Had the great fortune of witnessing a punishing Grinderman concert yesterday at the Riv! Unbelievable energy from the entire band, particularly Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. Ellis was absolutely on a different plane for the entire show, running wildly back and forth from his side of the stage to the drum stand, slamming into Nick, alternating between his guitar, violin, and electric bouzouki, and thrashing like a mad man possessed underneath his mic stand, violently shaking and beating two maracas against a mic'd hi hat. I think anyone in the audience on his side of the stage left feeling a little more sane and a lot more deaf...
Cave was in truly ecstatic form as well, howling to the rafters and screaming lyrics into a stunned and god-struck audience. His old Bad Seeds dance moves were there as well, gyrating and pulsing like a writhing corpse-thin version of Elvis.
Overall, a mesmerizing and intense performance!
Also had an opportunity to (very) briefly meet Mr. Cave after the show and have a copy of his first volume of lyrics and writings, "King Ink" signed. My friend Eric and I were totally in fanboy mode for this, so I didn't get to spit much out, but Nick gave me a funny kind of "Well...man." when he saw the book. Must have been a long time since he'd seen a copy of it, since it was published in 1990 on Henry Rollins' publishing company, 2.13.61, and has been out of print nearly as long. Thanks to my wife, Candace, for standing out in the cold with us to wait after the show and for taking pictures!
Totally geeked out! It's a strange experience meeting one of your idols, especially someone who's artistic output stretches through nearly 3 decades of incredible live performances, legendary albums, film appearances, and written word.
1 comment:
Glad I could spread the good word, my friend! Good luck with the Grinderman ticket, you really gotta see 'em!
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