Key Arena, Seattle, Washington - Sat. Jul. 26, 2008
This is my 6th NIN concert yet, and every time I walk out of one I'm always saying "That was the best one yet, there's no way they can top that." Yet every single time they manage to do it, and this night was not an exception. I can't wait to see what Trent's got up his sleeve for next time.
Where to start? Let's start with the stage setup, NIN's most elaborate yet. I would wager that it's more complicated than if you combined all of NIN's big stage setups from previous tours together. At the back is a solid wall LED screen. A swinging light grid that is bright as heck (good on you, those few who brought sunglasses!), and two light grids, 1 concave at the back, and 1 convex at the rear. They can be arranged up and down and are sometimes used in tandem to create some really psychedelic effects. It's the next best thing to taking drugs, in fact, it's probably even better!
The great thing about NIN is that the price you pay for your ticket is all up there on the stage. Even cooler, NIN.com did fan presales for absolutely free. You get early access to the best seats in the house, early access to the venue, and with that the possibility of a meet and greet and/or a soundcheck. Plus you get your own personalized NIN ticket, and you don't pay Ticketmaster's ridiculous "convenience" charges. Did I mention it was FREE? And the price you pay, it's all up there on the stage. Usually you feel ripped off paying high prices to go to a live show, but I have never felt more rewarded for going to a concert, ever.
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The Visuals - simply amazing. There are so many elements, that work in tandem to create an unbelievable surreal viewing experience. NIN live is not just about the music, but also about what you see. I loved how the stage setup was introduced in layers, like NIN's music. They start out with just the standard lights, then as the performance continues, add in another element one by one, until finally they're all
The Setlist (with my song specific comments added):
1. 999,999
2. 1,000,000
3. Letting You - Josh Freese is the most balls to the walls drummer out there.
4. Discipline - a new crowdpleaser. Why isn't this in Rock Band yet???
5. March of the Pigs - We are finally introduced to the swinging light grid here, and boy is it bright. If you stared at it long enough, you would go blind for sure.
6. Head Down - Trent rocks the Tambourine before tossing it the crowd; that's one hell of a souvenir.
7. The Frail - strangely segued into Closer. Was expecting The Wretched. Oh well.
8. Closer (To The Only Time) - again performed with The Only Time breakdown at the end, as has been the case since 2005.
9. Gave Up
10/11. (Corona Radiata) The Warning - first time hearing this live. Along with The Great Destroyer played with the band members silhouetted in front of the convex light grid.
12. The Great Destroyer
13. 1 Ghosts I - this section of the concert changed the setup slightly and had many members playing different setups. It was fantastic and I would love to see an entire performance done in this manner.
14. 25 Ghosts III - I have to admit this is my least favorite song from Ghosts I-IV, and it still is. But I'll be damned if I don't say that this live version kicks ass in a way I thought was not impossible. Trent rocking out to the Xylophone has to be seen to be experienced, words just don't do it justice. Add that to another thing NIN can do that all other rock bands couldn't pull off on their best days (like rocking out with a Tambourine, and having a kickass keyboard solo in the middle of an all-out rock song -- Gave Up)
15. 19 Ghosts III - More Josh Freese drum-ass-kickery and Trent xylophone-awesomeness. 'Nuff said.
16. Piggy - this new "Ghosts" style version of Piggy is my favorite live performance of it yet. As with the previous Ghosts songs, new bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen played the standup bass (a NIN first!).
17. The Greater Good - I still can't get over how cool the visual for this is. I'm not even gonna spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet. Don't bother looking it up on Youtube or anything, it just doesn't do it justice. You've gotta see it live.
18. Pinion - weird hearing this in the middle of the concert, because it's always been at the beginning!
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie - this is one of those old non-single songs that has just become a fan favorite, everybody sings and moshes along like crazy.
21. Survivalism - the backdrop gave us live security cam footage from around the arena a la the music video. There were 8 of em, but honestly I was just watching the one with the chick in the bathroom stall.
22. The Big Come Down - one of my new go-to songs from NIN to absolutely rock out to (just watch the one they do on the BYIT DVD). Visually, there were vertically hanging fluorescent tubes that swung around in a neat way.
23. 31 Ghosts IV - one of the more rocking song from Ghosts, appropriately rocked out to
24. Only - new intro (almost made me think they were gonna play an all-new song until the familiar guitar chord was played), new sound (due to old/new guitarist), and new visuals, the best Only yet! The visuals were again pretty damn amazing.
25. The Hand That Feeds
26. Head Like A Hole - having been to so many NIN shows, like most NIN fans, when HLAH is played, we rock the fuck out not only because the song kick ass, but also because it usually signals the end of NIN's set. We have been trained to expect the end, like Pavlov's Bell. It could've ended here and we would all be satisfied, but that wasn't the end of it.
Encore:
27. Echoplex - the video screen here was cool, with drummer Josh Freese heading out in front of one of the grid screens and manipulating the beat until finally the beat for the song begins. The song kicks much ass live, a very welcome addition to the setlist. Again, why isn't this in Rock Band yet?
28. The Beginning of the End
29. The Good Soldier - More Year Zero goodness.
30. Hurt - done different than the With Teeth tour version, which had mainly Trent singing by himself with a piano. Now the whole band is playing for the most part. Also, everybody just needs to shut the fuck up during this song. Don't scream, don't clap, just shut up and enjoy it or get the fuck out!
31. In This Twilight - did not see this coming at all, but man, what a pleasant surprise! Had a nice little piano outro by Trent before thanked us and left the stage.
Everything was great, but if I had to pick a highlight, I would have to say The Greater Good for it's visuals. Another highlight would be In This Twilight. I didn't expect another song after Hurt, let alone my favorite track off Year Zero. Not a bad way to close the show out at all.
There were some technical difficulties, this being the first official night of the tour and all, but that's to be expected, and none of them took away from the enjoyment of the show. That's one of the bad things about going to one of the early shows. However, the good things far outweigh them. The surprise at the stage setup and setlist aren't ruined, and you don't have to wait weeks or months for them to reach your area, which can seem like an eternity for NIN fans. The moshpit was the most sedate I've been to yet, the Seattle crowd is nowhere near as rabid as Vancouver or Osaka. More assholes than usual, but sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad, and in the end, it was all good.
All in all, this was the longest show I've been to yet, about 2 hours and 5 minutes, 31 songs. Just amazing on all accounts. Visuals, music, performance, energy, everything was top notch. Do yourself a favor and see as many shows as possible. I want this in Blu-ray high-def ultra-realism now. Audio is already available (big thanks to the person who recorded and released it in such a timely manner), so hit me up if you want a copy.
To finish, some pics of two tees I got.
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