Nick Cave Is Bringing Music and Candid Fan Q&As Back to the Stage

Nick Cave plans to put conversation at the heart of his next US tour, pairing audience questions with piano-backed performances of his songs. The Australian musician will take the solo show, titled “Conversations With Nick Cave,” on the road next spring, offering fans a format that blends live music with the kind of direct exchanges familiar from his online project, The Red Hand Files. Cave said the idea grew out of an earlier run of appearances across the United States, when he stepped onstage in different cities and responded to questions from the audience. What initially felt unusual eventually became, in his words, a healing experience. Eight years after that first tour, he wants to return to the approach, this time with a piano alongside him. “America is different today than it was eight years ago,” Cave said, describing the plan to play songs and take questions. He added a wry note about the prospect, joking that he wondered what could possibly go wrong. The new dates will give audiences a chance to hear him speak directly as well as perform, rather than experience a conventional concert alone. The first version of the tour took place in 2018. During those evenings, Cave spoke openly about grieving the death of his son and said that conversations with the crowd had helped him cope with the loss. He also discussed practical and musical subjects, including saying he was not opposed to concert photography and would be willing to work again with former Bad Seeds member Blixa Bargeld. According to the report, the upcoming tour will revive that intimate, question-led format while adding piano performances.