Last night, the legendary Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds kicked off the first of three nights at the iconic Sydney Opera House, accompanied by members of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra string section and a youth choir from Annandale. The resulting two hour performance was one of such high calibre that this run of shows will surely go down as some of the most legendary events ever to take place under the venue’s sails. But this is Nick Cave after all, would you expect any less?
Performing in front of a rather under utilised, mammoth video screen, Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds wasted no time getting into it, with Nick and Warren Ellis playing the role of conductor for the orchestra and choir along the way (during “From Her to Eternity” this was taken very literally by Ellis), kicking things off with “We No Who U R” off their latest record Push The Sky Away, which featured no less than nine times throughout the night. But in addition to “From Her to Eternity”, plenty of favourites were pushed through the set.
Appearing early in the night was the incredible “Jubilee Street”, which built to a climax that featured the children’s choir in full swing, the string section giving it their all and confetti coming down onto the front stalls. It was a truly joyous experience (I have goosebumps just thinking about it), and if one hadn’t seen Nick Cave in the past, it might have been fair to wonder if anything could top that moment. But of course, Cave is nothing if not one of the greatest performers on the planet, and he was just get getting started.
The aforementioned “From Her to Eternity” was one of the most impressive moments of the set, with the strings (and Ellis conducting in a very traditional, yet somewhat Bugs Bunny like fashion) giving the song that something extra we’d all come to the Opera House to experience. Nick, meanwhile, used the stage well, moving his swagger from one side to the other and delighting fans in the front row. This included a rather intoxicated group who he permitted to touch his leg early in the set. This resulted in the remark “this might be the Opera House, but you can still touch my cock…”, which resulted in one of the most honest reactions from anyone you’ll see, performer or otherwise. As he finished the sentence, he spotted the children’s choir, paused, and said, “ah, sorry kids”, which gave the audience, and Cave himself, a good laugh. A highlight of the kids’ performance was with “O Children”, which was a natural fit, and a song that’s been reintroduced into the Bad Seeds setlist for this tour after a lengthy absence.
Indeed, he had to be on his best behaviour until the kids left the stage, and naturally the explicit “Stagger Lee” was saved until the encore, with the choir well and truly out of the building. But this early moment really brought Nick and the crowd down to a similar level – little was taken too seriously from there on out from either side; it was very much about everyone just having a great time, listening to both new and classic Cave songs in the unique and beautiful acoustics of the venue.
Furthering on the solid relationship between Nick and the audience, when Warren’s violin wouldn’t work as they tried to start the classic “Deanna”, he took a request from the crowd and played “God is in the House”, a track they hadn’t played in many years. But then again, with Grinderman and the miscellaneous other projects of all the Bad Seeds, these concerts were the first in Australia since 2009, which I suppose made us all a little more appreciative – and forgiving that from time to time he’d need to peak at the lyrics.
The two hour set wrapped up with the incredible “Love Letter” (with accompanying strings) and “Mercy Seat” ahead of the “Stagger Lee” encore. From start to finish, this was a beautifully compelling set from one of the masters of his craft. Nick Cave dazzled the crowd with the spectacular set, and the comparable Bad Seeds were at the top of their game. The opportunity to see the band in this venue is not something I’ll soon forget, and it easily ranks as one of the best I’ve ever witnessed at the venue. Run, beg, borrow and steal… do whatever you can to make one of the two remaining performances at the venue.
Setlist:
We No Who U R
Wide Lovely Eyes
Water’s Edge
Jubilee Street
Mermaids
We Real Cool
Finishing Jubilee Street
Higgs Boson Blues
Push the Sky Away
From Her to Eternity
Red Right Hand
O Children
The Ship Song
Jack the Ripper
God Is in the House
Deanna
Your Funeral… My Trial
Love Letter
The Mercy Seat
Encore:
Stagger Lee
Photos #1 and #1 by Dan Boud, Photo #3 by Prudence Upton.
