NICK CAVE at the Ryman

So, maybe I'll start blogging again, since facebook isn't so fulfilling in the sense of record-keeping or storing memories or whatever... On March 16 we went to Nashville to see Nick Cave at the Ryman.

My expectations were high, since we essentially had front row seats, whereas at the last show we went to, in Chicago, we had horrible seats...since I have now seen almost every band that I really love at least once I have vowed to not go unless I can get awesome seats.

 Anyway - I got tix for me, David, Emily and Matt and just knowing that the seats were in the front pew on the right was enough for me to be ridiculously excited. I was ready for a show. Additionally, I've been listening to Sharon Van Etten for a couple of years now, missed her show in Memphis and was thrilled to finally see her live.

It took forever to find a hotel room in Nashville since there was so much going on that weekend, but we finally secured a room at the Embassy Suites about a mile from the Ryman, and luckily it was right around the corner from Patterson House, which had been recommended to me by a friend.

We rolled into town, stopped by a liquor store to get all the Left Hand we could carry, since it isn't available in Memphis, checked into the hotel and Matt and Em met us there to start our night... We got to Patterson House a little before 5 pm, as advised. By the time they opened the doors at 5:01 there were at least 20 people in line behind us. That place did NOT disappoint.

It's fashioned as a speakeasy - no identifying sign, curtained door off the foyer, low lights and intimate booths. The cocktail list is extensive and original. Their food list is mostly simple and tasty small plates. It. was. perfect. Even Matt was game.

We had a few drinks and dinner at Patterson House and then walked to the area around the Ryman - it was crazy crowded with NCAA fans so we found a bar that wasn't just PACKED, had a drink, then headed to the Ryman. We met up with Matt Hill and Mary Ellen outside the Ryman - ran into Ian and Elizabeth and Amy and Zach, then went in to get drinks and get seated.

Sharon Van Etten started promptly at 8, and, sadly, didn't play my favorites, though her set was really wonderful and perfect for the atmosphere.

 So, then, Nick Cave. What can I say? It was the best show I have ever been to.

The show started off pretty slowly, with two songs from the new album, Push The Sky Away - we had been familiarizing ourselves with the new stuff on the drive, since I had only received the CD a couple of days before the show.

I think he started with We No Who U R and then went into Jubilee Street. I think he might have then done Wide Lovely Eyes. My memory of it is all clouded by what happened next.

He started Higgs Boson Blues, with the entire audience sitting, save one girl who was clearly trying to capture his attention. About 2 minutes into the song he walked over to the part of the stage right in front of me (i was seated closest to the stage in our row), reached out his hand to me, and the rest is just a blur. I've had to rely on video to piece everything together after that. So, I took his hand, stumbled as he was pulling me toward the stage, he pulled me up by my hand and then held me in front of the stage with his hand cradling my head and sang to me, then gestured to Emily to get up and pulled her in, then did the same to David.

By this point everyone else took the cue and got to their feet, and soon everyone crushed in on the stage. He sang to us off and on throughout the song, ending it in front of us and holding our hands and touching my head some more.

It was more fun than anything I could have imagined for the night. The rest of the set was wildly energetic. Everyone stood the entire time, frantically dancing, gesturing and singing along with him. I have never witnessed a musician control an audience so completely.

During From Her to Eternity he pulled onstage this adorable girl that I had met outside earlier and complimented on her dress. She was ecstatic. And everyone was ecstatic for her.

I had no idea his shows involved this much audience interaction - it was thrilling.

He performed song after song with a level of intensity I have never before witnessed. Stagger Lee was particularly awesome and he sang some of it to David, which was fun.

What can I say? The show was perfect.

We were on the side of the stage right in front of Warren Ellis, which is always entertaining. He has an energy that is frenzied and demonic. He didn't have the crazy set up that he had in Chicago, but it was still a treat to watch him perform.

The camaraderie of the crowd was beautiful, Nick Cave's interactions with us were amazing and the show just blew the fucking roof off the Ryman.

Judging by reviews of his other performances on this tour he is just pouring every ounce of his energy into the shows. I can do nothing but be amazed and grateful to have witnessed it and to have had whatever brief interaction I had with him. I've been glowing from that for weeks.

Here's the You Tube link for Higgs Boson Blues, which I am so thankful someone uploaded:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj0ouOhdgwc

Thank you, Nick Cave for making this the single best concert experience I have ever known.

So..... a) The title of this blog "stop crying. you're making everyone else feel bad." is pretty much a direct quote from my dad from every.single.time. I would cry when I was a kid. Terrific parenting, no? b) Despite the title, this isn't really a blog about depression. Not that I don't have plenty of that, but it is secondary to what I actually want to blog about: my experiences with anxiety. c) I'm pretty awful at keeping up with blogs these days, so who knows how this will go.