Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Boston, MA: Wang Theatre at Boch Center
This was probably our favorite show out of the ones we caught on the Skeleton Tree Tour, and for all the strangest reasons. This one will not be forgotten.
From the very beginning, there was a strange tension in the air. I see two fans having a heated discussion with a theater staffer. I could hear the staffer proclaiming, "Nick Cave has been told the rules!" in an annoyed tone and repeated this several times. We notice there is a velvet rope-style barricade around the orchestra pit in front of the stage. This is for "VIP Ticket buyers"... if you are a Bad Seeds fan you know interaction with Nick is a necessary part of the show. This will be a problem.
There was a long delay with the show getting started. It looked like they were trying to create a second stage out of road cases so Nick could stand in the VIP area, more waiting and more waiting...
Finally, the lights go down, and everyone stands...except for the 5-7 rows in the section directly behind us. This section is yelling at everyone to "Sit down!!!"
Someone jabbed Rhonda in the back. We were already thinking, "Why did we pick this show?" then "Why did these people pick this show?" it is a rock show...sigh...
We try to catch at least a few shows on every tour and pick different locations to make a fun trip, was Boston just a bad idea?
Nick walks out to address the crowd and states that he was not aware of the barricade and apologized to the audience.
He explained - "I like touching people...not touching people" (hand to his heart) - "I like to touch people!!!" (reaching out with a grabbing motion). "We are going to try to make this work."
The very first song "Anthrocene" begins, Nick is prowling the stage and surveying the crowd. He jumps in and out of the pit several times, walking through those seated up front.
As this is happening - one man in particular - we’ll call him "Sitting Man" (seated about 3 rows behind us) was giving everyone hell, yelling throughout the first few songs.
Then Nick walks out to Sitting Man and plops down in his lap and wraps his arms around the man’s neck and asks "Can you see now?" People erupt in laughter. After a long pause, Nick says, "Can I sing now?" Sitting Man didn't say another word.
Then Nick begins his usual trips in and out of the crowd, going further and further each time as the show progresses. Each time urging people to come forth and to hell with the barricade. Everyone obeys, and more and more people crowd up front - the ushers are barking, and many return to their seats. This ebb and flow repeats every time Nick steps into the crowd. Words with security and Nick happened a few times. There was clearly a disagreement happening, and it only made him more determined to get everyone up front no matter what. We were sent back 3 or 4 times...the last time, we were "threatened" with ejection. Ooh la la...
As the show progresses he starts pulling people back and escorting them to the stage. With the final song of the encore, "Push The Sky Away" a mass surge pushes to the stage with Theater staff stuck in the middle and nowhere to go. Victory at last.
As usual the songs from Skeleton Tree in their live arrangements are quite different than their studio versions. "Higgs Boson Blues" is now a live staple/classic.
We also got a very funny ad-libbed version of "God Is In The House," which was not played frequently on this tour.
The Wang Theatre is absolutely gorgeous. This whole experience stuck with us. Nick Cave as a performer, is on another level, and on this tour, in particular, he seemed to be having fun. We loved how he managed this whole situation. It is very hard to convey this accurately to people who ask why we go to so many shows. This is a good example of why we do.
