Thursday, September 11, 2008
Lights In The Sky at The Forum
This is a pretty good review of the show from Saturday at The Forum. I took it from www.artistdirect.com
It's hard to forget a Nine Inch Nails show. Each NIN tour has become legendary in its own right. In 1994, the Self Destruct Tour saw the band become an arena rock juggernaut in the wake of their essential classic, The Downward Spiral. The trek culminated with NIN's famous 1994 Woodstock set, which left a mud-covered crowd salivating for more. In 2000, the Fragility 2.0 trek saw the band emerge from years of silence and leave a trail of stunned, sold-out audiences behind them. Their 2005 headlining gig at Coachella caused jaws to collectively drop across the Indio valley, as did the With Teeth tour that followed. Those instances all have a healthy amount of time between them, and NIN's career seems marked by that prolonged quiet before the flashes of recorded brilliance.
However, since 2005, it's seems as if NIN hasn't left the road. So with that, Mr. Reznor has to keep crowds guessing. As prolific as ever—both Ghosts I-V and The Slip were released online this year—Trent decided to step his game up even more. It's because of that mentality that Lights In the Sky happened this summer. It's quite possibly one of the most thrilling aural experiences of the year. The show shouldn't even be called a simple "concert." It's much more than that.
Along with Kanye West's Glow In the Dark Tour, one of NIN's best attractions on this run is the light show. It's hard to compete with Reznor's epic vision on record, but live, it's even harder. At The Forum in Los Angeles, NIN kicked off a two-hour plus set with the pummeling combination of "1,000,000" and "Letting You." Immediately, a bombast of strobe lights ignited a sensory overload. The lights' intensity matched the music's staccato, industrial punishment. Reznor, clad in a blood-red shirt and black pants, commanded the death march. His razor sharp wail sounded more pained than ever, and he synched up with the gnashing guitars through each and every howl. Then came "March of the Pigs." As the band tore through the classic, the crowd went unequivocally crazy for the first time that night. From 666-emblazoned goth girls to blackberry-wielding L.A. industry types, everyone lost his or her mind to the din of Reznor's apocalyptic industrial thrash. When the keyboards took over, and he screamed, "Now doesn't it make you feel better," all eyes couldn't leave the stage. At the end of the song, he brought the audience back to 1994 again as he violently whipped the mic stand, throwing it across the stage. Meanwhile, the lights opened and closed like some kind of bionic curtain fluttering in the winds of pure aggression.
"The Frail," from the band's arguably most underrated album The Fragile, gave a slow, moody reprieve. Reznor took over the keyboards alone. One lone spotlight shone on him, as he strangled the crowd's attention with a maudlin, neo-classical piano melody that could serve as the most beautiful funeral dirge ever. The song's buildup was big and ominous, chronicling NIN's darkest hour within it's brightest show. During a heavier jam on the depressive stripper anthem "Closer," red lights bent back and forth, and everyone in the crowd chanted the song's church-prodding chorus.
"Gave Up" exploded with a viral intensity that flooded the crowd like a shockwave. It was a fiery explosion of energy, and then the curtain dropped. Sticks of light began dancing and gyrating, as Reznor and Co. stood behind a transparent screen. Their shadows resembled a gothic painting as the lights flashed around, faintly illuminating them during "The Warning."
After "Vessel," the band played an instrumental acoustic set culled from Ghosts. The set was quiet and trippy. It proved to be a bit long, but the outdoor backdrops gave the stage an entrancing depth that made up for the quaint ere. However, Trent quickly turned things around with a creepy, almost-acoustic rendition of "Piggy" at the end of the Ghosts section. Even though the instrumental section wasn't as powerful as the rest of the set, it still saw NIN pushing their own limits.
Suddenly, the snowy red foreground on the screen was erased like a skyscraper window cleaner, and the opening strains of "Pinion" began. Trent launched into "Wish," and its avalanche of lights and distorted energy simply bludgeoned. The raw feedback and massive groove were enough to spark equal amounts of moshing and dancing. "Head Like A Hole" resounded like a goth national anthem, while on "Only," Trent appeared within a snow of lights in front of the screen, washing away the fuzz. "Survivalism," "The Hand That Feeds" and "The Big Comedown" all proved equally incendiary.
Near the end of the set, Reznor spoke for the first time, asking, "Do you want to hear something happy and light or something depressing and horrible?" With a smirk, the band began the rarely played "Reptile," and its sensually strangling chorus ripped with a vile sexuality. The green lights and smoke functioned as the perfect foreground.
"Hurt" proved ever the poignant closer. As the last feedback strains rotted through the silence, it felt like NIN had become stronger than ever. A more positive ending, "In This Twilight" came as an encore, pushing NIN into the stratosphere. Lights In the Sky was nothing short of epic, and, in true Nine Inch Nails fashion, it'll be talked about for years to come.
—Rick Florino
09.08.08
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
Two Things That Made My Monday!
I sign into my computer at work and find in big letters on the NIN blog on MySpace that there's a new album for free download. I nearly crapped my pants. It's called The Slip. It awesome. Download it, everyone. It's free. The Slip 
If the new NIN wasn't enough, I then get a link to this video:
He's having a frickin' tour!?!? Dagnabbit! It starts the week of my birthday. I just may have to trek over to Phoenix to see him. I need to see this man perform live before he is no longer performing!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Discipline by NIN
Click the link below to download the new NIN single "Discipline" for FREE!
Trent, I love you.
Discipline
Monday, April 07, 2008
The Finck Is Back!
Oh Sweet Baby Jesus In A Bounce House!
I'm fucking flying with excitement right now. Robin Finck is back in the band.
Which band? NIN you numb nut! He was one of the original live line up. He left NIN to join the circus and now he is back. I cannot wait until the show in September!
The above is the recent pic Trent posted on www.nin.com
Below is the pic of him from the OG days.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
New NIN Tour Dates for 2008!
As taken from www.nin.com...
27 March 2008: We are coming!
Lots going on in the world of nine inch nails...
Confirming a very poorly kept secret, the band has been reformed (details coming!) and we are about to embark on an extensive tour. The first wave of dates I can mention at this time appear below. Many more to come!
See you soon.
July 25 Pemberton BC Pemberton Festival
July 26 Seattle WA Key Arena at Seattle Center
July 28 Edmonton ALB Rexall Place
July 29 Calgary ALB Pengrowth Saddledome
July 31 Winnipeg MAN MTS Centre
August 2 Minneapolis MN Target Center
August 5 Toronto ONT Air Canada Centre
August 7 Uncasville CT Mohegan Sun Arena
August 8 Worcester MA DCU Center
August 12 Knoxville TN Knoxville Civic Coliseum
August 13 Duluth GA Gwinnett Arena
August 15 Oklahoma City OK Ford Center
August 16 Houston TX Toyota Center
August 18 Dallas TX American Airlines Center
August 20 Saint Louis MO Scottrade Center
August 22 Cleveland OH Quicken Loans Arena
August 23 Auburn Hills MI Palace of Auburn Hills
August 27 East Rutherford NJ Izod Center
August 29 Philadelphia PA Wachovia Center
August 31 Lexington KY Rupp Arena
September 2 Morrison CO Red Rocks Amphitheater
September 3 Salt Lake City UT The E Center Of West Valley
September 5 Oakland CA Oracle Arena (formerly Oakland Arena)
September 6 Inglewood CA The Forum
posted by Trent Reznor at 2:34 PM pst, from los angeles.
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