Big Day Out/Aukland transcription

Scribed by Cam Bennett

At last, the full and unexpurgated tale of the Auckland Big Day Out gig.

Firstly, the Dirty 3 failed to show for their 4pm gig. The next artist was hurriedly pushed on stage. They finally showed at 5pm, Warren was sorry, he'd "fallen asleep in the bath". Sniff. Spit. They were only given time for 3 tunes, Warren had lost his voice so he had to rant for a few minutes between each song. They were wonderful, it was my first time but they made it worth the wait. The man is a Star. While they were playing on stage 3, in the tent, it hosed down outside. Massive wetness.

Cut to later. Rage Against the Machine are completing a hugely uninspiring set. For some reason there is moshing and crowd- surfing going back as far as the sound tower, about 50 metres. The stadium is ankle deep in mud, but there are crash barriers up keeping the crowd off the turf behind the sound tower: there is a rugby game scheduled in three weeks. The covered stadium to the left of the stage is full. When RATM finally conclude many many 14-18 year olds head off for the tent to watch Rancid. There is space in front of the stage. My sister and I are about 15 meters back, standing on a sheet of plywood. Our feet are wet. The sun is very low in the sky; the clouds are lowering and the breeze smells of rain, but it only spits occassionally for the next hour. All the bands so far have played in front of a black curtain, the Bad Seeds have raised a huge white backdrop. I don't know why, but it looks really white.

The Bad Seeds file on, there's a cheer, some tuning noises, and they start to play a bluesy riff. Nick comes on, there's a bigger cheer, he starts to sing.

Stagger Lee

[Nick is verbatim. Editorial is in square brackets.]
[Blixa did the screaming in this, what an amazing sound.] Hello. This is Do You Love Me.

Do You Love Me

Thanks. Thank you. Can you tell them to give it to me?
[This was addressed off stage]

I wanna tell you about a girl.

From Her To Eternity

Here's Warren Ellis, ladies and gentlemen, the Dirty 3. The nature boy on violin. This song is called Mercy. It's about John the Baptist [new fact!], you know who he was? He was Jesus Christ's cousin, the man who was unfit to tie the laces of his shoes.

Mercy

[Warren's amp wasn't working, roadies rushed around but there was only a bit of violin at the end. A shame.]

We're having, we're having a few problems up here. Can you hear that? Can you hear that sort of phoom sound? That's not part of the song.
[Some of the sounds were from the Porno For Pyros sound check on the next stage.]

It's not supposed to sound like that.

[audience request] We could play that, yes.

So, what's it like living in Tasmania, all right? No, really.

How interesting.

Did anyone see us at the Town Hall when we played here a couple of years ago? We'd like, I'd like, on behalf of the band, to make a full apology for that concert. The piano player was drunk. A bit.

Loverman

[he sang "R is for Rape me, M is for Molest me" - a molest ballad]

Here's a song I wrote for my ex-wife [?!]

Jack The Ripper

All right, this song's called Red Right Hand. We're going to do a really long section of slow songs now. You don't like the shoes? I got them for Christmas. I've had my doubts as well, to be honest with you.

Red Right Hand

[he sang "you don't like that girl you're with, he'll get you a different one"]

Thank you.
[Mick Harvey complained about the sound, off mike]

Ah, we don't have the piano out front. Well, we have a problem. I'll explain it to you. The piano isn't coming out front, and practically all of our songs are based around the piano. There's a little hum. Is it coming out the front? [cheer] Well, they can hear. Um.

All right. Would you like to hear one of our favourite songs, a song that we've never ever played before. It's the best song we've ever written, it's a Christian humanist number. Um, we'll do this song, it's called Into My Arms. This is the first time we'll play it, and probably the last. We never played it before. It's sad, it's beautiful, it's fresh, it's new, ladies and gentlemen, Into My Arms.

Into My Arms

Well I don't believe in an interventionist God
But darling I know that you do
And if I did I would get down and ask him
Not to intervene when it came to you
but ????? leave you as you are
he felt he had to direct you
to direct you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord x4

I don't believe in the existence of angels
But looking at you darling, I wonder if that's true
And if I did, I would summon them together
And ask them to all watch over you
to each life ?????????
and walk like Christ with peace and love
to guide you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord x4

Well I believe in love [!?]
And I know that you do too
I believe in spiritual pain
Yeah we can walk down, me and you
So keep the candles burning
make the journey bright and pure
[so] that you'll keep returning
always and evermore
Into my arms, oh Lord x4

Was that a beautiful song or not. [crowd: yay. I think this is Nick's sweetest song yet, although the arrangement is still a bit cheesy, and it seems to be in the wrong key, Nick had to keep stretching down for the notes. But it is lovely, and sweet, and elegant, and nothing like the pompous, bloated, turgid, melodramatic Ship Song]

Can you hear the piano [crowd: yay] You can. All right, it's working, all right.

Your Funeral My Trial

[This started with just Mick on piano and I guess Martyn on bass. Blixa stayed off for all of this song and the next]

Right, thank you. Listen, we have a [sic] album coming out very shortly called Murder Ballads, which is a whole record of songs dealing with the subject of murder. It's a pretty dumb idea, I know, but it's gunna sell millions and make everyone rich, and uh... Anyway, this is a song off it. Actually, this song is for Kylie Minogue, because, um, she's unable to be here, due to, um, I don't know why, [unintelligible], but this song is for her. It's about a guy, it's not Where The Wild Roses Grow, we can't do that because she's not here, but it's another song, very similar, same idea, death, river, all that sort of shit. Warren Ellis on the violin. A murder ballad.

The Willow Garden

Thank you. Well, thank you, you've been very kind, very patient. All right, here is a song that is a balm, is a balm, is a poultice, it's a balm for all the suffering in the world. Ah, yeah.

The Weeping Song

[Warren played on this too. Nick really fucked it up, he forget two verses in a row, just froze and didn't sing anything. By the end of it he was laughing his head off. A few thoughts: Murder Ballads is supposed to be this "comic" record, just a bunch of throwaway bits, but in support of it Nick played this really personal gig, wearing his heart on his sleeve you might say. Utterly perverse. Also, here he was in a stadium, and he played a gig that was astonishingly intimate (as well as personal), it was really restrained and melodic, and a million miles from the rock star hysteria of most of the other acts, trying to whip 20,000 people into a frenzy. It actually seemed closer than the Town Hall gig of 1992. It just seemed really cozy. Weird I know.]

All right thank you. [He yelled this, like a Rock Star should.]

Mercy Seat

[The big hit to finish with. This was a nastier version than the live one on the I Had A Dream Joe single. I don't know if he was pissed off at forgetting the lyrics from Weeping Song, or if they just play it nastier these days.]

Thank you. [He waved and left.]

[If anybody wants to trade for a tape of the show, e-mail me, bennett_c@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz]

-Cam