Live Gigs: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds in Perth @ Red Hill Auditorium 2013, Belvoir Amphitheater 2000 & Fremantle Passenger Terminal 1994

Well, I watched 20,000 Days On Earth last night while One More Time With Feeling played Venice film festival 2016. Another new clip from it has turn up too today, all about his face and being kind, it’s really nice. Reading some reviews for Venice, one the reviewer says he’s not even a fan and the movie would be interesting if only your “a Cave nut.” Yes, music fans are just like squirrels but what the hell are music critics and journos? I hope I’m never am one or sound like one of them here on my thingy at least, if I do can someone please slap me in the face with a dead fish, OK? It’s no wonder Nick Cave does want to talk to press and he shouldn’t again full stop. Andrew Dominik, the film directer seems to have better things to say but the press seem a little piss-off they don’t get to interview the man himself, Cave.

Anyway I don’t see it for a couple more nights so I can’t talk about at all so I was going to write something about 20,000 Days On Earth film but I think I’ll focus on when I’ve seen Nick live in concert for today’s post. So it’s my personal experiences seeing him on stage so I don’t know if anyone will care about this? I’m remembering it and writing it down here. We ain’t got any tour dates this year, is there going to be a tour? The new film is called One More Time With Feeling and The Bad Seeds performs/records the new album but is that going be it the one time only? I guess, packing up his suitcase and going tour might sound like a bad idea right now. I have notices The Bad Seeds members have got shows booked with their other band in the next three months Oct, Nov and Dec so I guess we will see if and when that happens?

So here’s Nick and Blixa sitting in the trailer waiting to do the scene from 20,000 Days On Earth. Watching it again I just wish that was longer anyway Bargeld saying that the last album he did with The Bad Seeds that the songs was fully formed and pretty much nothing for him to do on the Nocturama album and the management was hell at the time too. Also he just got married and couldn’t do two bands and keep the wife happy too. I’ve just got to re-tell how BB left NC, have heard this before? That album was the last one to ever to be recorded in Australia in early 2002 just after the Aussie No More Shall We Part tour. So Blixa turns up to the recording studio in Melbourne with a Pedal Steel guitar, maybe he knew already the tracks were already written and he just wanted to throw a cat in with birds. If you don’t know this but Nick hates and loathes Pedal Steels and never ever had them before and most likely after this never again too but Blixa insisting on playing it but he’s never played one not that matters, he can do things on guitar no one else can. After everyone goes home to their lives but before the next year and that album being released he’s left the band. Sending an email to break it off saying it’s over, he’s quitting the band or something. Cave himself just had to call up and asked if he was sure about it and Bargeld was. I know they never talk about it after so that why I guess that car scene is so great “No, no, no, no, no!”

 The Red Hill Auditorium gig was Cave’s last truly great show, he did his so called Solo gig since then but that wasn’t as good as this show. He was sitting down at this grand piano at that show, I guess he’s done a few more mellower shows over the years. Nick talks about this in 20,000 Days not every show is a great one. So this is my memory of the great ones, I would say now three have been that totally God like amazing gigs over the years but then two more that are remember for different reasons and the rest have been pretty great anyway. He’s never played a bad show really so I’m NOT say the rest are bad gigs! These are the shows for me like he’s talking about Nina Simone one in 20,000 Days.

This gig he was just so full-on, non-stop for almost all the show, he sat down to play love Love Letter and Into My Arms but that was it. They played a few of the really great tracks for the new album Push The Sky Away right at start too with No Who U R, Wide Lovely Eyes, Jubilee Street, Higgs Boson Blues and right at the end of the night they did the title track which was a very nice finishing touch. Touching, I got put my hand down his pants at this shows too! Just joking but it was pretty bloody close to it, in Jack The Ripper. I should say first I was on the fence that night and he dive in into the crowd right where I was standing and everyone when totally crazy. I did notices the fence so close to the stage that night when arriving to the show, just like a little step from the stage. He did keep putting his foot on the fence for a while just before, then both feet came over and all the hands from the crowd came over to touch him and he dive in screaming and shouting the words to Jack The Ripper,  It was totally unbelievable moment! He more climb in and hold some girls hand for almost all of Red Right Hand too. Also jump in again in the middle of of another song, I think it was Deanna but that was right down the other far end so I don’t remember as well. The Weeping Song with Mark Lanegan was just so fuckin’ great too, throwing a couple in from Your Funeral… My Trial album. The Bad Seeds that night was also joined by Ed Kuepper and Barry Adamson too which I’ve never seen happening before. Red Hill is 30 minutes out of Perth, up in the hills. Lanegan with acoustic guitar player was totally amazing as support band too. The Aussie tour was the first leg of the tour anywhere and Red Hill a few shows in.

