Nick Cave.

I've just seen Nick Cave.

I've just seen Nick Cave 15 rows from the stage in Madison Square Garden.

So often I see my favorite performers and my expectations are too high. David Bowie. Nine Inch Nails. Tori Amos. U2. Good shows, but they couldn't match what I wanted.

Nick Cave did.

Even if it was Nick Cave as Grinderman, he still perched on the edge of the stage, hunch over the audience with his finger pointing like a tele-evangelist pumped full of the holy spirit. Then he stepped away and flailed and convulsed like he was possessed by the very demons he was previously expelling.

The music was loud. The vocals were vicious. The guitars were, well, grinding.

To be able to see my favorite musician during my last night in New York and have him completely blow me away is a perfect ending.

Nick Cave.

I was so overwhelmed when he walked onto the stage I probably seemed like a 13 year old girl at a Justin Timberlake concert.

I kind of wish I didn't just write that. But not enough to delete it.

I don't know who the opening act was but they were a rockabilly country act who brought out country music hall of famer Porter Wagoner and allowed him to perform most of his own material. The night had a great musical progression as Grinderman came out next and layered blues and punk onto the country and the White Stripes added rock and pieces of grunge and heavy metal. The Stripes impressed me for the first part of their set and then Jack and Meg became the neverending headache which turned into the neverending encore.

Some other things about the show: Nick Cave fell after "Get it On" and said "Now I can tell my children I fell on my ass in Madison Square Garden." Meg White also performed her first lead vocals in the Garden.

And Madison Square Garden is huge and amazing. The sound was wonderful. My seat was under Willis Reed and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe's retired jersey numbers.

What else happened today beside Nick Cave elation, you ask?

I got up at six and experienced a New York morning. I walked around Broadway and watched the traffic and people. I watched a bit of the Today Show being filmed, but got bored with it pretty fast.

We went to the Central Park Zoo today. It's a tiny zoo with about 8 exhibits feauring polar bears, seals, red pandas, an awesome bat flying free through the tropical rainforest section. It had a three foot wingspan. Some species of monkeys. it was interesting, just small.

I went to Rupert's Hello Deli, which is often featured on David Letterman. Rupert doesn't take credit cards, by the way. While we sat outside eating--well, Miranda ate, she had cash--a Letterman scout came and talked to us, seeing if we were interesting enough to be featured in a Letterman game at the Hello Deli. Neither of us stuck around to see if we were.

At around 4 I headed to to the Garden. I saw the Empire State Building and went into the Borders that is part of MSG. MSG is really interesting because it looks as if there is no way to shut it off from the outside world. There are no doors and it appears you could just walk into the lobby at anytime. Part of this is because the entrance to Penn Station is also inside this behemoth of an arena, but I would imagine there was some kind of gate that closes it up at night. An invicible force field maybe? Knick players patrolling the perimeter?

So this is the last update from New York. I will post one more once I get home Thursday. I'll try to post some pictures too.

You've been wonderful New York. See you in early October.

Yes, I'm already planning a return trip.
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