The Lights in the Sky are Waving Goodbye

Nine Inch Nails live from the Planet Hollywood Theatre for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas, NV - Dec. 13, 2008

This marks my 8th NIN show, in 6 different cities in 3 different countries. Variety is the spice of life!

Rather than retype the setlist, I'll just say it was the same as Victoria's, except we lost The Wretched, Vessel, and God Given, but got The Great Destroyer and Reptile. Some quick notes:

- The reason why Josh Freese has earned the moniker of JFF (Josh Fuckin' Freese) from NIN fans
- The Big Come Down is officially the most badass live song that NIN will ever perform. I demand that it be included in every show from now on
- Bombshell of the night was news that not only was this Josh's last show, but Alessandro's as well. We were all prepared for Josh's leaving, but Ally's leaving was a shocker.
- Because of said departures, Trent announced he was gonna deconstruct everything and tour as a 4-piece in 2009
- Trent also said that he wanted to put those screens up in his house to watch porn on, and something about big titties and granny panties. Don't believe me? See the whole speech about it here.

Thanks for all the great memories Josh, of all the drummers NIN has had, you were by far my favorite. And thanks to Alessandro Cortini, it was unfortunate that you were always back there behind the consoles and keyboards, because we could barely see you, but you rocked more than most people realize.

So that concludes the Lights in the Sky over North America 2008 tour. It will be missed. We won't get that fancy 3D theatrical show of it, but hopefully there will be an official DVD (and Blu-Ray) of it, 3D or not. Looking forward to see what that new 4-piece can do. While I hate that Josh and Ally are gone, the new drummer should be able to bring something new to the table that will make the old songs sound new again, I can't wait!

Vegas was fun; as big and fanciful as the hotels look on the outside, they are even grander and glitzier on the inside. The Luxor-pyramid, the Venetian's indoor Venice recreation were just a couple of the landmarks that dazzled me. The blisters on my feet would like to suggest you bring very comfortable walking shoes. And finally, spending 13 hours at the Las Vegas airport is not as fun as it sounds, in fact, it's not fun at all, enough said.

Lights in the Sky Over Victoria, BC

Nine Inch Nails live from the Save On Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria, BC - Dec. 5, 2008


While the setlist for the most part was the same as the show I went to in Seattle, there were a few additions and different visuals for many of the songs which made it a new and different experience. The crowd as a whole was, for the most part, better than Seattle. Or maybe it just seemed that way because I was getting high off all the marijuana fumes? There are still those random retards that need to shut the hell up during the quiet songs. They played more than enough loud and raucous songs for you to go apeshit to.

This was their longest performance yet, and by the end my entire body was sore. And I wasn't even in the thick of it; as usual I parked myself in the middle of the floor at the outer edge of the mosh pit, but found myself sucked into the bedlam during the high energy songs like Wish and Head Like A Hole. I'll have seats for Vegas, although everyone knows there won't be a single ass in a seat once NIN steps onstage; but at least it'll help to be able to have a seat before NIN starts. Drummer Josh Freese seemed to be adding even more flair to his performances now that he's about to say goodbye. The entire band was fantastic as usual, with the multi-talented performers each tackling multiple instruments for the 2 hour and 15 minute performance. It really has to be said that these guys give it their all and work their asses off to put on a smooth show.

Setlist with some personal observations and notes:

1. 999,999
2. 1,000,000 - a great intro to the show and to their newest album
3. Letting You - my favorite part is the end when Robin lets loose on guitars and Josh goes crazy on the drums
4. Discipline - boy this with 1,000,000 and Letting You sure would make great DLC for Rock Band 2. Nine Inch Nails Track Pack 03 anyone??? We're waiting for this Harmonix!!
5. March of the Pigs
6. Head Down - the guitar in this song live is just searing, crazy live energy especially from Robin and Josh
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched - missed this last time, so glad to have it back this time. It's amazing how much you crave something when you haven't heard it live in so long
9. Closer (To The Only Time) - new Trent-face-cam on the big screen like they did for The Greater Good. Very cool, made you get into the song even more especially when you see Trent's face on the big screen screaming the song's chorus
10. Gave Up
11. Corona Radiata
12. The Warning - one of my least favorites off Year Zero, but now one of my favorites after hearing it live
13. Vessel - "Oh. My. God. Can it go any faster?" Just awesome! The visuals, the pulsing bass drops, the crazy electronic stuttering; One of my favorites off Year Zero is even better live
14. 21 Ghosts III - just absolutely loved the whole Ghosts section, I said it before and I'll say it again, I would love to see an entire performance in this style!
15. 28 Ghosts IV
16. 19 Ghosts III
17. Piggy
18. The Greater Good
19. Pinion
20. Wish
21. Terrible Lie
22. Survivalism - no girl in the washroom this time, but instead NIN's crazy headbanging tech and a couple guys going at it
23. The Big Come Down - this has become my favorite song to hear live, and it didn't disappoint. Just pure energy personified. You can tell how good a song is not by what's played, but by what's not played. How many times have I read reviews for other shows that go "No Big Come Down :'("
24. 31 Ghosts IV - new visuals at one point made my head spin when it looked like the band was in a blender, very trippy!
25. Only - like Ghosts 31, there was a point here that made my head spin. Has to be seen live, words just don't do it justice
26. The Hand That Feeds
27. Head Like A Hole

Encore:
28. Echoplex - the screen didn't screw up this time, great to hear live
29. The Good Soldier
30. God Given - another new addition, my favorite part of this live is the new bass line which does not exist in the studio version
31. Hurt
32. In This Twilight - my favorite song off Year Zero closes it out again. I especially like the end which has a building crescendo and then finally slowly fades out as each member is spotlighted and given their own separate curtain calls

Click here for attendee-submitted media (pics & vids) from the show on NIN.com.

Ears still ringing, but my ears should heal in time for them to get abused again in Vegas. Last show of the tour, last show for Josh Freese, and the last big production show of this scale. If that means more small venue shows, that is definitely not a bad thing. It should be epic. See you there!