Nick Cave @ The Plenary Review

I’ve had the privilege of watching and meeting his great and wholly presence at the Gold Coast Big Day Out circa ’96, and again in a stinking-hot club in Sydney somewhere.

This was the first time I had seen Nick Cave in a theatre setting like The Plenary, Melbourne Convention Centre. This night (17 Dec) was something else. It was dark, real dark. It was quiet, real quiet—but, yet it was a sold-out room.

Click here for photos from the show.

As he softly whispered: “Can you feel my heartbeat” everything seemed in slow motion as he encouraged his disciples to touch him on the arms, chest and legs. The great man leaned and towered over the swooning crowd as they desperately reached outward, toward their poetical messiah. His deep, plunging voice and large hand slowly wafted over their heads as if God himself was transcending. It was the most religious experience I have ever had at a rock show.

Nick Cave – Image © Carl Neumann

The night started off beautifully with ‘We Real Cool’ and ‘The Weeping Song’ and surprisingly followed by the almighty ‘Red Right Hand’. It was wonderful to hear so soon into the night although I thought it would have been a number for an encore.

No complaints here though, he filled that hole with songs I thought I’d never hear him do live such as ‘Up Jumped The Devil’ and ‘The Lyre Of Orpheus’. The highlights of the night for me were 'Stagger Lee’, and wonderful renditions of ‘Darker With The Day’ and ‘I Let Love In’.

Nick Cave – Image © Carl Neumann

The ultimate climax was the gorgeous ‘Into My Arms’, which he sung to perfection. There is something about that song which moves mountains of emotions deep within me – something rarely achieved.

The night before the live show I watched his documentary, ‘20,000 Days On Earth’, and to be completely honest I didn’t really enjoy it. I was disenchanted by his introversion and complexities of the music-making process for his latest pieces. A “conversation” with an unpleasant looking psychiatrist was not at all what I expected to take in. I wanted to ascertain the grandiose, the robust, the poet, Nick Cave.

Nick Cave – Image © Carl Neumann

However, having been so harshly critical, those caterwauling ideas washed away; the penny dropped as it all became clear. I flopped back in the chair and nestled in the Plenary’s comfortable, albeit awful green seats and just listened. Having settled my own internal quarrel I felt I belonged again, I understood why the adoring fans swooned and joined them in the most relaxed state I had been in for some time

Nick took me places. He, for lack of a better word, has the X factor. He’s an outstanding artist. Bless him.

Nick Cave Setlist

We Real Cool
The Weeping Song
Red Right Hand
Sad Waters
Higgs Boson Blues
Mermaids
The Ship Song
(Piano solo)
From Her To Eternity
God Is In The House
Love Letter
Water's Edge
Black Hair
Lay Me Low
Into My Arms
The Mercy Seat
(Piano solo)
Jubilee Street

Encore

We No Who U R
Up Jumped The Devil
Breathless
Jack The Ripper
Babe, You Turn Me On
The Lyre Of Orpheus