Nick Cave bares his soul at spare Riverside Theater concert in Milwaukee

Among the many Milwaukee concert cancellations of 2020, one may have stung more than most: what would have been only the second-ever headlining show in the city by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Wednesday, just over three years after the Bad Seeds concert was supposed to take place at the Miller High Life Theatre, Cave finally set foot on a Milwaukee stage. But there was a caveat for his Riverside Theater show: The 24 songs would be performed, in Cave's words Wednesday, "in an extremely reduced manner."

The crowd witnessing a rare performance from a one-of-a-kind Australian singer-songwriter four decades into his esteemed career was willing to accept any format.

Without the Bad Seeds, restricted behind a piano (accompanied only by some subtle low end from Radiohead's Colin Greenwood on bass), Cave, who turned 66 this month, may not have had the freedom to fully embody his doomsday preacher stage persona.

But what was apparent, starting with the haunting show opener "Girl in Amber," was that the concert's spareness made the music's emotions barer. Cave and listeners alike cherished the intimacy.

Subsequent song "Higgs Boson Blues" may have been "extremely reduced" from the start, but Cave wasn't content, putting his finger to his lips to shush Greenwood. The result was a fascinating contrast to the "Push the Sky Away" recording's apocalyptic climax — the tension, from Cave's voice and lyrics, remaining razor sharp.

Cave frequently used the quiet to his advantage, to different degrees. His whispers of "For no one's left in doubt/There's no fear about" for show closer "God Is in the House" only heightened the song's sinister undertones. But then there was the gentle phrasing of "how every little thing anticipates you," his right palm outstretched as he played suspended piano notes with his left, offering a softer encapsulation of the love and longing from "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?" that eluded the busier "The Boatman's Call" recording.

Less can be more, Cave seemed to be suggesting, when he introduced rarity "Euthanasia" as a song he played for his Bad Seeds bandmates — a song they deemed "too small." And yet in this format Wednesday, the simplicity of the melody and Cave's urgent voice, void of other musical distractions, loomed large.

The most moving reinterpretation of the night came on "I Need You." In lieu of the "Skeleton Tree" song's moody synth waves and Cave's theatrical crooning, the song ended with Cave muttering "just breathe, just breathe, just breathe" again and again, desperation rising from the rapid, gut-wrenching repetition, the air slipping from his mouth, the volume of his voice fading, his piano going silent.

Even under these conditions, Cave could make quite a racket. "Jubilee Street" was just as cinematic Wednesday, sans the recording's surging strings, strictly through the ferocity of Cave's voice. And as Cave mercilessly sang about "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" and being "not afraid to die" during "The Mercy Seat," even Greenwood stood in awe of his intensity, smiling, bobbing his head, his bass strings remaining untouched.

Yet for all the music's heaviness, Cave had a surprisingly light touch between songs. He offered graciousness and some wry humor during his many conversational moments, and shook several fans' hands in the front near the end of the night.

The two-hour concert's most levitating performance was on his Warren Ellis collaboration "Balcony Man," when people in the balcony, on Cave's request, cheered wildly whenever they heard the word "balcony." (Folks on the floor were not allowed to participate, which Cave made clear with some funny foul language.)

"Balcony" was mentioned a bunch of times during the song Wednesday, but not as much as one of the warmest lyrical sentiments Cave has ever sang.

"This morning is amazing and so are you."

And so was the man behind the piano.

4 takeaways from Nick Cave's Milwaukee concert

• Some other highlights from Wednesday's show: Cave's first-ever performance with Greenwood of "And No More Shall We Part"; a Grinderman tune, "Palaces of Montezuma"; a tribute to the late Anita Lane, one of the original Bad Seeds members and Cave's former girlfriend, who wrote the unsettling lyrics for concert highlight "Stranger Than Kindness"; and "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry," still rollicking without a full band, which Cave said he used to sing to get his baby son to sleep when they were living in Brazil in the early '90s.

• With Cave so chatty and friendly Wednesday, a growing number of audience members became more emboldened as the night went on to shout back at Cave. Although it threatened to harsh the mood, Cave took it in stride. Following song-request shout-outs from a couple of fans, Cave teasingly dedicated a couple of songs they didn't ask for to them.

• Among the Cave diehards in the front row was one fan who seemed equally excited to see Greenwood. The fan handed Cave a vinyl copy of Radiohead's "The Bends" album that Greenwood autographed.

• Perhaps Cave's most amusing commentary Wednesday: that he was torn between wearing red, green and blue socks at the show. "I settled for the red, especially for Milwaukee," Cave said with a chuckle to cheers, before turning his attention to Greenwood. "I bet Thom Yorke doesn't say stuff like that."

Nick Cave's Riverside Theater setlist

1. "Girl in Amber"

2. "Higgs Boson Blues"

3. "Jesus of the Moon"

4. "Galleon Ship"

5. "Euthanasia"

6. "O Children"

7. "I Need You"

8. "Waiting For You"

9. "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry"

10. "Balcony Man"

11. "Carnage"

12. "The Mercy Seat"

13. "Black Hair"

14. "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?"

15. "The Weeping Song"

16. "Into My Arms"

17. "Jubilee Street"

18. "Push The Sky Away"

19. "And No More Shall We Part"

20. "Palaces of Montezuma"

21. "Man in the Moon"

22. "Love Letter"

23. "Stranger Than Fiction"

24. "God Is in the House"

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nick Cave bares his soul at Riverside Theater concert in Milwaukee