Performance Style
Nick Cave is the quintessential rock star with his raspy voice, dirty long hair, and glamorous shiny black pants. Now in his mid-fifties, the Australian artist has been making music with The Bad Seeds for decades, and his songs range from electric-guitar based rock anthems to slow, melodic ballads on the piano. His live performance was equally as gritty and raw as his music. Mr. Cave gave an energetic performance, climbing over the speakers to the front of the stage, singing directly to audience members, and even pulled a girl up onstage at one point. He danced around the stage, running from one Bad Seeds musician to the next, knocking over mic stands and cords in the process. He provided small anecdotes between songs, and encouraged the audience to sing along with him through the entire evening.
Sigur Ros presented the audience with a musical experience. The Icelandic trio performed with an eleven piece band, including horn, string, and percussion sections in addition to the drums, guitar, and bowed-guitar of the band themselves. Thus, they were able to create the electronic and ambient sounds on their records with live music, the impact of which remained powerful and longlasting. Unlike Nick Cave, though, Sigur Ros's frontman Jonsi did not attempt to engage the audience with his corporeal performance, only saying one sentence in English the entire time "thank you very much for coming." Instead, he relied on his almost mythical style of playing his electric guitar with a cello bow, along with the power of the band (and the visuals to be discussed below) for entertainment value.
Electronic Media Element
The only presence of electronic media (if at all) at the Nick Cave concert was the lighting design, which even still, remained very rudimentary. Basic color splashes against the scrim, half a dozen moving gobos, and white spotlights were the only visuals used in the performance. Not only were these the only electronic component, but they were executed fairly poorly; for example, the spotlight was more often focused too high or low of Mr. Cave, and not on the performer himself.
Sigur Ros, on the other hand, included a full electronic visual experience in addition to their music. They performed the first three songs inside a cube of fabric reaching up 50 feet high, with various digital projections and light manipulations onto it (strobe lights from inside the cube made huge silhouettes of Jonsi onto the fabric). The crashing down of the fabric coincided with the pinnacle point of the third song, to reveal a stage with strategically placed lights as well as a large digital screen behind the performers. This screen showed various video throughout the performance, including clips from music videos to sprawling landscapes to nature elements moving in tempo with the music (clouds, water ripples, etc). Furthermore, the lights onstage were much more elaborate than basic color splashes; they moved in various formations, from twinkling to waves moving across the stage. The most impactful use of the lights, though, included an realtime audio trigger from the drummer, starting with a slow flash with the bass drum to full on strobe lights during more intense percussive moments.
Form Follows Function?
In a strict comparison of these two musical artists, the use of electronic media supports a form-follows-function model. Nick Cave, who engages his audience with his constantly-moving body (and connects with the viewers by singing in the same language), captures the attention of the live audience himself. Projection and videos would have been fine, though they would have maybe been superfluous to his show. On the contrary, Sigur Ros's musical performance, though extremely beautiful and musically intricate, does not activate the audience's eyes in the same way, leaving a lot of room for visual engagement through electronic media. Therefore, their lighting design and video choices were extremely deliberate, unlike the haphazardness of the Nick Cave concert.
The Venue Factor
The difference in venue is a notable observation in this comparison. Nick Cave performed at The Beacon Theatre on the Upper West Side, while Sigur Ros was at the arena at Madison Square Garden. The Beacon Theatre provides a much more intimate space compared to MSG for Mr. Cave to really connect with his audience; however, its technical capabilities are far overshadowed by the huge sports arena that are better suited for a visual show like Sigur Ros's. Interestingly, Nick Cave performed three nights at The Beacon with all shows sold out, while Sigur Ros performed only one night, though to a full house too. In other words, the two musical acts have comparable selling power, but they still chose venues that cater more towards the needs of their electronic media and performance styles (though I am sure factors like venue rental price and availability play into the decision as well).
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
The Beacon Theatre
Sigur Ros
Madison Square Garden
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