Nick Cave Spreads His Seeds In Toronto

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds aren’t your average band. They aren’t everybody’s cup of tea. And they aren’t exactly contemporary.

…But they are legendary for a reason!

They proved exactly why their classic and macabre cult status is worth its weight in gold at a recent show in Toronto at the Scotiabank Arena.

Featuring wildly distorted, guitar-like violin solos, an on-stage sit-in that included some twenty plus audience members, multiple occasions where the vampire-like Cave ventured off-stage to mix it up and mingle with the crowd all over the arena, and the nearly three hour concert also included no shortage of chanting verses and emotional sing-alongs.

If you are unfamiliar with Nick Cave, you might only recognize the occasional number from yesteryear, like the tremendous commercial success of numbers like “Red Right Hand” from the Dumb And Dumber movie soundtrack. However, to right Nick Cave off as a one trick pony, spooky storyteller with a limited vocal range and eccentric delivery, would truly limit your ability to appreciate a concert with as much edge, heart, punch and soul as the capacity Toronto audience witnessed and were invited to partake in.

From ninja kicks and swinging microphones, to shadowy lights and religious-like moments of wonder, Nick captivated the audience with his emotional melancholy. A mix of monster and crooner, Nick bought his Phantom of the Opera appeal to the centre stage and kept us all waiting for what came next.

However, opening act Sex After Cigarettes left a lot to be desired. As talented and commercial as their appeal would appear, their entirely uninspiring stage show left many of us waiting for them to finish. Outside of a unique REO Speedwagon cover, there was very little to write home about in terms of inspiration. Especially when compared to The Bad Seeds performing classic mourning songs like “Straight To You, “The Weeping Song,” and “Jubilee Street.”

If the neverending Nick Cave tour comes to your neighborhood, enjoy the kooky madness and get lost in the darkness with him for a while. It’s well worth it to enjoy a very unconventional performance by a living vampire who has inspired such modern artists as July Talk.

He’s a one-of-a-kind stage general. You will obey him. You will get lost. And he will lead your parade.

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