:17 AM ET | 09-25-2008

Carrie--given that reaction, I have no choice but to recommend an exceptional band from Tacoma called Helms Alee. They are as influenced by the guitars of Unwound and S-K as they are by the cadence of the Fall, the build of the Feelies, and the resolution of SY. Please check them out...the sort of band that both Sara Lund and Guy Piccatto would agree upon...

Sent by Hannah Levin | 2:19 AM ET | 09-25-2008

I saw Cave in San Francisco last Saturday and, as a casual fan, basically had the same reaction. One of the best concerts I've ever seen.

The thing that's really amazing about Cave is how forceful he is in maintaining his vitality/relevance. A few months before the gig, I bought the Abattoir Blues Tour DVD, which is very piano and gospel-oriented (the women he brought in for choiral background vocals, the extensive use of Ellis on violin, lots of ballads, etc.). Given that tour was only a couple years ago, the same band lineup, and in support of the last Bad Seeds album prior to Lazarus, I didn't expect such a dramatic departure in sound last Saturday.

I mean, Cave was on electric guitar most of the night, and so was Ellis, who played violin on (I can't remember the setlist) maybe 5 songs. And they played pretty much all of the new album, doing the bare minimum of obligatory greatest hits.

And the thing about it is that it totally worked. The new songs are hard-edged, punk, lyrically top-notch, and have a whole extra dimension on stage. We Call Upon The Author was a song that kind of annoyed me on the album, a little bit too cleanly produced and mechanical, but on stage it just knocks you on your ass, the intimidating conviction of a tent revival.

It's pretty amazing that the guy's putting on such a freakishly energetic live show and putting out such solid albums when most singer-songwriters are on autopilot at this stage in their careers. Shane MacGowan hasn't even tried to make an album since the early '90s. A good Bob Dylan concert is one where he doesn't fall asleep on stage and maybe tries to sing a song in its original key. Cave sets the bar really damn high by putting on a concert that rocks so hard, and it shows a genuine love for his craft.

That said, my most lasting visual of the night was just how committed Warren Ellis is to looking scary as hell. A beard like that takes dedication. Damn.

Sent by Kaleb H. | 4:01 AM ET | 09-25-2008

Thanks for this great piece. About twenty years ago I saw NC & Bad Seeds perform in a tiny place and it was just as you describe. Nice to know that all these years later he/they can still deliver an experience like that.

Sent by 'trix | 9:02 AM ET | 09-25-2008

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Sent by sheltonsmith | 12:16 PM ET | 09-25-2008

hell yes! I saw them for the second time at the warfield in SF on 9/19. I've been a fan for about a decade, totally lovin' on the nick cave in every form, but the first time I saw them play live I was blown completely away. the man is like a gaunt, goth james brown with his moves, energy, and command of the band. but with a better sense of humor. okay, that was probably a stupid analogy. a better one that I came up with when I was explaining the band/ show to my mom: "like a live music version of the movie 'there will be blood.'"

SO good!

Sent by j | 3:42 PM ET | 09-26-2008

This what makes me go to shows of bands I've never listened to before. Or even if I have listened to them and maybe not liked them, I will still go sometimes. That was the case with The Shondes who played here in Lexington, KY recently. I listed to their CD and didn't hear anything special. But live? They are awesome. I love having those moments where you are completely dismantled by the live sound.

Also, happy early birthday!

Sent by Jaime | 3:55 PM ET | 09-26-2008

Wow! Great review!
When SK played the 9:30 club in DC a few years back they had Dead Meadow opening up for them. I had never seen Dead Meadow before and had no idea what I was in for. They played for about one hour in a heavy, dark, haze. You could only really see their silhouettes. I could feel my brain sizzling and by the end of their set I wanted to fucking set
myself on fire. My mind was completely blown and SK hadn't even taken the stage yet.
Sk's set was amazing of course and I walked around in a daze for the next two days. I think that part of it was that Dead Meadow was completely unexpected and that sort of discovery doesn't come along every day. I already knew that SK ruled and I guess It makes sense to have a kick ass opening act. But Carrie, the whole point of an opening act is to warm up the crowd not destroy them. Just kidding. This was one of my favorite shows ever.

Sent by ryan | 7:04 PM ET | 09-26-2008

wow

Sent by Marissa | 3:30 AM ET | 09-27-2008

Carrie, you are a brilliant writer. I love you and your blog!

Sent by Amanda | 7:58 AM ET | 09-27-2008

Carrie,
great review of Nick Cave. And it was his birthday? That reminded me of Cave's first band, Birthday Party, from Austrailia. They were a very powerful band worth a listen, with Nick Cave as a powerful lead singer and front man. They combined primative punk rock power with obscure references to Greek Tragedy. Strophe! Strophe! Strophe! Antistrophe! Antistrophe! Antistrophe!
Both in the moment, ahead of their time, and would still sound fresh and vital today.
I wish Nick Cave would come to Bakersfield.

Sent by Cr@$#!!!!! | 11:37 AM ET | 09-27-2008

Did you see the opening act? Good Lord that was something to witness as well.

Sent by Gene | 12:41 AM ET | 09-28-2008

By pure chance, my husband and I ended up at that show, so
1. Thanks to my sister, who had a flight so early Tuesday morning that we had to drive up to Portland on Monday & spend the night.
2. Thanks to Skyline Drive for offering such a view of Portland that we chose to drive into town via Burnside.
3. Thanks to me for seeing Nick Cave's name on the marquee as we drove by.
4. Thanks to our waitress at Ringler's Annex for saying "you know, I heard they were going to sell a few more tickets at the door tonight" despite the fact that it had apparently been sold out for months.

