Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Barclays Center, Brooklyn

Nick Cave

Born and raised in rural Victoria, Australia, Nick Cave in 1970 moved with his family to a Melbourne suburb, where in 1973 he and several schoolmates founded a cover band with Cave as singer. In 1977, after leaving school, the band adopted the name The Boys Next Door, began playing original material, and became among the leaders of Melbourne's post-punk scene. The band changed its name to The Birthday Party in 1980 and relocated to London, England, then in 1982 to West Berlin, Germany, before splitting in 1983. Cave then formed Nick Cave and the Caveman, which in 1984 became Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The Bad Seeds presently consists of  violinist/multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, guitarist George Vjestica, keyboardist Toby Dammit, bassist Martyn P. Casey, drummer Thomas Wydler, and percussionist Jim Sclavunos. The band's 16th and most recent studio album is 2016's Skeleton Tree; a live EP, Distant Sky – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Live In Copenhagen, was released on September 28, 2018. Cave now resides in Los Angeles, California.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' debut tour of North American arenas consisted of only four dates, including tonight's performance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. If this was a test run to see if he could graduate from theaters to arenas, Cave and company passed the test easily. For two and half hours, the dark poet with lyrical obsessions with death, religion, love and violence crooned his sometimes droll but always passionate baritone into mystery and intrigue, as his band ably enhanced his shouts and whispers. Cave periodically sat at a piano, but more often he was pacing along a narrow platform along the edge of the audience; during "The Weeping Song," he even sang from a comparably low and small platform in the audience. His bond with the audience similarly was displayed when late in the set he invited dozens of fans onto the stage, and during the encores when he improvised a set change to perform an audience request for "The Mercy Seat." This reviewer respectfully offers a couple of suggestions as Cave transitions from cult following to the mainstream. Firstly, balance playing not only to the disciples in front but equally to the fans at a distance. Secondly, modulate the pace of the set; tonight's set consisted of almost all slow songs, and arena audiences often come to rock.

Visit Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at www.nickcave.com.

Setlist:

1. Jesus Alone
2. Magneto
3. Higgs Boson Blues
4. Do You Love Me?
5. From Her to Eternity
6. Loverman
7. Red Right Hand
8. The Ship Song
9. Into My Arms
10. Shoot Me Down
11. Girl in Amber
12. Tupelo
13. Jubilee Street
14. The Weeping Song
15. Stagger Lee
16. Push the Sky Away

Encore:

1. City of Refuge
2. The Mercy Seat
3. Rings of Saturn