NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS - NORWEGIAN WOOD, OSLO, 2009-06-12

This was the third time in just over a year Nick visited Oslo and Norway.
May '08 with the Bad Seeds, August '08 with Grinderman and finally, this gig. I only recorded this one (didn't own a recorder before this time). I don't remember it as a particularly nice experience. I was jetlagged and the weather wasn't too good. Norwegian Wood is an outdoor festival held annualy in early/mid-June in Oslo and it's always a gamble with the weather... It can be summer, and it can be, well...not. This was more on the not-side. I'm generally not a festival-goer, but Norwegian Wood often has some interesting headliners.
I was standing by the mixing desk, quite far from the stage, but the stage was located at the bottom of a pit, sort of like a natural amphi theatre, so I still had a good view. What I didn't know, however, was that for some reason, I was standing in the middle of a super-highway of interchangeably thirsty/pee-needy audience members, who walked/scuffed past med for the whole show. Pretty f#cking annoying.

Anyway, Nick and the guys' show didn't make much of an impression either. I wasn't particularly fond of the Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! record, and I mourned the loss of Mick Harvey. James Johnston had replaced him here. Nick seemed to be in a real rock'n'roll period here, with the energy from the Grinderman shows/record seeping into The Bad Seeds' appearances, stripping them (in my view) of their mystical, creepy melancholy and elegance. Songs like Red Right Hand and The Weeping Song were just bashed through, and I didn't like it much. I haven't listened to the recording I made until now, and when I play it back now, it doesn't sound all that bad. It's also enjoyable to hear Nick's awkward dialogue with the audience at some points.
The sound is pretty good, even thought this was a LOUD show with a LOUD crowd.
I present to you what I have, it's definetely representative of what Nick was doing @ the time, and the recording isn't bad at all.

Recorded in lossles PCM wave 16 bit/44 kHz with a Zoom H4 stereo recorder.
Mastering, track split and flac conversion done with Cubase 7
Torrent stuff done with TLH

01 Intro
02 Tupelo
03 Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
04 Red Right Hand
05 Nick not taking requests...
06 Deanna
07 banter (the missing moustache)
08 Midnight Man
09 banter
10 The Ship Song
11 Henry Lee
12 banter
13 Moonland
14 The Mercy Seat
15 There She Goes, My Beautiful World
16 banter
17 The Weeping Song
18 Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
19 Stagger Lee

20 Into My Arms
21 Get Ready For Love
22 Lucy

23 We Call Upon The Author


Enjoy,


M.