Still recovering from Riot Fest, I drove up to Asheville tonight to see Nick Cave. I bought these tickets so long ago, that I forgot about it when I book my 4 nights in Chicago.
An easy drive up had me in my seat right at 8pm. 20 minutes late Cave walked out, with Radiohead bassist, Colin Greenwood, to play an evening of songs on his piano. Again I thought Asheville was a strange place to start a tour (for an Australian coming to the US), but Cave stated they had been in town a few weeks rehearsing. It was just last March that Cave and Warren Ellis started their tour in the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (next door). This show had to be moved into this room as, apparently, there were some severe problems in the Auditorium's air conditioning. That suited me. I got an elevated seat and the isle, with no one in front of me. A perfect view.
From the beginning Cave was in a jovial mood. Early banter saw the crowd leave their seats and rush to the front of the stage after an audience asked if that was possible and Cave answered "I'm not in charge of that!" Girl In Amber was the first song I recognized, and dare I say, sounded better than the recorded version. Are You The One I've Been Waiting for was the start of the great stuff (for me). Such a beautiful song normally, it seems to get better just with a piano and bass. Same goes for The Weeping Song. Which was followed by the sweet sounding Nobody's Baby Now and the brilliant Mercy Seat. Cave did a good job of mixing old and new songs, and Greenwood played the invisible bassist, stepping behind his amp or off stage when he was not required. Cave (truly solo) did a moving rendition of Into My Arms. Is there any other type for that song? Ending the main set with Push The Sky Away.
When Cave asked for requests at the beginning of the encore, overwhelmingly the response was Stagger Lee, but Cave claimed he couldn't remember the song and hadn't rehearsed it, so wouldn't play it. It was then a man close enough to the front told him how the song had made life easier for him as a gay man (the full story I couldn't hear), but Cave responded in kind and dedicated Balcony Man to the gentleman. He played straight into The Ship Song (which is another favorite of mine) and played T-Rex's Cosmic Dancer again (he played it with Ellis last year). Still the audience persisted and eventually Cave relented and played an improvised version for Stagger Lee - which Greenwood adapted to quickly and brilliantly. Such was the truth about him not remembering the song, Cave bought the man on stage to help him with lyrics. Lastly, Cave finished with Grinderman's Man In The Moon, before leaving the stage to thunderous applause. 2 hours of greatness.
I didn't want to make the drive to Asheville and back tonight, and was tired driving up there, but the show was so good, I was buzzing all the way home. So happy I made the trip.
The Crap Facts:
This is my 493rd concert.
Harrah's Cherokee Center is the 136th venue I've seen a concert in..
This is my 12th concert in Asheville.
This is my 120th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 294th concert in the USA.
This is my 2nd Nick Cave concert.
Nick Cave is the 550th time I've seen a band in the US.
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