Nine Inch Nails: Peel It Back Tour Review (Part 2)

So it was suppose to be a boring break during the break between the Europe and North American legs of the Peel It Back tour, but the week before saw a pretty big personnel change. Then-current drummer Ilan Rubin was announced as The Foo Fighters' new drummer, replacing Josh Freese who had been let go from the band earlier this year. At the same time, it was announced that Josh Freese had returned to drum for NIN after he had drummed for them betwen 2005-08 (Interesting enough he was replaced by Ilan who been the drummer for NIN since 2009). It appears that Ilan told Trent that he had accepted the job with the Foos only for Trent to let him go and go back to Josh. This is about a week before the North American leg of the tour begin, by the way. A one for one drummer trade between The Foo Fighters and Nine Inch Nails. For me personally, it was great news, because Josh Freese has always been my favourite NIN drummer. As someone who likes to listen to live recordings of NIN shows, I've been skipping listening to shows with Ilan because Josh's drumming is that much better to me. No slight against Ilan, he's a great drummer and musician, but Josh is just the definitive NIN drummer for me. 

 

Moda Center, Portland, Oregon - Aug. 8, 2025

 

B Stage:

1. A Minute to Breathe - they've either been playing this or Right Where It Belongs as opener and I was glad to get it at least once this tour

2. Ruiner

3. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)

 

Main Stage:

4. Wish - This might be my favourite song that Josh drums on, the energy, the precision, and the double bass at the end of the song is just eargasmic

5. March of the Pigs

6. Reptile

7. Heresy - They played this at the Paris show, but during the 2nd part of the main stage set and featured unique visuals from that show

8. Copy of a

9. Gave Up 

 

B Stage:

10. She's Gone Away - always great to hear songs I've never experienced live before, this new interpretation of the song has been growing on me

11. As Alive as You Need Me to Be - another live debut for me, and one I keep going back to. As the latest single from the upcoming Tron: Ares film, I found the song to be fine. It's catchy and easy to listen to, but not among NIN's all time great songs. But wow, live, this is an incredible experience

12. Sin

13. Came Back Haunted 

 

Main Stage:

14. 1,000,000

15. Less Than

16. Closer

17. I'm Afraid of Americans

18. The Perfect Drug - Josh's drum solo is just *chef's kiss*

19. Head Like a Hole

20. Hurt

 

I have to say, I've seen multiple shows in the Portland area and the crowds have been fine if not a little laid back compared to other shows I've seen in other cities. However, this crowd was just on fire, singing along, headbanging and dancing to every thing and cheering loudly and proudly. Best crowd of the 4 shows I saw on this tour.

 

On my plane to Vancouver from Portland, I met a handful of other fans who like me, had been at the Portland show and were flying to Vancouver to see that show too. I had a good chat with a nice guy named Sharif, we raved about Josh Freese being back in the band as he's our favourite NIN drummer and one of our favourite drummers period. While this was my last show of this tour, he has the pleasure of going to 12 shows this tour. I've been to 22 shows overall, but he's got more than double with 50+ so I've got a lot of catching up to do. Nine Inch Nails travel well and it's always nice meeting other fans and talking about shows. NIN's music has a reputation for being dark, aggressive, sexual, depressing, etc. and that reputation extends to it's fans, and it can be true to an extent, but it's great to meet other "normal" people.

 

Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC - Aug. 10, 2025

 

B Stage:

1. Right Where It Belongs

2. Ruiner

3. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)

 

Main Stage:

4. Wish

5. March of the Pigs

6. Reptile

7. The Lovers

8. Copy of a

9. Gave Up

 

B Stage:

10. Vessel

11. The Warning

12. As Alive as You Need Me to Be

13. Came Back Haunted

 

Main Stage:

14. Somewhat Damaged - I has missed this at all 3 previous shows I was at, and was glad to finally hear it at this show, a personal favourite of mine

15. Less Than

16. Closer

17. The Perfect Drug

18. I'm Afraid of Americans - before this song Trent said that he had been in Vancouver in recent months because of Tron: Ares which was filming here and mentioned he likes it here so much he might move here! We'd love to have you!

