Nick Cave's endless energy

 

Torrential rain poured across Columbus, but Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds beckoned. I was back with my concert buddies Mike and Ron, just 13 months after Guided by Voices. These days, that’s no time at all. 

The 99-year-old Palace Theatre offered a great venue, a historic theater with intimate seating. Mike scored seats just eight rows from the stage; we would be close to Cave. 

How it would get, we had no idea. We didn’t know how fluid the boundary between stage and crowd would become once Cave got into his groove. Cave leaned on songs from Wild God, his 2024 album. 

He also leaned heavily on the crowd, bounding down among the aisles and seats with surprising regularity for a 67-year-old. But Cave showed no ill effects. I even wondered if he practiced before the show, since he navigated walking across the chairs with relative ease. 

Not that anyone in the crowd would let him fall. He had us captivated from the first note. Every hand he touched and seat he crossed just elevated the concert further. A chorus of five gospel singers fleshed out the Bad Seeds and boosted every song they joined, especially the “Bring your spirit down” chant through the crescendo of Wild God. That this new album was the focus was no accident – it’s a less somber affair than its predecessor, Ghosteen, written following the accidental death of Cave’s teenage son Arthus in 2015. It’s still gothic and filled with heavy themes, but it wouldn’t be a Nick Cave record without those touches. 

 As a reminder of how deep Cave’s discography goes, no album aside from Wild God earned more than a single track in this 150-minute set. Wild God made a major statement with eight songs that prove Cave’s lyrical prowess remains razor sharp.  

The older tracks were all essential Cave – there was no way for him to skip Tupelo, his percussive ode to a tornado that struck Elvis Presley’s hometown, and Mercy Seat, told from the perspective of a death row inmate awaiting his electric chair appointment who pleads his innocence.  

The clanging percussion of Red Right Hand was a welcome return to the first Cave track that hooked me. It was easy to jump from Tom Waits to Nick Cave at that point. While they have similarities, Cave has the more approachable voice and the minister's flair. 

He introduced the Bad Seeds, including bass player Colin Greenwood, longtime Radiohead member and brother of Johnny Greenwood. Later in the encore, Cave garnered a laugh from the crowd when growling, “Colin … fucking Radiohead."

He also needled longtime collaborator Warren Ellis about his health, warning the crowd they could see him die onstage. Fortunately, the multi-instrumental remained pivotal with his violin parts and Cave’s diagnosis didn’t come to pass. Ellis was sedate till his violin parts arrived, then he easily matched Cave’s energy.

Alone for Into My Arms

For all the energy, he could only end the show in one way. His band and backup singers left the stage, and Cave took to the piano for a wonderfully poignant run through Into Your Arms. 

It was quite a contrast from the scene earlier. The man who ran through the crowd, grabbed hands and heads like a baptizing minister, and screamed with abandon ushered himself off with a show of grace 

But the hinged on an extended take of Wild God track Conversion. The show was closest to a religious revival at this point, with Cave screaming “You’re beautiful” as he wound through the crowd. 

With every person he touched (he went a few rows in front of us and a few behind), this night at the Palace Theatre evolved from great show to an unforgettable one. 

Behind our seats.

Grabbing hands and winning fans.