Nick Cave didn’t just play Melbourne – he arrived at Alexandra Gardens like he owed the crowd a debt of gratitude and explanation.
Between songs, he acknowledged and apologised for the rain with his trademark dry humour, joking with fans as though the drizzle were an extra band member. It was the perfect way to open a night (31 January) already charged with tension and expectation.
The Wild God tour, after tearing through the UK, Europe, and North America, hit Australia exuberant and hungry for love; and they got it. For an artist with so much history in Australia, and particularly in Melbourne, every note was very much in the present tense.
From the first chord, it was clear this wasn’t a nostalgia tour, although homages were paid through the night to treasured contributors to Cave and his work over the years.
The Bad Seeds matched Cave at every turn. The rhythm section hit hard and precise, giving the songs a sturdy spine, while Warren Ellis manically shredded violin, bending strings and textures into utter exhilaration. Not bad for a boy from Ballarat, as Cave called out earlier in the set.
When ‘Frogs’ arrived first in the set, fans were already won over. The set was a collision of new and old and they loved it. Tracks from ‘Wild God’ like the title song and ‘Song Of The Lake’ – dedicated to the “handsome boy” down the front – felt huge and alive.
While classics like ‘From Her To Eternity’ and ‘Tupelo’ were reactivated to suit the extremely energised crowd! Ain’t nothing like a home town crowd, right?
The Bad Seeds and their gorgeous choir were heavenly – alternating between post punk and a gospel mix of sounds, as befits a preacher; and Nick Cave is a great preacher, philosopher and believer in the things that move him. That has always been his magic.
Cave called for assistance from the crowd before ‘Tupelo’, blurring the line between performer and audience in a way that only he can. The energy of the outdoor space amplified every call and response, every drumbeat and violin scrape, turning the Gardens into a vast, shared pulse.
The second half of the gig hit with relentless intensity. ‘Red Right Hand’, ‘The Mercy Seat’, and ‘White Elephant’ – the latter with band introductions – were executed with force and precision, yet never lost their emotional rawness.
The encore brought ‘O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)’, dedicated to the late Anita Lane. He then shifted into full punk-rock mode: ‘Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry’, ‘Henry Lee’, and ‘Into My Arms’, the latter performed solo and restarted after Cave stumbled over the first verse. That imperfection only amplified the night’s honesty, reminding everyone that vulnerability and power can coexist in a single voice.
A highlight of the night was a cover of Rowland S. Howard’s ‘Shivers’. When it rang out, the energy shifted – suddenly, Melbourne’s music history felt alive in the present. Cave’s voice carried it with urgency and raw intimacy, transforming a cover into something of a memory of a long passed friend. That moment wasn’t just nostalgic; it was vital and communal, and a reminder of why audiences have followed Cave for decades.
Somewhere near just behind me, a guy puffed on a joint. He leaned forward, eyes wide, asking “how ya loving this?” I said: “Oh man, so much!” Then he told me that Cave’s songs had given him permission to feel, to speak and give voice to long-buried emotions.
He clutched his ‘Wild God’ album to his chest, high and overwhelmed, and drifted away. Moments like that crystallise the unique bond Cave inspires – it’s not just fandom, it’s connection at the most human level.
This tour has been described as an antidote to despair. In Melbourne, it felt more like defiance – messy, loud and very human. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds didn’t come to reassure anyone; they came to remind us music can still confront and move us, even under the rain or stars.
In the end, the Gardens buzzed with exhaustion and exhilaration. Nick Cave has never sounded better, and his audience – sometimes high on both music and life – left knowing they had witnessed something rare: a live performance that demanded love and feeling.
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