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Nick Cave proved me wrong: a first-timer won over in Milwaukee

I need to start this review with a couple of confessions. First, I’ve never seen Nick Cave live. Second, I’ve never really listened to his music until just this week. That said, I knew I had to do both.

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I was hesitant after checking out the set lists from previous shows on The Wild God Tour, Cave’s first North American jaunt with the Bad Seeds since 2018. Listening to the songs Cave has been playing during the course of the tour, I anticipated possibly needing a No-Doze or two to keep me awake through a sleepy show. I was very wrong. It was anything but a yawner. Turns out Nick Cave is the consummate showman. He and his bandmates ensured the audience, including me, was enthralled and engaged the entire night. Cave spent a great deal of time on the catwalk in front of the stage, acknowledging and interacting with his fan base: pointing, holding hands, and even picking out a couple of “strong, tall gentlemen” he could lean on throughout the night.

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The set list has remained fairly consistent since the tour began in Boston on April 15 and features a healthy number of tracks from the 2024 album Wild God. The April 30 show at Milwaukee’s Miller High Life Theatre opened with three straight Wild God tracks: “Frogs,” “Wild God,” and “Song of the Lake.” Eight of the night’s 22 songs were from the latest release, with the others spanning Cave’s four-decade career and 17 albums.

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The first of those older songs to be featured as “O Children,” the closing track from 2004’s double set Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus. Cave shared the origins of the song, written while watching his children play at the park. “I became kind of gloomy, and I wrote this song, which is really about how adults and the agendas we pursue and our complete inability to protect our children,” he told the hushed crowd who were listening intently. “And the song has kind of followed me. It has a lot of personal implications for me,” said Cave, who tragically lost two of his four sons. His son, Arthur, died at age 15 after falling from a cliff near the family’s home in Brighton, England. In 2022, tragedy struck again when his oldest son, Jethro, passed unexpectedly at age 31.

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The song gave the four-member backing choir, composed of Wendi Rose, Janet Ramus, T Jae Cole, and Miça Townsend, a moment to truly display their vocal chops.

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As the namesake, Cave expectedly drew much of the attention — how could he not, as he frantically paced about. Still, every member of the ensemble contributed in ways both large and small. Fan favorite and longtime collaborator, Warren Ellis, despite being ill after “catching a bug in Chicago,” was an animated force on violin, synths, and guitar. Ellis, who had a chair (perhaps because of his illness), sat occasionally, but was never still, and several times used his seat as a perch to stand upon.

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The other Bad Seeds included Larry Mullins (formerly of The Stooges) on drums and percussion; Jim Sclavunos (who has had stints with both Sonic Youth and the Cramps) on percussion; Colin Greenwood (of Radiohead) on bass; Carly Paradis on keyboards; and George Vjestica on guitar.

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Perhaps Cave got caught up in the emotion of “O Children,” because afterward, he seemed to forget what song came next. “This next song is …” he paused. “I have no idea what this song is,” he then stated. It was the only time all night Cave seemed disoriented, and after his bandmates reminded him what was next, he returned to his engaging self.

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“This is a song about a girl, as they so often are. It’s what I do,” he said. “This song is about a girl who lived and worked and died in 1993 in a bedsit on Jubilee Street.” The murder ballad from 2013’s Push the Sky Away album tells the tale of a prostitute from the perspective of a john who murders her after impregnating her. Interestingly, Cave references the character in the title track of Wild God.

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“Jubilee Street,” as it was performed in Milwaukee, could have easily been a finale song as it grew to an urgent climax and left the room spinning. But it was only song five. “From Her to Eternity” (another song about a girl, followed closely on Jubilee’s heels and maintained Cave’s frenetic pace. Afterward, he stumbled to the piano, toweled himself, took a deep breath before moving on to a pair of hauntingly gorgeous tracks from Wild God: “Long Dark Night” and “Cinnamon Horses.”

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It was in these softer, more spiritual songs that, in my opinion, Cave was at his best. Which is ironic in that it was these songs, when listened to at home, that gave me the impression the evening would drag on like a solemn dirge. In real time, it was quite the opposite. I found myself wanting more of these sonic, emotional masterpieces. And more came. In fact, the second half of the show continued to see Cave alternate between ragers like “Tupelo” and “Red Right Hand” and ethereal beauties like “Bright Horses” and “Joy” — “Joy, a little word with a big heart,” proclaimed Cave introducing what many have seen as the 67-year-old’s acceptance of the transformative power of hope.

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Perhaps it was my misconception that all of Cave’s songs were dark and brooding, which caused me to be skeptical before the performance. Afterward, however, I felt rejuvenated and reminded once again of the power of live music enjoyed with a large group. This evening in Milwaukee with Nick Cave, the Bad Seeds, and several thousand fans was especially magical.

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The Wild God Tour continues through the U.S. and Canada through May 14. Cave will then perform a run of solo shows with Greenwood in Europe between June and August. Learn more at nickcave.com or follow @nickcaveofficial on Instagram

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Frogs
Wild God
Song of the Lake
O Children
Jubilee Street
From Her to Eternity
Long Dark Night
Cinnamon Horses
Tupelo
Conversation
Bright Horses
Joy
I Need You
Carnage
Final Rescue Attempt
Red Right Hand
A “La La La” song along
The Mercy Seat
White Elephant

Encore
Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
The Weeping Song
Skeleton Tree
Into My Arms

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