Nick Cave admits: No event moved him as much as the Radiohead concert. But aren’t his gigs also spiritual experiences?
Nick Cave recently shared his impressions of a Radiohead concert. The musician found numerous words of praise for the band around frontman Thom Yorke and described the performance as a special highlight among the gigs he had attended.
Emotional overwhelm
In a new post on his website “The Red Hand Files,” Nick Cave responded to a reader’s question about whether he enjoys going to concerts himself. He explained that he tends to avoid other artists’ shows because his own shows already put a lot of emotional strain on him. Nevertheless, in quieter times he would watch a few gigs – including those by Bob Dylan or Swans. However, one concert stood out as a definite highlight for him: Radiohead’s show at London’s O2 Arena. The musician spoke of a “spiritual experience”.
“At the Radiohead concert at the O2 Arena, I sat among twenty thousand people. Strangely, it was the first time I had sat in the audience at such a large concert, and I was overwhelmed by the deep love in the hall – people dancing, screaming, crying, hugging each other and throwing themselves onto the stage,” he said enthusiastically.
The 68-year-old continued: “I realized how powerful live music is – that a group of people come together and create a sound all their own, and that people feel so connected to this distinctive vision as if it were their own experience. I felt its moral quality – how this unique power can heal the world with its kindness.”
Soul is revealed live
The singer further explained that he is generally a very spiritual person. He spends a lot of time in nature, goes to church and meditates regularly. But at the concert he allegedly realized that nothing was as powerful and impressive as the power that a live concert could ignite.
Speaking specifically about the Radiohead show, he added: “I think the Radiohead audience responded not only to the music, which was breathtaking, but also to the bravery of the artists – the sheer audacity of standing in front of an audience and baring their souls. Like everyone else there, I was deeply moved and humbled.”
Two sides of the same experience
What Cave experienced at Radiohead is something his own fans regularly describe about his concerts. The intense shows with the Bad Seeds, often lasting several hours, or in more intimate formats such as the “Conversations” performances, have long had a reputation for being much more than ordinary performances. Fans report cathartic moments, tears and hugs among strangers, an atmosphere that is reminiscent of a gathering of like-minded people – a mass in the original sense of the word.
The parallel between Cave’s own shows and his description of the Radiohead concert is striking. Both acts create spaces in which vulnerability becomes strength, in which the audience does not just consume but becomes part of a collective, almost sacred moment. Cave recognized in Radiohead the “moral quality” and “healing power” that he himself had invoked on stage for decades. In his description of the Radiohead audience – “deeply moved and humbled” – he might as well be describing his own crowd. These are modern masses that do not celebrate dogmas, but rather the power of music to touch, connect and transform people.
Plus: There was even a direct connection between Cave and the band in 2025. More specifically, this is about Radiohead member and bassist Colin Greenwood. He stood in for Bad Seeds bassist Martyn Casey when Nick Cave was on tour with the band in North America.