Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds will perform at Live in 3Arena, Dublin on Friday, May 8th next year as part of their spring 2020 European tour.
Regarded as one of the world’s greatest live acts, the Australian rock band was formed in Melbourne in 1983 by vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and guitarist Blixa Bargeld. The band will perform in 19 countries across Europe. The Irish gig is promoted by Aiken Promotions.
British reviews of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds live have described their gigs as “joyous and unexpectedly triumphant” (The Guardian), “tense and thunderous at times, tender and cathartic at others ” (the Independent ), and “an extraordinary response to the unimaginable” (Telegraph).
Cave was last here in June 2018. Irish Times' journalist Una Mullally's review of the Bad Seeds at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham at the time observed: "There is no sloppiness with Cave. Everything is pointed and aimed as an archer, targeting personal connections as he prowls ... but the consolation of tragedy is art, and then the fading light, and the slowly dispersing crowd, soaked in the heaviness of an artist truly transmitting his emotions. And us all there to receive them."
Cave says the accidental death of his 15-year-old son Arthur in 2015 has led him to “see people in a different way” and giving him “a deep feeling toward other people and an absolute understanding of their suffering”.
He threw himself open to the public afterwards, posting an invitation to talk online – "You can ask me anything" – and later toured a live version of his questions and answers. He included the Q&A at the Dublin's Abbey theatre while he was in Ireland for the Royal Hospital Kilmainham gig. Patrick Freyne describes "a funny, strange and beautiful evening" at the public Q&A, a mix of processing of grief, music and "joyful sillinesss".
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' 17th studio album Ghosteen was released this month to five star reviews ("Grief and loss never sounded so beautiful").
The Guardian called it a “Stunning double album that sets desperation against empathy and faith” and Rolling Stone “A masterpiece of melancholy”. Vinyl and CD will be released on November 8th.
Concert tickets are on sale from Friday, October 25th, via ticketmaster.ie and nickcave.com
Other European tour dates include:
Wednesday, April 22nd: Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, Portugal
Thursday, April 23rd: Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, Portugal
Saturday, April 25th: WiZink Center, Madrid, Spain
Sunday, April 26th: Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, Spain
Wednesday, 29th: April Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Holland
Thursday, April 30th: Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium
Saturday, May 2nd: Arena Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Sunday, May 3rd: Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, UK
Tuesday, May 5th: The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, UK
Wednesday, May 6th: Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK
Friday, May 8th: 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland
Tuesday, May 12th: First Direct Arena, Leeds, UK
Thursday, May 14th: The O2, London, UK
Friday, May 15th: The O2, London, UK
Sunday, May 17th: Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany
Monday, May 18th: Barclaycard Arena, Hamburg, Germany
Wednesday, May 20th: Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
Thursday, May 21st: Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
Saturday, May 23rd: Ericsson Globe, Stockholm, Sweden
Monday, May 25th: Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
Wednesday, May 27th: Mercedes-Benz Arena, Berlin, Germany
Thursday, May 28th: Arena Gliwice, Gliwice, Poland
Saturday, May 30th: O2 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
Monday. June 1st: Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
Tuesday, June 2nd: László Papp Budapest Sports Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Thursday, June 4th: Stark Arena, Belgrade, Serbia
Saturday, June 6th: Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
Monday, June 8th: Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland
Tuesday, June 9th: Mediolanum Forum, Milan, Italy
Thursday, June 11th: Cavea Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy
Sunday, June 14th: AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
Wednesday, June 17th: Bloomfield Stadium, Tel Aviv, Israel
