It's been a while since I last ranted here, but the wait is over. I'm going to expand on an issue that arose out of last nights Nick cave gig - did I mention the awesomeness of this gig? :o)
The thing that struck me most negatively about this night was the lack of crowd participation. Sure the mosh section was bouncing and swaying and yelling to Nick, but not so in the seated section. We were unfortunately in the seated area, but only a few rows back from the mosh, so suffered the boorishness of said seated area.
Don't get me wrong, Karks, Marco and myself as well as the girl on my immediate left - name unknown - managed to bust a move when the need arose. The same cannot be said for those around us. Seriously, the guy dead in front of us never moved his head once, not a muscle on his body twitched, he simply stared.
Now I know Nick Caves' music isn't screaming out for your best funkmaster moves, but it does make you want to move some part of you, especially when the man is standing right there in front of you, give him something back people.
So why has the concert going public reverted to this dull spectator sport. I think it has something to do with the crowd. I shit you not when I say that a grandmother entered the venue 3 people in front of me. Then we bumped into our friend and neighbour Chip who along with his girlfriend was "catching the show with his parents"!! Now Chip is 25 or 27,somewhere there, so his parents are in their 50's. This made me survey the surrounding crowd having pre show drinks and yeah diverse it was.
When you think about it, if you were into the Birthday Party back in 1980 and happened to be around 30-35 then you would be 55-60 now, so this explains the grandma and Chips parents, it also explains the mix of ages throughout the crowd. Ex goths who found that you cant raise kids and send them to good schools by working part time in an underground record store forever, new goths who don't really get it, but like the look, punks who became architects, goth/nu-romantics who became archaeologists ::cough::, they were all there in abundance. I think also that some people have probably only ever heard Nick's ballads, and not his murder ballads. They probably spun the dial when Stagger Lee came on but kept on listening to Where The Wild Roses Grow with our Kylie!!
So maybe they sat there stunned because they simply don't get Nick in all his diversity, no fucking excuse people, none at all. Do your homework before shelling out the readies, that show sold out and I personally know 3 people spitting chips because they couldn't go, and they can name more than Nicks last album. So when you go to a gig, even if you have a seat, get off ya arse and groove or get the fuck out, that's what I think, and don't get shitty when the groovy grandma stands up to bust a move and spoils your "great view". She was at the Birthday Party's gig at the Espy back in 82 whilst you were just a twinkle in your coked up goth parents eyes!
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