Idiot Prayer

Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace is a concert film by Australian musician Nick Cave. It was streamed globally to ticket holders online on 23 July 2020. It was filmed by cinematographer Robbie Ryan and features Cave performing solo on piano at Alexandra Palace in London.

For the song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, see The Boatman's Call. For the song by Porcupine Tree, see Signify.

Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace
StarringNick Cave
Music byNick Cave
CinematographyRobbie Ryan
Edited byNick Emerson
Release date
  • 23 July 2020 (2020-07-23)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Background

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released its seventeenth studio album Ghosteen on 4 October 2019. The band announced a 33-date European and UK tour, due to begin on 19 April 2020 in Lisbon, Portugal and conclude on 17 June in Tel Aviv, Israel.[1] An 18-date North American tour, beginning on 16 September in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US and concluding on 17 October in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was also later announced.[2] A month prior to its commencement, it was announced that the European and UK tour was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all shows rescheduled to later dates in 2021;[3] three months later the North American tour was also cancelled.[4] In lieu of the cancelled shows, Cave recorded a solo performance that June at Alexandra Palace's West Hall in London, which featured songs from Ghosteen. The full performance was streamed globally as a concert film, Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace, on 23 July. It was filmed by cinematographer Robbie Ryan.[5]

Alexandra Palace

Speaking with NME, Robbie Ryan revealed the performance was recorded in one take with two cameras. Ryan also described his role, saying, "It was an interesting process for me, because there was no director really. Nick was the director of sorts, but he wouldn't call himself that. Normally in my world, you get picked by the director and then they run the show. This was different, so Nick was very curious about how we went about it and was very collaborative as to what I thought."[6]

Stream

Many viewers of the stream experienced buffering and freezing glitches. Organisers emailed ticket holders to apologise and announced the performance would be put online for those who purchased tickets to view from 24–26 July.[7]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Daily Telegraph[8]
Evening Standard[9]
Financial Times[10]
The Guardian[11]
i[12]
The Independent[13]
NME[14]
The Observer[15]
The Times[16]

In his review for Rolling Stone, Kory Grow praised Cave's arrangements for bringing "new depth to the songs" and also felt the "stark lighting" complemented each song.[17]

Set list
  1. "Spinning Song" (spoken word voiceover)
  2. "Idiot Prayer"
  3. "Sad Waters"
  4. "Brompton Oratory"
  5. "Palaces of Montezuma"
  6. "Girl in Amber"
  7. "Man in the Moon"
  8. "Nobody's Baby Now"
  9. "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For"
  10. "Waiting for You"
  11. "The Mercy Seat"
  12. "Euthanasia"
  13. "Jubilee Street"
  14. "Far from Me"
  15. "He Wants You"
  16. "Higgs Boson Blues"
  17. "Stranger Than Kindness"
  18. "Into My Arms"
  19. "The Ship Song"
  20. "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry"
  21. "Black Hair"
  22. "Galleon Ship"

References
  1. "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds European and UK Tour 2020". Nick Cave. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  2. Kohn, Daniel (18 February 2020). "Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Announce Fall Tour Dates". Spin. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  3. Reilly, Nick (19 March 2020). "Coronavirus: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds cancel European and UK tour". NME. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  4. Gregory, Allie (9 June 2020). "Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Cancel North American Tour". Exclaim!. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. Brandle, Lars (3 July 2020). "Nick Cave's 'Idiot Prayer' Virtual Concert Will Feature 'Rare Tracks'". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  6. Trendell, Andrew (23 July 2020). "Nick Cave's 'Idiot Prayer' livestream "captures the purest form of his music", promises cinematographer". NME. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. Bourke, Latika (23 July 2020). "Nick Cave's global streaming concert hit by technical issues". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  8. McCormick, Neil (23 July 2020). "Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace, review: mesmeric and quietly devastating". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  9. Smyth, David (23 July 2020). "Nick Cave - Idiot Prayer review: Gravitas echoes beautifully in the void of an empty Alexandra Palace". Evening Standard. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  10. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (24 July 2020). "Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave without The Bad Seeds". Financial Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  11. Hennessy, Kate (23 July 2020). "Nick Cave: Idiot Prayer review – livestreamed gig is not just solo, but starkly alone". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  12. Lewis, India (25 July 2020). "Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone, Alexandra Palace, review: Sadness and loneliness are thrown into sharp focus". i. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  13. Sturges, Fiona (23 July 2020). "Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace – review: 'Idiot Prayer' performance is stately and beautiful". The Independent. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  14. Cooper, Leonie (24 July 2020). "Nick Cave live in London: the breathtaking 'Idiot Prayer' is an exorcism of death, religion and romance". NME. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  15. O'Hagan, Sean (25 July 2020). "Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace review – utterly magnetic". The Observer. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  16. Hodgkinson, Will (24 July 2020). "Nick Cave: Idiot Prayer review — poignant, thought-provoking . . . and rather boring". The Times. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  17. Grow, Kory (24 July 2020). "Nick Cave Thrives in Solitude in Socially Distanced 'Idiot Prayer' Concert Film". Rolling Stones. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
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