As you get older there is a tendency to become increasingly more picky about which concerts you might spend 2 hours of your time at and which venues will afford you the most enjoyable experience for your money. Some acts are entirely worth the crowded sweat-fest you might have to endure if only to re-live that once vibrant youthful energy one more time. There are many shows worth seeing at venues like the Hollywood Bowl or Greek Theater. (Coldplay’s spectacle at the Bowl a few years back was so enjoyable for my young daughter and her friend that it was worth the bucketful of money we forked over just to see their wide-eyed astonishment when all the wristbands in the venue suddenly lit up in unison.)
That said though, you can give me a smaller, intimate venue that has decent sound and the only spectacle needed is an artist’s pure energy bringing the room to life. One such artist/band is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. This is a concert not to be missed. Cave has a particular charisma and power that is best appreciated and understood in person. The room ignites and you are willingly led down “The Mercy Seat” by a killer’s “Red Right Hand.” Okay, that’s slightly dramatic, but there is no denying the sex appeal from this tall, lanky, black haired bard with a deep, dark voice. And then there’s the Bad Seeds: the band that lights it all on fire.
Long ago in the late ’90’s, at a beautiful baroque theatre in Paris, my friend and I discovered that Nick was in town with The Bad Seeds. It may seem obsessive attending a concert two nights in a row, but the mutual admiration we both had for his music left us no choice. As a young Parisian hotel concierge offered to us in his thick French accent; “Nick Cave, he’s been cool for so long, I think he’s no longer”. He, of course, was wrong.
Since then my husband and I have seen Cave’s shows numerous times and in various incarnations. The reason we keep going back is simple: we’re never disappointed. The shows are always entertaining, captivating and exhilarating to the point that once they’re done, you feel like having a scotch & cigarette in some smokey lounge hidden down a cobblestone laneway in Europe. Nick is a man who has lived through some dark moments but he’s never lost that cool, unflappable persona. You can hear it in his lyrics and feel it in his rasp. For those reasons (and more) this particular girl watched his show at three different venues last week: twice with the husband and once with a best friend (who had yet to experience the glory that is Nick Cave.)
Perhaps one day Vegas will shift away from its “Disneyland-for-Adults” agenda and back to the old school lounge acts. We’d be there happily sipping scotch listening to Nick Cave, Tom Waits or Jack White as they command the stage…smoking and drinking along with us.
“And some people say it’s just rock and roll
Oh but it gets you right down to your soul
You’ve gotta just keep on pushing
And keep on pushing
Push the sky away”
– Nick Cave 2013