19. The Hand That Feeds

20. Head Like a Hole

21. Hurt 

  

Interestingly enough, perusing the setlists for other shows on this tour, and this was the first and only 21 song setlist of the tour (so far, at least). Every other show has been 20 songs or less. At both shows, during the band introductions, Josh got a lot of love from the crowd, which was great to see.

 

It'll be interesting to see if there will be another leg of this tour. Sales and reviews have been great, and getting Josh back just to do one leg of a tour seems wasteful. I would not be surprised if there was another leg sometime next year, and I would like to see a few shows. Bring it on, please!

 

Pretty trivial but I noticed that date wise, I was at the 7/7 and 8/8 shows after being at the 9/9 show in 2022.

Nine Inch Nails: Peel It Back Tour Review (Part 1)

Nine Inch Nails returns to the stage for the first time in 3 years for their Peel It Back tour. Announced with practically no fanfare and practically radio silence, not in support of a new album (at the time the tour was announced, Tron: Ares had a release date of Oct. 10 and the soundtrack for it was subsequently announced for release on Sept. 19, the same day as the last show of the tour). 

 

With most shows in arenas and the remaining at festivals in Europe, the only interesting detail was that some of the non-festival shows would have a B stage, a first for NIN. What would this entail?

 

Not content with just another normal show (although, let's face it, if that's all this was, most of us NIN fans would have been ok with that anyway), Trent and company decided to spice things up by reinterpreting some songs for the B stage. The show would be split into 4 unique parts, alternating between 2 stages. Opening act Boys Noize, a German DJ played an hour plus set that segued directly into NIN's set which began at the B stage with just Trent on a piano. 

 

Accor Arena, Paris, France - Jul. 7, 2025

Setlist:

 

B Stage:

1. Right Where It Belongs - Trent performs this alone on just a piano

2. Ruiner - Trent is slowly joined by the other members of the band for this one, and we slowly go from quiet and acoustic to loud and electric

3. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) - as the song ends, we are treated to drummer Ilan Rubin on the A stage as he closes out the song which allows the other members to make their way from the B stage to the A stage

 

Main Stage:

4. Wish - we begin the A stage portion of the with this one, which always hits. The stage setup has the band surrounded on all sides with a curtain displaying a projection of them playing

5. March of the Pigs

6. Reptile - this one always hits whenever it's played

7. The Lovers

8. Copy of a - cool visuals as usual for this setlist staple

9. Gave Up

 

B Stage:

10. Vessel - Trent and Atticus take to the B stage and are joined by opening act Boys Noize for this section which featured new interpretations of songs that were more beat heavy and leaned more to dance/techno

11. The Warning - my personal favourite song of the night and both shows I attended in fact. Grooving to a dance/techno version of this parable for our bleak world has never sounded better!

12. Sin - this new interpretation is quite awesome, and the crowd response reflected that

13. Came Back Haunted - it was a bit strange listening to this new interpretation at first, but I really warmed up to it by the end

 

Main Stage:

14. 1,000,000

15. Heresy - I love that this is a new setlist staple because I love it

16. Closer - all the Downward Spiral songs are just fire and they never miss

17. The Perfect Drug

18. Burn - not from The Downward Spiral, but a Downward Spiral era song that goes hard

19. Head Like a Hole

20. Hurt 

 

All told, a fantastic show, the B stage really kept things fresh, and I would love an entire show of songs in the style of the 1st B stage section (quiet and almost acoustic), and same for the 2nd B stage section (the new techno/dance interpretations with Boys Noize). 

 

My 2nd show would be in Madrid, but as a festival show, this show would not have a B stage, which was a highlight of the Paris show, but thankfully this would allow for more setlist variation without the B stage.

 

I was seated at the end of the arena for the Paris show, which gave me a great view of the show and appreciate the visuals, but being in the crowd for the Madrid show is just a different vibe and one I always prefer over seats (although with my age I may have to go for seats more in the future!).

