Venue:
AO Arena – Manchester
Date: 05/11/2024
The poet laureate of grief returns to Manchester for the first time since September 2017 where the combined tragedies of the death of his son, Arthur, and the recent suicide bombing (May 2017) in which 22 people died made that night was one of shared sadness, loss and hope. Tonight was something very different.
‘We’ve all had too much sorrow / Now is the time for joy.’
And the rambunctious and rhapsody of Wild God is transferred via the superb musicians and singers of the current Bad Seeds lineup via the messianic wraith that is Nick Cave, rake thin, black hair shining, a preacher enrapturing and directing his followers who respond with arms outstretched, desperate to touch, to connect to someone who has transcended from mere rock legend to one of a spiritual sage or guru. This wasn’t just a concert, this was worship at the altar of Joy. Ably assisted by Warren Ellis, who conducts and drives the band to sublime heights with his candescent energy.
Opening with 3 tracks from Wild God, Frogs, Wild God and Song of the Lake, he then introduces a transcendent O Children, following with Jubilee Street which has become something a bigger beast live than the original album track. In fact it could have been a brilliant finale such was the power but we were only 30 mins to a 2 and half hour set. For Her to Eternity, Tupelo (dedicated to America on a febrile night for the country) were interspersed with more Wild God tracks, a tender solo of I Need You, Carnage and finishing with a thundering Right Red Hand. A quick turnaround into an encore of The Mercy Seat. The Weeping Song, the call and response with the crowd enveloping them into another realm of beauty and truth and finally and an incredible powerhouse version of White Elephant, again like Jubilee Street lifted from the excellent to the sublime.
The Bad Seeds leave the stage and Nick, a piano and the crowd combine to deliver a heart rending Into My Arms, a gentle full stop to a exultant night.
The audience:
Uplifted
It made me think..
The energy expended by Nick at 67 puts me at 10 years younger to shame.
I saw them in Leeds at the weekend. Epic, transcendent, a concert for the ages.
Look at him now…
I saw them in Glasgow on Sunday night, really enjoyed it. Nick is quite the performer and Warren Ellis is one cool dude.
A pal just laid a ticket on me for the Birmingham show, so I’m delighted to hear the gig is a belter. I last saw him with “The Birthday Party” in ?1982?, so will be shouting out for “Release the Bats”.
I wouldn’t if I were you.
The bats were released a long time ago. They flew away and did not return.
This is encouraging. As a veteran fan I have been increasingly disenamoured with the recent Ellis albums if I can call them that, the Red Hand files turning into an agony aunt series and the book Faith Hope and Carnage nearly suffocated me with its intellectualising earnestness. But, that said, some of my most exhilarating concert going experiences have been watching this band. The return of the Bad Seeds , well some of them, and this set list have me looking forward to an Oz tour.
Push The Sky Away and Abattoir Blues are my fave NC works. @deckards (and anyone else) is the new one in a similar style?
For me its more in the Abattoir Blues style.
Looks like a purchase then. Cheers.
Have you heard the soundtrack to The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford? Push The Sky Away is the only Cave album proper that I really got into and I thought the soundtrack was in that vein. Even uses one of the melodies from that album at one point, IIRC.
(Stupendously brilliant 5 star film, too)
Yes and loved the film too. There are so many soundtracks they have done its hard to keep up!
I was at this too @deckards & agree wholly with your review. A cracking gig & they did a superb job of making the arena have an atmosphere, something that a lot artists fail to do.
Jubilee Street & Tupelo were absolutely sublime & the new stuff sounded excellent too.
This has reminded me that I must buy the latest album as what I’ve heard has been excellent.
Can anyone enlighten me as to why Ian McNabb (and his followers) hate him so much? Something to do with pro-Israel statements, playing gigs in Israel?
Playing in Israel, but not pro-Israel by any means. He has politely argued his stance on the matter with Brian Eno, amongst others.
Thom Yorke has had to deal with that too
Had a first listen today. Great stuff. “Conversion” my immediate fave, I just love that female BV choir behind an impassioned vocal. Thanks for the heads up, starting this thread.