Nick Cave is made a chevalier in Arles, with Colin Greenwood on bass

Nick Cave was made a chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in Arles town hall on 26 July, hours before he and Colin Greenwood played the city's Roman theatre. Cave is at the piano on this tour and Greenwood, on bass, is the only other musician; Arles was the last of their five French nights.

Bertrand Burgalat, president of SNEP, the French record industry's body, handed Cave the insignia in the salle d'honneur, and the mayor, Patrick de Carolis, gave him the medal of the city. Cave was visibly moved. He spoke of finding Rimbaud and Baudelaire when he was young and of what French culture had meant to his work, and paid tribute to his wife Susie, who was with him. He also admitted he had not understood a word of the mayor's speech.

At the Philharmonie de Paris in early July Greenwood got a bass solo in “Jubilee Street”, with a little light turned on him. On the second Paris night he was already in place when the lights came up and applauded Cave's entrance with everyone else, then left the stage three times. Jérôme Barbarossa of Benzine called Greenwood's part modest but central, there to keep the recital from turning dry.

Cave told the Paris hall the idea was to find the essence of the songs, after the huge shows of the Bad Seeds tour. He had stopped playing “Skeleton Tree” for the pain it held, he said, until a question on the Red Hand Files brought him back to it, and halfway through he fumbled the piano and started again.

In Cannes on 24 July, two days after the last of the Italian nights in Rome, Simon Pégurier of Concert and Co could not hear Greenwood at all. He blamed an odd mix and called it a Nick Cave solo piano concert in all but name, though a very good one of nearly three hours. The Palais des Festivals had sold out within hours, yet many seats stood empty.

In Arles, Objectif Sud found Greenwood unobtrusive but essential, stepping into the light when the bass came in and dropping back when Cave's voice needed to be alone. The Théâtre Antique was filled past capacity for 22 songs over two and a half hours. Cave dedicated “Avalanche” to Leonard Cohen and “Cosmic Dancer” to T. Rex. As “Push the Sky Away” ended a few fans went down to the foot of the stage, Cave told security to let them, and the whole theatre stood and came forward. He shook hands and signed autographs, then sat back down for the encore, which ended with “Into My Arms” sung with the audience.

The French nights