 

Mad Cool Festival, Madrid, Spain - Jul. 11, 2025

 

1. The Beginning of the End - you really gotta be on your toes because they just came out and started playing without warning (just like the Bend show I was at in 2022 actually)

2. Wish 

3. March of the Pigs

4. Piggy - unlike the Paris show, this is the original album version rather than the remix version

5. The Frail

6. The Wretched - it's nice to have this back in regular rotation after The Frail again, there was a time where they would sometimes play The Frail without The Wretched, and it just seemed wrong

7. Heresy

8. Less Than

9. Echoplex

10. Find My Way - I read a review somewhere that NIN doesn't play to win over crowds or attract casuals, and this deep cut is a good example. Festival shows typically feature more up-tempo and heavier songs, but this slower non-guitar heavy track is really the antithesis of that, it's one of my faves from Hesitation Marks

11. Closer - of course, I just said what I said and they follow that deep cut with the song they're probably most well known for 

12. Copy of a

13. 1,000,000

14. The Good Soldier

15. Every Day Is Exactly the Same 

16. Burn

17. The Perfect Drug

18. The Hand That Feeds

19. Head Like a Hole

20. Hurt 

 

It's almost a bit of a shame that this crowd didn't get a B stage because they were moshing and dancing to most of it (or maybe I just didn't notice it in Paris because I was further away in seats?). The Peel It Back tour continues in North America, all shows on this leg will be supported by Boys Noize and contain a B stage. The shows should remain structurally and visually similar, but I'm hoping for some new songs I didn't get in Paris or Madrid, perhaps the new single from Tron: Ares? 

 

As indicated in the title, this is just part 1, and part 2 will follow with my thoughts on the Portland and Vancouver shows.

My Favorite Films of 2024

1. Anora

2. The Brutalist 

3. Dune: Part Two

4. Furiosa

5. The Substance 

6. A Real Pain

7. Challengers

8. A Different Man

9. Late Night with the Devil

10. Flow 

 

Nickel Boys 

My Old Ass

Saturday Night 

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 

The Wild Robot 

Conclave

Nightbitch 

We Live in Time

Heretic

Woman of the Hour

Alien: Romulus

Babes

Longlegs

Thelma

The Fall Guy

Civil War

Deadpool & Wolverine

Love Lies Bleeding

Blitz

Transformers One

Kneecap

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story 

TV:

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Ghosts

Matlock

Creature Commandos

Kite Man: Hell Yeah!

Agatha All Along

Only Murders in the Building

My Adventures with Superman

The Bear

What We Do in the Shadows 

X-Men '97

The Penguin

My Favorite Films of 2023

1. Godzilla Minus One

2. Past Lives

3. Robot Dreams

4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

5. Killers of the Flower Moon

6. The Holdovers

7. Oppenheimer

8. Elemental

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

10. John Wick: Chapter 4

 

The Almost Top Ten:

Scrapper

Missing
Bottoms

Barbie

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie

Joy Ride

Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

Saltburn

The Creator

Dumb Money 

American Fiction

Poor Things

Eileen

The Boy and the Heron

Shortcomings

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret

Blackberry

 

Some Television Shows I Enjoyed:

The Bear

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Lower Decks

My Adventures with Superman

How to with John Wilson 

Ted Lasso

Harley Quinn

What We Do In The Shadows

Only Murders in the Building

Barry

Ghosts

Futurama

Never Have I Ever 

Loki

Justified: City Primeval

Echo

Gen V

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens

My Favorite Films of 2022

1. Everything Everywhere All At Once

2. The Batman

3. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

4. All Quiet on the Western Front

5. Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

6. Top Gun Maverick

7. The Northman

8. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 

9. Emily the Criminal

10. Prey

 

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order): 

 

She Said

Tar

Turning Red

Women Talking

Decision to Leave

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Lightyear

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Fresh

Nope

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Dual

Bros

RRR

The Whale

 

And some television shows I enjoyed that aired new episodes in 2022 (also in no particular order):

Better Call Saul

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

Harley Quinn

What We Do In The Shadows

Cobra Kai

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Star Trek: Picard

A League of Their Own

Only Murders in the Building

The Boys

Never Have I Ever

Young Justice

Atlanta

Barry

Ghosts

Ted Lasso

Nine Inch Nails: Live at the Hayden Homes Amphiteater in Bend, Oregon - Sept. 9, 2022

