Nick Cave in Plovdiv: Songs for lost angels and wandering souls

Prayers in stone and darkness

My t-shirt for the concert

It was a wednesday. Miracles and darkness always seem to arrive on wednesdays. The story of this concert began long before that night. The ticket was a gift from my friends. It was one of the most beautiful gifts I’ve ever received, for one of those nights that stays etched in your memory like a delicate scar.

Under the Plovdiv sky, surrounded by ancient stones, the music became a prayer. It was for the lost and the found. It was for those who still believe in miracles.

The first chords of “Girl in Amber” opened the doors to another world. This is a world where pain has its own rhythm, hope has its own voice, and Nick Cave is their preacher.

Long before that wednesday night, I had said this wouldn’t be an ordinary concert. It would be an intimate evening. And it was. There was a strange, beautiful closeness in the air. As Cave himself said, “It’s like we’re in a living room, I like it.” The amphitheater in Plovdiv is small. I don’t know how many of us were there, but once the lights went out, it felt like each of us was having a private moment with Cave.

I wish I could describe everything, from the very first second to the last. But I can’t. Maybe I don’t even want to. For me, it was something very personal. Usually, concerts leave you with a sense of joy, a high that lasts after the final note. But this time, it felt different. The end of the concert felt like leaving the home of a dear friend, someone you care about and who cares about you. It wasn’t a “goodbye.” It was a quiet “see you soon, take care of yourself.”

Here’s the setlist, exactly as it happened:

1. Girl in amber
2. Higgs boson blues
3. Jesus of the moon
4. O children
5. Cinnamon horses
6. Galleon ship
7. Skeleton tree
8. Papa won’t leave you, Henry
9. Balcony man
10. The mercy seat
11. The ship song
12. Avalanche (Leonard Cohen cover)
13. I need you
14. Waiting for you
15. Joy
16. The weeping song
17. Jubilee street
18. Push the sky away

(Encore)

19. Tupelo
20. God is in the house
21. Mermaids
22. Cosmic dancer (T. Rex cover)
23. Man in the moon (Grinderman cover)
24. Into my arms

Spotify playlist: here