All of these stars aligned to help us accomplish a longstanding life goal - to see Nick Cave live. Despite the fact that we were on our way to PDX just four short hours after the encore ended (and we couldn't hear a damn thing), I'd do it again. How did we get so lucky?

Oh, and it shouldn't go without saying:
5. Thank you to Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds for being amazing, energetic, gracious, entertaining, and completely worth it.

Sent by rs | 12:50 AM ET | 09-28-2008

It's never too late to discover Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. When someone is that prolific it's NEVER too late. I've seen NCATBS three times in the past 15 years. Each experience was different but all of them shared intensity, guts and the unwillingness to compromise. As I type this -- I'm staring at my hardcover copy of NC's "And the Ass saw the Angel".

Sent by Mike | 8:30 PM ET | 09-28-2008

This post made me very depressed. I had plans to go see Nick play in Chicago tonight and tomorrow. Then my car broke down and I had to cancel my plans. I love Nick Cave and am very sad I have to miss him.

I did get to see Grinderman perform at Madison Square Garden last year. That was amazing.

Sent by Josh | 11:01 PM ET | 09-28-2008

I love when somebody gets hit by something the same way that I do

lyrically nobody tells a story the way that Nick Cave does

nobody can combine the likes of bauhaus and the ghost and mr chicken and pull it off either

songs like the carny and red right hand, the mercy seat, are you the one that I've been waiting for

the balance of power and delicacy, the dark and the light

I don't know why I'm so glad that you enjoyed it the way that you did, I'm certainly not responsible, maybe it's the thought of somebody riding the same wave that you're on that gets you excited

blend, balance, and a slewfoot in the end

thanks for that writeup

Sent by sharon | 1:10 AM ET | 09-30-2008

Finally got to see him @ Hollywood Bowl, for the first moments i just stood there w/mouth open, then i started laughing...even though i know the songs intimately, the sheer force of sound & presence was overwhelming.
What flashed through my mind was a non.musical thought, interestingly enough, the scene from 'Pulp Fiction', where Sam Jackson 'retrieves' his wallet from Tim Roth, and the immortal line, " it's the one that says b.a.m.f.
One man so devestatingly in command of his medium...and the band totally held their own.
(ps way looking forward to seeing my bloody valentine this week...finally)

Sent by waj | 1:51 PM ET | 09-30-2008

I was front row center...eight hours in line paid off. WOOHOO!

Sent by yobadself.livejournal.com | 2:00 PM ET | 09-30-2008

I am flying to Baltimore in two days to see Nick and the Bad Seeds in DC over the weekend. I saw him in DC about six years ago and he is the most masterful mix of rock, vaudeville and messiah. His concert is like church, it's like theatre and it's like nothing else.

Sent by Rosemary | 6:21 PM ET | 09-30-2008

The great thing about Nick Cave & the Seeds is that they can take you to this place that's unraveling. That one craves but fears creating in their everyday life. But in the comfort of your own home you can put on Nick Cave and unravel, penetrate into a place that for most people is too intense to navigate through in everyday life. It's dark, gritty, wild, sensuous, and primal. But anyone who is a fan of Nick Cave to some degree wants that experience in his or her everyday life, even if it's just a couple hours. So we or I guess more appropriately I jumped at the chance to see him live. And seeing him live along side Warren Ellis sure did knock me down and shattered my composure. Good thing he only comes around once every five years because I could easily become an addict unable to crave anything more than Cave love ballads and the Seeds life thrusting sound.

Sent by Snake | 1:39 AM ET | 10-01-2008

I'd been excited about seeing Nick Cave with Cat Power and Spiritualized at the Hollywood Bowl. The sound there is tricky, so I am always worried about how the bands will come across. Cat Power couldn't handle the venue. Spiritualized had there moments. Nick Cave blew the roof off... well, if there'd been a roof. The last time I saw Cave with about 18 years ago in Somerville, Mass. Then show was powerful and Cave was intensely unnerving. Shuttle 18 years into the future and there is a band with the same intensity, but with incredible command of the music. It was like hot magma was showered on the audience for an hour... and survived. A number of the songs from the last three records (which I'd thought were a step behind their older brethren like "Murder Ballads" and "The Boatman's Call") came alive to the point that it felt like I was hearing them for the first time. So many bands can sound more and more technical as the decades pass: a combination of repeatedly performing the same songs and becomes much more talented musicians. Not in this abode. I kneel before the Bad Seeds. The comparison to S-K is relevant. Even though S-K's music was more direct and raw, their ability to deliver that magma, a feat so scarce in our age) puts them on the same exalted sphere of rock god-dom.

Sent by sean Meredith | 11:43 AM ET | 10-03-2008

I'm going to see him on Monday. I don't know what "mustache on a wire" means but I'm sure I'll find out. In all honesty, I'm a little freaked out by the visual.

Sent by EC Terry | 8:37 AM ET | 10-04-2008

I saw NC in Denver last week. Never have seen him before. Truly was one of the most intense and powerful concerts I have seen in my 40 years of concert-going. Bring your earplugs - I was one of the few... a memorable sonic assault!

Sent by PMW | 4:33 PM ET | 10-05-2008

I saw NC on the first night of this tour in San Diego, it was amazing! I've been a fan for decades, and saw him for the first time in LA on the Kicking Against the Pricks tour. I thought that was amazing. He gets better and better, and I become more and more obsessed!

Sent by JJ | 5:22 PM ET | 10-06-2008