After missing out on their 2017/2018 shows due to having no shows close to the Vancouver area and me being unable to travel to see them due to personal issues along with the global pandemic (by the way, remember when Year Zero came out in 2007 and predicted that the world would implode by 2022?), I finally saw NIN again for the first time in 8 years (my last show being in August of 2014). And boy did I really need it. And of all days Sept.9 (9/9), coincidentally 9 + 9 = 18, and this was my 18th NIN show. Furthermore adding the numbers of the date 09/09/22 = 40, and I'm 40 years old. #ILLUMINATI

Had to make the trek from Vancouver to Seattle via 3 hour bus ride, then Seattle to Portland via 3 hour train ride, then Portland to Bend via 3 hour car ride. 3 + 3 + 3 = 9. #ILLUMINATI. The long commutes were worth it though, despite a nearby fire making the skies all hazy and spoiling the beautiful views in Bend and surrounding areas. The smoke didn't effect the outdoor venue, although if anything it would've added to the ambiance of the show as anyone who's ever seen NIN live knows their extensive use of fog machines. It may be recency bias but open air, no seats Hayden Homes Amphitheater may be the best venue I've seen NIN in yet.

Setlist (with comments):

1. March of the Pigs - The first time they've ever opened with this song. I can't lie though, it had me a little worried. This is a song that is played at nearly every NIN show, but never first, but usually in the 3rd or 4th or 5th slot. I had expected NIN to start around 8pm, and when they started at 8:15pm with this, I was worried they had to skip a few songs. Fortunately, this was not the case and nothing was skipped.

2. Letting You - love the outro where Ilan just goes ham on the drums

3. Something I Can Never Have - haven't heard this one in a while

4. Sanctified - A personal favourite

5. The Lovers - always a treat to hear a song you've never heard live before

6. Discipline

7. The Becoming - man, this song is so killer live

8. Me, I'm Not - another personal favourite

9. Wish - yet another personal favourite, maybe it would be easier to just say which songs aren't personal favourites?

10. Every Day Is Exactly The Same - another live debut for me, an anthem for the pandemic

11. Closer - thanks to the sign language interpreter I now know how to say "I want to fuck you like an animal" in sign language (click to learn for yourself!). It's gotta come in handy some day

12. Heresy - holy f was this amazing, you haven't truly lived until you've heard this live

13. The Frail

14. The Wretched

15. Copy of A

16. Survivalism

17. The Perfect Drug - The holy grail of NIN songs never played live. As a long time NIN fan, I never thought I would ever have the pleasure of hearing it played live in person. The song was first released in 1996 and first played live in 2017, which is probably the longest time it took for a NIN song to make its live debut. Again, Ilan's drum solo is <chef's kiss>

18. Gave Up

19. Head Like a Hole

Encore:

20. Somewhat Damaged

21. The Day the World Went Away

22. Hurt - the typical set closer, made even more fitting that a falling star/meteor appeared during it (click for video proof!)

 

The venue before the show

Me before the show (face still intact before getting it rocked off by NIN)

One of the more unique setlists of the tour (and proof nothing was skipped)

 Deer like to rest just outside the place I was staying at in Bend

 

Bend is home to the last remaining Blockbuster on the planet

My Favorite Films of 2021

The Top Ten:

1. tick, tick...BOOM!

2. The Sparks Brothers

3. Come from Away

4. Last Night in Soho

5. The Last Duel

6. CODA

7. Dune

8. The Power of the Dog

9. Spider-Man: No Way Home

10. Being the Ricardos

 

Hoorable Mentions:

Luca

A Quiet Place Part II

Skater Girl 

Judas and the Black Messiah

Pig

Riders of Justice

Cruella

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Val

Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Spencer

Candyman

King Richard

Licorice Pizza

Cyrano

Jockey

TV Shows I enjoyed that aired new episodes in 2021 (in no particular order):

Loki

Hawkeye

Rick and Morty

Invincible

M.O.D.O.K.