The Bad Seeds do the tour for Australia after everywhere else. For a longtime you could make a bet that it was going to be around Christmas. All the 90’s shows was like that it was Nov./Dec. or Jan./Feb. but I think it was around mid-2000’s we got a April and March tour so that was cool because it was around my Birthday. The Bad Seeds I think did a few shows before the start of the tour it was like London, Paris, LA and New York or something and then it was Sydney. So maybe all jumping happens at early on the tour or something because I’m pretty sure he’s not done that before here, maybe he’s fucked by the time they get here. I’ve seen pretty much all of his show he’s played in Perth and here’s a little about those other two gigs.

The first one just after I turning 18 which was the Let Love In Tour @ Fremantle Passenger Terminal in 1994 which is right on the Freo docks. Which I also met the man himself at that one, I was obsessed with Henry’s Dream album and Let Love In album had just come out too. I turn up at the gig for the soundcheck which I did alot back then and did meet alot of fav bands then. Nothing really prepared for that really because I forgot my own name then, I had his book King Ink which was like the first version of all his lyric books. They did have security on the door which was the first time that happened because most venues I just walk and watch the soundcheck and no one care back then but I’ll tell those tells some other time. I think had something for everyone to sign that day but I only just got Nick to do King Ink book. He came first ahead of everyone else and at this venue they’re stairs that go up like forever so he came walking down and say “Hi” and I gave him the book and rest of the band goes passed and he’s like you got a name? I’m totally losing it or lose it before this and forget what the hell my own name is, I ask him what my name is? He’s like I don’t know your name? I’ve just meet you and you haven’t told me yet or something like that. Thinking about it now, I must have seem totally crazy but I guess everyone should know I’m crazy even Nick Cave. I should scan it and uploaded it here sometime but I need to get a printer first.

Then the Belvoir Amphitheater show was epic in 2000. He was “Solo” then, this show just with Warren Ellis, drummer Jim White also from Dirty Three and Susan someone on Bass and that’s not his wife just someone with the same first name, what was her name? Susan Stenger, it’s the same line-up on the spoken word release The Secret Life Of The Love Song. I’ll included these three setlist at the end of the post because I’ve still got them, I always use to write out the songs after a gig. I’ve used up my word limit and I don’t want it to turn into a long essay or something. Just two more things before finishing: a fun fact is Bad Seeds bassist Marty Casey live here down in Freo and I see him about the palace before them he played in great Aussie band called The Triffids if you don’t them please check them out, I’ve got to write more about them and in a bit of a reunion is happening in the next few months.

The other couple wicked gigs was then 2009 show which end-up being Mick Harvey‘s very last show with the band @ Belvoir Amphitheater too. I also saw Blixa’s last tour in 2002 @ Metro’s City gig wasn’t his very last show but it was pretty close too but it was at the worst venue they play or was that Perth’s casino theater? He’s done few others gigs over the years here in Perth but these above would be his greatest moments live in W.A. The one in 2013 then the “solo” show in 2000 and that very first gig in 1994 was the best for me and would pretty much with the greatest gig of my life too.

2013 Setlist:
We No Who U R
Wide Lovely Eyes
Jubilee Street
Higgs Boson Blues
From Her To Eterniy
Red Right Hand
Into My Arms
Stranger Than Kindness
Jack The Ripper
Your Funeral… My Trial
Love Letter
Deanna
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
The Weeping Song (with Mark Lanegan)
The Mercy Seat
Encore:
Stagger Lee
Push the Sky Away

2000 setlit:
West Country Girl
Sad Waters
People Ain’t No Good
The Mercy Seat
Henry Lee
Do You Love Me? (Part 2)
Wild World
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
Love Letter
Straight To You
Stagger Lee
Brompton Oratory
Into My Arms
Encore:
Loom of the Land
The Ship Song
Dead Joe
Little Empty Boat

1994 setlist:
Do You Love Me?
The Mercy Seat
Loverman
The Ship Song
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
Jack The Ripper
Red Right Hand
I Let Love In
The Weeping Song
Nobody’s Baby Now
Jangling Jack
Brother, My Cup Is Empty
Deanna
Thirsty Dog
Encore:
Loom Of The Land
Tupelo
From Her To Eternity

So who’s seen him/them live? How great was he/them? Where? When? What did they play?