Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds deliver a masterclass in communion as NOS Alive 2026 opens in Algés
The 18th edition of NOS Alive opened on 9 July 2026 with contrasting headline sets from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and Twenty One Pilots, plus a solo debut from The National's Matt Berninger, a rare A Perfect Circle appearance, and the festival's first literary stage.
A master of the intimate arena
On a Thursday night on the Passeio Marítimo de Algés, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds played for more than two hours, drawing tens of thousands into what multiple outlets described as a rare rock'n'roll communion. Cave, in his habitual dark suit, worked the stage-edge relentlessly, stretching out his hands to the front rows and turning call-and-response passages ("yeah yeah yeah" and "na na na") into exercises in crowd control. "Obrigado, muito obrigado. Eu não falo português... mais ou menos," he said, recalling the time he lived in São Paulo with his first wife, Viviane Carneiro, before joking, "Como é que se diz 'muito lindo' em português? Nick Cave."
Obrigado, muito obrigado. Eu não falo português... mais ou menos. Como é que se diz 'muito lindo' em português? Nick Cave.
The set balanced recent material from the album "Wild God" with career-spanning anchors. The show opened with "From Her to Eternity" and "Train Long Suffering", then moved through "Tupelo", "Hollywood", "The Mercy Seat", "Red Right Hand", "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry", "Jubilee Street", and "Henry Lee". "Joy" supplied one of the expected ritual moments for the audience. The band left the stage after a single-song encore, with Cave alone at the centre piano for a hushed "Into My Arms", sung by thousands.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds no NOS Alive: uma luz tremenda na escuridão, um Homem com H maiúsculo.
Twenty One Pilots bring the apocalypse
Twenty One Pilots closed the Palco NOS with a production built around masks, confetti, flaming torches, acrobatics, and an apocalyptic visual narrative. The duo, originally from Columbus, Ohio, drew a generational line through the festival crowd, with a younger fan base that knew every lyric. Tyler Joseph pulled an audience member named Rui on stage during the fan favourite "Ride" for an impromptu duet. The setlist folded in a cover of The White Stripes’ "Seven Nation Army" and ended with the established closing pair "Stressed Out" and "Trees".
Multiple reporters noted that despite their pyrotechnic finish, a portion of the field had emptied earlier, when Nick Cave's followers dispersed. "Os cabeças de cartaz deixaram o festival a meio gás - apesar de terem despejado a botija," wrote Notícias ao Minuto.
A stage debut and a rare return
Matt Berninger played his first solo set at the festival on the same stage where he has previously appeared as the frontman of The National. Earlier in the evening, A Perfect Circle delivered a 50-minute set that Expresso called a triumph of intensity, their first Portuguese appearance in many years. Maynard James Keenan led the supergroup, which includes Josh Freese, through a performance that attracted dedicated superfans wearing the band's crescent-moon logo.
- The Royston Club open the day; Dogstar (with Keanu Reeves) play amiable rock on the second stage.
- Alabama Shakes deliver an intimate soul set fronted by Brittany Howard.
- A Perfect Circle play a 50-minute set on the Palco NOS, their first Portuguese show in many years.
- Matt Berninger performs his first solo set at the festival.
- Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds play over two hours, closing with a solo-piano 'Into My Arms'.
- Twenty One Pilots close the Palco NOS with masks, confetti, torches and a 'Seven Nation Army' cover.
Alabama Shakes and Dogstar in support
On the second stage, Alabama Shakes, fronted by Brittany Howard, gave what Expresso described as an intimate soul show, "o antídoto ideal para o concerto anterior". That earlier slot belonged to Dogstar, the band featuring actor Keanu Reeves on bass, whose amiable rock was characterised as "simpático mas inofensivo". The Royston Club opened the day and surprised sceptical early arrivals.
A new literary stage and a prime ministerial sighting
For its 18th edition, Everything is New promoter Álvaro Covões added a Palco Literário to the programme, hosting author conversations before the music began. Valter Hugo Mãe and Pedro Chagas Freitas appeared on the first day, though Chagas Freitas spoke to a half-empty tent as the main stage opened simultaneously. Prime Minister Luís Montenegro was among those attending the evening's concerts, SIC Notícias reported.
Key festival figures
Across roughly nine hours of programming on 9 July, the festival fielded more than a dozen acts. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds played over two hours. A Perfect Circle clocked 50 minutes. Total attendance figures were not published by the organisers, but the main stage area was described as full for Cave and very densely packed for the Pilots' closer. Portugal remains a reliable stronghold for Cave, the night marking roughly his 20th concert in the country over the course of his career.
