Cave in the Arena: the worst gig I have ever been to

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS, Pula, Arena, 5 August 2026.

This is definitively the worst gig of my life, and not because of the performer (fifth time I have seen him; my mate Daniela will say - pfft, amateur!), a monstrous heat, which I cannot take at all, not a breath of wind, up on the terraces of the Pula Arena that scorching stone I sat on for an hour and a bit before the start, from eight in the evening (get there later and there is nowhere to sit), a disaster, after a couple of songs I took off my soaked shirt (while cave stayed in the suit and shoes almost to the end - all Gucci, I found out later, on the way home, under the blessed air conditioning of the Art travel van, some expert behind me was explaining), and even that did not help. Right after going in I got two bottles of water and a juice from the bar, knowing there would be a crush later. I could not stand sitting there (fifth row of the terraces), after ten-odd songs I went outside, as far as the first-aid post, but then „Mercy seat“ woke me up a bit, and higher up near the top of the Arena there was some air, so I walked around a bit, leaned on things, sat, hyperventilated… If I survived this then hell will not be hard on me either… I thought straight away of the hell at the SMILE gig in Zagreb, but there only the Hall was awful, outside it was easier… never again the Arena at this time of year, unless by some miracle BJORK or TOM WAITS turn up… (not very likely for SHARON VAN ETTEN, BIG THIEF, BEIRUT…). Soz, this write-up is more about the heat, about me, than about cave, who did surprise a bit with the setlist on the second night… and one more thing - it really is not fair that when they add a new date, it lands before the one announced first, I reckon the 4th was better… and some people were at both and have written it up, so go on, slurp away…

Naturally I still remember fondly that legendary gig (my first) at Križanke in Ljubljana, 29 May 1994.

Križanke, 1994 · setlist, Arena Pula, 5 August 2026