Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

State Theatre, Sydney - 25th, 26th, 27th November 97

(this review was published in the Charles Sturt University student newspaper, Interpellator)

By Karl Mayerhofer

You probably know that Nick's latest, The Boatman's Call, is a bare, stripped back expression of his emotions and is a soul wrenching musical essay on relationships, but to hear it live is absolutely haunting. These three shows were not just Nick going through the motions of the show. His heart was in every song he sang. Three days before the first Sydney show, Nick received news of the death of his best friend, Michael Hutchence, and these shows appeared to be Nick's way of dealing with his pain.

The first night started with Far From Me with Nick standing stock still in front of the microphone before pulling it from its stand to sing Lime Tree Arbour, a touching song about a dearly cherished lover. For most of the show, Mr Cave strolled up and down the front of the stage, reaching out to touch the hands of people in the crowd. He aimed for and achieved the deepest intimacy. When he sang People Ain't No Good, his voice pierced the hearts of everyone listening as tears ran down his cheeks. Raw emotion poured from his mouth and eyes.

The three nights featured songs from The Boatman's Call, as well as some carefully selected older songs such as The Carny (with new recruit, Warren Ellis, on the accordion), Red Right Hand, a new version of The Weeping Song and a special treat in the form of Stranger Than Kindness, written by Nick's former lover, Anita Lane, who is now a songstress in her own right. Most of the encores consisted of an intense, energetic rendition of The Mercy Seat, Where the Wild Roses Grow and every show ended with the most beautiful Ship Song. With the exception of The Mercy Seat, the cacophonous Bad Seeds numbers were omitted from the show.

For Where the Wild Roses Grow, Nick was accompanied on the first and third nights by his German guitarist, Blixa Bargeld, in the role of Eliza Day. As the song finishes, Nick and Blixa kiss. On the second night, Nick was accompanied by Kylie Minogue. The two, who were to farewell an old friend the following day, comforted each other throughout the song which ended as Kylie broke down , forced a smile and left the stage. The next song, ironically, was The Weeping Song. Kylie once again joined Nick as the two performed a new song, Still Your Face Came Shining Through, in which Nick sings the line, "I heard on the news, you're not much of a muse, but then I'm not much of a poet".

Nick retreated to the piano during some parts of the show to perform songs like Black Hair and Into My Arms with minimal accompaniment. Other highlights of the tour were the full-on performances of West Country Girl (about PJ Harvey), Nick dueting with himself on Henry Lee, a surprise performance of Your Funeral, My Trial on the final night and of course the Bad Seeds line-up - the best yet. Instrumentally, they are near perfect with Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld on guitars, Thomas Wydler on drums, Conway Savage at the organ, Jim Sclavunos (one time member of Sonic Youth) doing percussion, former Triffid Martyn P. Casey on bass and the Dirty Three's Warrne Ellis on violin.

The State Theatre was a perfect venue for the Bad Seeds with its ornate fittings and huge chandelier. Everything about the show was finely tuned and enacted with precision, the only hiccups being Nick stumbling over the words to Into My Arms, stopping to apologise and then continuing to enchant the audience. This happened on two occasions, but he apparently has been doing it the world over. Don't worry about it Nick.

To catch Nick Cave at a time when his emotions are flowing unchecked and his performances are driven by his present suffering, although one mustn't forget the sad and unfortunate cause of this state of mind, is an unforgettable experience. He was not however, totally morose. His sense of humour remained intact for the introductions to the songs and his responses to members of the audience. His finest hour. Thanks Nick.