nick cave @ the electric factory

Nick Cave during his opening number

Words cannot describe how unreal and life-changing this concert was. As soon as I found out Mr. Cave was coming to Philly I committed to that ticket instantaneously. For me he is the male version of PJ Harvey; dark, intense, emotional, commanding presence. The Electric Factory is not my favorite venue but whatever, I'm seeing Nick Cave for the first time! I arrived at the venue 45 minutes early to a line that wrapped around the building. To my dismay I winded up at least 100 people back and kept panicking about being so far away once inside. Luckily the majority of the people in front wanted balcony seats so my friend and I opted for along the side. Then we ended up second row to the left of the stage which was disappointing because he kept pandering to the opposite side of the stage. Dang it! Again no opening band which was wonderful and a night of 22 songs or two and a half hours of music? Yes please! When he kicked into "Anthrocene" I thought "Okay he's got a chair out...will he be seated the entire show?" That was a complete tease because he was "connecting" and out there with the audience the entire time. 

Blurry Nick Cave! We did make eye contact tho!

The goal of the evening was just to touch him and neither of us succeeded. I winded up with a blurry picture of Mr. Cave close by but my friend captured a better one. During one part of the song he sang "Can you feel my heart beating?" and the girls were aiming to touch his chest and he encouraged them, "Can you?" I mean DYING!!!! The guys were fangirling just as hard as the girls. Nick Cave is an enigma, period. I had tears, TEARS streaming down my eyes when he performed "I Need You" because it was such a beautiful song and the lighting was perfect I felt like I was not on this earth. During his last song he actually went out into the audience, stagehands feverishly roping extra yards of mic cord into the center of the Electric Factory. There goes Mr. Cave up the balcony deck and serenades not one, not two, but three women from the audience into an emotional huddle of arms on backs and twirling the one woman. Again DYING!!!! When Carrie Brownstein and Shirley Manson go off about their Nick Cave experiences just yaaasss! I get you. Excited to hear "Ship Song" "Weeping Song" and "Red Right Hand" along with the new songs too of course!

Nick Cave serenades as we fall in <3

Set list:
Anthrocene
Jesus Alone
Magneto
Higgs Boson Blues
From Her to Eternity
Tupelo
Jubilee Street
The Ship Song
Into My Arms
Girl in Amber
I Need You
Red Right Hand
The Mercy Seat
Distant Sky
Skeleton Tree

Encore:
Mermaids
Nobody's Baby Now
The Weeping Song
Stagger Lee
Push the Sky Away