Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds @ The Theater at Madison Square Garden

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds; Bellmer Dolls
@ WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden
New York, NY - October 4, 2008

So densely layered and deep and yet at the same time oh so sparse and simple, Nick Cave and his Bad Seeds are an encumbering mindfuck and a freewheeling fiesta all at the same time. Playing some maddeningly good classics like "Tupelo", "Red Right Hand", "Love Letter", "God is in the House", "The Lyre of Orpheus", "Deanna" and the big finale of "Stagger Lee", Nick, Warren, and the rest of the clan breathed life into their dark, rich, thundercrackers as well as Nick's restless hearted but nevertheless calming ballads. The new material played - the title track as well as "Midnight Man" and "We Call Upon the Author" sounded a bit disjointed but not always in that good Nick Cave way. That is a shame because the new record is oh so fine. The exception was the show opening "Hold On to Yourself", which chillingly set the tone for the night.

Before the sonic boom of the Bad Seeds, the crowd was wooed by the Bellmer Dolls, apparent local boys I've never heard of. They were fitting openers, full of that same light-sucking bitter darkness as the big boys but without that whisper of gothic that not only infuses Nick Cave's mustache but his whole body of work.