sharplittleteeth

(I’ve been a bit slow in getting this up. Sorry.)

It was a great gig.

Not as magnificent as the 2002 Forum show. But a great gig.

I think that’s the problem with me reviewing Nick Cave concerts. The Forum show was so magnificent, no subsequent concert can ever quite measure up. Nick’s older now. Blixa has left the band. And no venue could be more appropriate than the Forum. Any Bad Seeds show now is going to suffer in comparison.

So, there is that.

But anyone who tells you Nick has lost it is talking bullshit.

He’s different these days. He’s not the wild howling beast of his youth. On Thursday night, he was more like a gospel singer – exultant, tender, driven not by fire but by soul. He was energetic and charismatic, dancing loose-limbed across the stage. And the Bad Seeds were their usual mix of nonchalance, passion, and really nice suits.

The opening songs – Abattoir Blues, Get Ready for Love, Red Right Hand, Deanna – were played fast and loud, but didn’t quite gel. In fact, it was the much-derided slow songs that really struck me. Easy Money was sublime. God is in the House was played for all its humour. O Children was epic, one of the highlights of the show.

The other was The Mercy Seat. It started out with a jangled acoustic guitar and built to a howl.

The only downside to the concert was the dickhead in the crowd near us who kept trying to take a swing at some other punters (including a skinny, dark haired kid who looked like he could have been Nick Cave’s son). The bouncers ended up dragging him out.

I don’t remember the exact setlist, but I do remember him playing these songs. I can’t vouch for the order:

Abattoir Blues
Get Ready for Love
Red Right Hand
Deanna
Hiding All Away
Breathless
Easy Money
Babe You Turn Me On
Do You Love Me [?]
There She Goes My Beautiful World
The Weeping Song
Mercy Seat
O Children

[A song off the B-sides and Rarities album]
God Is In The House
City of`Refuge

Lyre of Orpheus
The Ship Song
Stagger Lee