Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave alone at Alexandra Palace
Many of 2020’s livestreamed lockdown concerts were “from my home to yours”-type DIY affairs. Think lo-fi phone recordings, slightly blurry footage, home DJ sets for two-person lounge discos. But Nick Cave? No way. This is a man who can transform the most banal story into a dramatic spectacle with one finger on a piano key. Instead, the revered Australian-born, England-dwelling artist went large, recording a lavish solo performance at London’s Alexandra Palace. There were no Bad Seeds—not even Warren Ellis—no audience, no applause, no antics. Just Cave, an extraordinary Fazioli, and, for those who experienced the livestream, stirring cinematography by Oscar nominee Robbie Ryan. No one said intimacy had to be simple. Nick Cave’s storytelling conjures feelings that are often as impactful, if not more so, when experienced alone as they are among a sold-out crowd. Likewise, his performance here—profoundly isolated within this enormous, extravagant concert hall—is every bit as beautiful as his full-band shows. It was recorded in June 2020 and streamed on July 23 at three specific times, to account for fans tuning in across the world. It was a desperately needed, appreciated gift (albeit one marred by technical glitches) for Cave diehards stuck indoors. The set list played into this, with 21 songs stretching into the depths of his long career, from 1986 deep cuts “Stranger Than Kindness” and “Sad Waters” through to “Girl in Amber,” from his heartbreaking 2016 record *Skeleton Tree*, and “Galleon Ship,” from 2019’s *Ghosteen*, as well as a new song, “Euthanasia.” He even threw in Grinderman’s “Palaces of Montezuma” for good measure. And while the tender songs are always deeply affecting, many of the most enthralling moments came from the formerly raucous songs, now completely transformed. “Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry,” which originally lay somewhere between rockabilly and punk, here becomes a soft, melancholy ballad. And without its frantic pulse and driving guitars, “The Mercy Seat” is somber and almost painfully emotional.
Cave performed these 22 career-spanning songs alone in a deserted concert hall, reworking them into haunted piano sermons that glow with unnerving intimacy.
With the Bad Seeds seemingly on furlough, our prince of darkness pulls up a pew at Alexandra Palace for this one-time live-streamed beauty
While musicians continue to explore the possibilities of performing live without a present audience, someone of Nick Cave’s gravitas was never going to appear in virtual reality, on Instagram Live or in the computer game Fortnite.
These are strange times indeed. While people everywhere struggle with the pandemic, so too do artists, especially performing artists. While the coronavirus has essentially killed the live performance, innovators such as Nick Cave have had to adapt and dev
An intimate and quietly mesmerising livestream event revelled in the range of Cave’s rich back catalogue
Cave’s performance in an empty hall, with just piano and voice, seems to try and ward off the terrifying silence of the Covid-19 age
Cave's solo live stream could be the most the beautiful and sombre performance he's ever given. Shame we'll never get to see it again