Never Have I Ever

Betty

Master of None

Heels

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Young Justice

Squid Game

Only Murders in the Building

Dexter: New Blood

Saved by the Bell

How To with John Wilson

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Ghosts

My Favorite Films of 2020

My ten favorite films that were made widely available in 2020, followed by honorable mentions:

 

1. The Father

2. Minari

3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

4. First Cow

5. Soul

6. Promising Young Woman

7. Sound of Metal 

8. Hamilton

9. The King of Staten Island

10. Driveways

 

Palm Springs

Da 5 Bloods

The Way Back

Small Axe

Nomadland

Greyhound

News of the World

The Invisible Man

Mank

The Devil All The Time

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Enola Holmes

The Assistant

Yes, God, Yes

Host

The Half of It

Bad Education

Tigertail

The Climb

Television shows I enjoyed that aired new episodes in 2020:

 

Better Call Saul

The Mandalorian

The Boys

Doom Patrol

Rick and Morty

What We Do In The Shadows

The Vow

Lovecraft Country

Euphoria

Star Trek: Picard / Discovery / Lower Decks

Never Have I Ever

Betty

Harley Quinn

My Favorite Films of 2019

1. Parasite
2. Marriage Story
3. Uncut Gems
4. Jojo Rabbit
5. Waves
6. Knives Out
7. The Farewell
8. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
   
9. Ford v Ferrari
10. Avengers: Endgame
    

Some more good movies:

Toy Story 4

Dolemite is My Name

Little Women

John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum

Us
The Art of Self-Defense
1917
Wild Rose
The Kid Who Would Be King
Booksmart
Fighting With My Family
Support the Girls
The Irishman
Good Boys
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Late Night
The Mustang
The Peanut Butter Falcon
I Lost My Body
Judy
Klaus

Some good TV shows:

Fleabag
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 
Watchmen
Cobra Kai
The Mandalorian
Barry
The Good Place
Stranger Things
The Boys
Rick and Morty
GLOW
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Documentary Now!
Harley Quinn

What We Do In The Shadows

Doom Patrol

Undone

My Favorite Films of 2018

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2. Eighth Grade
3. If Beale Street Could Talk
4. Shoplifters
5. The Favourite
6. Love, Simon
7. Mission: Impossible: Fallout
8. The Breadwinner
9. Green Book
10. Hereditary

But wait, there's more!

Anna and the Apocalypse
Blindspotting
BlacKkKlansman
First Reformed
Leave No Trace
Avengers: Infinity War
Won't You Be My Neighbor?
A Quiet Place
Incredibles 2
First Man
Columbus
Borg vs. McEnroe
The Hate U Give
Searching
Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Skate Kitchen
They Shall Not Grow Old

My Favorite Films of 2017 aka The Year Cinema Ruined Fruit For Me

1. Blade Runner 2049
2. Coco
3. Wind River
4. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
5. Logan
6. The Florida Project
7. Dunkirk
8. The Shape of Water
9. Baby Driver
10. The Big Sick 

Some more films I also really enjoyed:

Mudbound

Darkest Hour

Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis

Good Time

Wonder

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Thor: Ragnarok

Beauty and the Beast

War for the Planet of the Apes

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

Wonder Woman

Maudie

Detroit

Ladybird

Call Me By Your Name

I, Tonya

Okja

Phantom Thread

My Favorite Films of 2016

It was a pretty great year for film:

1. La La Land
2. The Handmaiden
3. Moonlight
4. Manchester by the Sea
5. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
6. Sing Street
7. Arrival
8. My Life as a Zucchini
9. Hacksaw Ridge
10. Nocturnal Animals

Even more films from that were almost/just as good:

Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
The Nice Guys
The Lobster
Finding Dory
10 Cloverfield Lane
Before the Flood
The Little Prince
Loving
Queen of Katwe
Doctor Strange
Captain America: Civil War
The Jungle Book
Train to Busan
Captain Fantastic
Paterson
Lion
Hidden Figures

My Favorite Films of 2015

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
2. Inside Out
3. The Look of Silence
4. The Hateful Eight
5. The Martian
6. Room
7. Dope
8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
9. Ex Machina
10. The Walk

Other films I really enjoyed:

Sicario
Love & Mercy
Cinderella
Creed
The Big Short
Brooklyn
The Good Dinosaur
Crimson Peak
The Revenant
It Follows

My Ten Favorite Films of 2014

1. Interstellar
2. The Wind Rises
3. The Raid 2
4. Song of the Sea
5. Gone Girl
6. Boyhood
7. Whiplash
8. Guardians of the Galaxy / Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. Birdman
10. Edge of Tomorrow

Nine Inch Nails Waves Goodbye (Again)

August 29 from the Sleep Country Amphitheater in Ridgefield, WA.

