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It’s been 13 years since Cave played in Atlanta in his Grinderman band, 21 years since visiting in his own name. Atlanta Symphony Hall sold out essentially immediately when the tickets went on sale, and kudos to Atlanta for recognizing the opportunity to see one of the most thoughtful and creative musicians that likely friends and neighbors have never heard of.
The Nick Cave experience is difficult to describe. “Gravitas” seems a worn out word. “Presence” can mean different things. “Impactful” requires context. Put them together, and they might describe a Nick Cave’s performance, but they still wouldn’t get at the uniqueness of his songs. He often writes with a board littered with photos, working images into his lyrics.
Those lyrics aren’t silly love songs. Love, spirituality, death and mortality, violence, isolation, desire, introspection, dark romanticism, redemption… most authors would be challenged to pull these and others into their careers. His songs are often beautiful, played tenderly, and as often, This is often a beautiful thing and sometimes obtuse.
And on the piano, it translates just as clearly as they might with his backing band, The Bad Seeds, and perhaps more so, because his voice and piano are more clearly heard above the (beloved) din of other instruments. Colin Greenwood, from Radiohead, accompanied many of the songs through the evening, but it’s influence was subtle. What was not subtle was the emotional intensity from Cave. From the soft and delicate to powerful and thundering crescendos, the piano and man were one in expressing each song.
Cave offered an almost indulgent number of songs during the two-hour show. At the end of the tremendous main set, one might expect another song or two for an encore. No. Try seven, each given the same careful introduction and pacing from the main set.
Some highlights.
“For we are not alone it seems
So many riders in the sky
The winds of longing in their sails
Searching for the other side”
“Pretty good, isn’t it?” he asked, followed by wide applause. “I thought so, too, and took the rest of the day off. “
Atlanta Symphony Hall was the perfect venue for this concert. Each piano note, Colin Greenwood’s accompanying bass (yes, from Radiohead), and each word spoken or sung were crystal clear in the venue. With five concerts to go in his 18-date solo tour, Cave’s voice and piano playing were in studio form, and I don’t know that tweaking a recording would have made it any better.
Setlist:
Encore:
One Response
I had the good fortune of being present in the third row for this incredible night. I’ve been a Nick Cave fan for nearly 30 years, and as a Floridian, the only reasonable choice was to hop on a flight, rent a room, and see this legend in what will likely be my one and only chance. He did not disappoint. He’s still legendary.