The 2nd to last night of Nine Inch Nails 2014 summer tour, and the 2nd to last show for some time. Trent has said this will be it for a while, and the last time he said that NIN went away for about 4 years. Because of that I knew I had to see at least one of these final shows. Sadly, their choice of venues for the summer tour (outdoor amphitheaters) meant no Vancouver show, so I would have to make the sojourn down to Portland, Oregon once again. Co-headlining with Soundgarden and also another opening band meant a shorter set, but any NIN is better than no NIN.

You can debate the setlist, the length, the venue, and all the other intangibles, but you really can't judge a show unless you've been there. I was there and it was awesome. The new four-piece configuration halves the number of live musicians in half from the eight-piece that represented NIN last fall. The result is a leaner and meaner NIN. This was quite possibly the best sounding Nine Inch Nails show I have ever been to. Of the 17 shows I have seen, this is definitely near the top of my favorites. It's hard to rank, almost like ranking your children, but this is up there with night 1 of the Osaka show I saw in 2007 among my favorite NIN shows that I've seen live. The visuals were not as complex as Tension 2013, but they were no slouch either. With the different band and different production, it was a completely new experience than what I experienced less than a year ago and that's one of the things that makes NIN such a great band to see live.

Cold Cave was the opener followed by co-headliners Soundgarden before Nine Inch Nails took the stage to close out the night.

Setlist:

1. Copy of A - their standard opener, in a different arrangement. Trent starts out alone on stage with the house lights still on and the rest of the band joins in one by one until finally the song climaxes and the house lights go out and the band is shown as large shadows on the stage's backdrop
2. Sanctified - as I've said before, the new arrangement of this song since last year is simply outstanding. Might be my favorite song of the night
3. Came Back Haunted - the driving bass line and tempo of this song really kicks ass
4. 1,000,000
5. March of the Pigs
6. Reptile - not often played, and because of that, always a pleasant surprise
7. Terrible Lie
8. Closer
9. Gave Up
10. Disappointed - as with Tension 2013, Trent decided this song should have the coolest visuals of the night. The youtube videos do NOT do this song justice. It must be seen live and in person for maximum impact
11. Find My Way
12. The Great Destroyer
13. Eraser - my favorite song from The Downward Spiral makes it's live return. Fantastic as always
14. Wish
15. The Hand That Feeds
16. Head Like A Hole
17. Hurt

My Ten Favorite Films of 2013

1. Rush
2. The Spectacular Now
3. Her
4. 12 Years a Slave
5. Short Term 12
6. Blue is the Warmest Color
7. The Way, Way Back
8. Prisoners
9. Gravity
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

Until next year...

Nine Inch Nails: Tension 2013 with Special Guests: Explosions in the Sky aka My Flight with Nine Inch Nails

With NIN seemingly being retired in 2009, I was happy that I was able to enjoy those last shows but sad that my favorite band would stop touring. Not too long ago, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor announced that he had been working on a couple of songs for a greatest hits record, and it grew from there. Seemingly out of nowhere, those songs led to an all new album "Hesitation Marks", which then led to a full-on tour to support said album. And here we are, after a short festival tour with dates in Asia, Europe and the United States, we have NIN's first full-on tour of North America in 4 years.

An unexpected surprise was Trent's announcement that Godspeed! Your Black Emperor and Explosions in the Sky would be supporting him for this tour. Explosions in the Sky would probably rank in my top 5 bands of all-time ever since I was first introduced to their music thanks to their contribution to the soundtrack for the film, Friday Night Lights (which was also later developed into an excellent television show). Seeing Nine Inch Nails live is usually enough for me to get excited, but having another one of my favorite bands open for my favorite band of all-time? Sploosh.

Overall, the experience was amazing, with NIN bringing out their most elaborate production yet. The band was expanded to an eight-piece with the noteworthy additions of legendary bassist Pino Palladino and backup singers Lisa Fischer and Sharlotte Gibson. The backup singers in particular at first seemed like they may be out of place, but after seeing them live, it's a wonder how NIN ever existed without them. They belong up there and added significantly to the live NIN experience. The cool thing about NIN live is that Trent always changes it up and adds new members almost every tour. While there have been fan favorite members that may have left the band before, the new members always add a new twist that makes something old sound new again.

Nov. 15 - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Out of all the venues I've seen live music in, I have to say this place ranks with the Zepp in Osaka among the best. 4,000 capacity with two balconies, no low ceiling and staggered floor make this a great venue for sightlines and sound. The downside to the smaller venue is that the entire tour production for NIN's Tension 2013 show could not fit in the venue and we missed out on some of the cooler visuals.

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Catastrophe and the Cure
2. The Birth and Death of the Day
3. Yasmin the Light - one of my all-time favorite songs (not just by this band, either)
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Only Moment We Were Alone

Nine Inch Nails:

1. Copy of A - fantastic opener, when the song really gets going, all the noise, the flashing lights, it's amazing!
2. 1,000,000
3. Terrible Lie - drummer Ilan Rubin's fills during this and many of the other songs are an absolute joy. The longer he drums for NIN, the better he gets
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. All Time Low
7. Disappointed - about the only time you'll hear someone use the word "Disappointed" with Nine Inch Nails is when they play this song
8. Came Back Haunted - so much more powerful with live drums
9. Find My Way - fantastic song, this is Hesitation Marks' equivalent of Hurt
10. Various Methods of Escape
11. The Frail
12. The Wretched - nice to have this 1-2 punch back regularly. I think from 07-09, we would sometimes get The Frail without The Wretched, and it was just wrong
13. Sanctified - absolutely amazing new live arrangement that sounds completely different from the original album version. Also heard a little bit of Sunspots in the end that I've never heard before
14. The Big Come Down - hands down one of my absolute favorite songs live, it never disappoints
15. Survivalism
16. Wish
17. I'm Afraid of Americans - loved hearing this David Bowie cover
18. Burn
19. The Hand That Feeds
20. Head Like a Hole
21. All the Love in the World - a pleasant surprise as they had only started playing this song from 2005's With Teeth recently on this tour
22. Even Deeper - Lisa Fischer really shines here
23. While I'm Still Here - a great melancholy song to help close out the night
24. Black Noise - this outro to While I'm Still Here really showcases Ilan and the backup singers, and there's saxophone! Can't go wrong with that
25. Hurt - beautiful, as always

Nov. 16 - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
As you can see from the ticket, it has been autographed by NIN members Robin Finck, Josh Eustis and Alessandro Cortini. I happened to be on the same flight from Vegas to Portland as them and several other NIN members and associates. It was really quite surreal to sitting so close to them and I was quite starstruck. I didn't bother them at all until after the flight to ask for their autographs and I didn't take any pictures as I didn't want to be a creeper. Sadly, Trent wasn't there, if he was I would've squealed like a fangirl!

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Only Moment We Were Alone
2. Catastrophe and the Cure
3. Greet Death
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Birth and Death of the Day

Nine Inch Nails:

1. All Time Low
2. Sanctified
3. Disappointed
4. Came Back Haunted
5. Copy of A - I was a little disappointed that they wouldn't play this because it's usually opener or bust, but so glad it was included!
6. Reptile - another oldie, but goodie
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched - the backup singers wailing at the end of this song is just incredible!
9. Echoplex - very awesome live, haven't heard it since 08
10. Satellite - one of my favorite tracks from Hesitation Marks, it always makes me wanna dance. I can honestly say I don't feel that way about any other songs about the loss of privacy and the government spying on you
11. Running - one of my least favorite tracks from Hesitation Marks, but it's growing on me
12. I Would For You - another favorite from HM
13. The Big Come Down
14. Survivalism
15. In Two - probably my favorite song off HM and it doesn't disappoint
16. A Warm Place - I remember listening to this live during their wave goodbye tour and loving it so much I wished they played it every night, well now I finally get my wish!
17. Somewhat Damaged - so glad this is part of the regular set every night. This use to be the opening song or bust, but now it's in the middle of the set and it always makes me wanna me bang my head
18. Wish 
19. The Hand That Feeds
20. Head Like a Hole
21. Even Deeper
22. In This Twilight - My favorite version of my favorite song off Year Zero. The backup singers take this song to a whole new level. Before the song, Trent took some time out to facetime a fan, Andrew Youssef, suffering from terminal cancer who was suppose to be in the audience but was too ill to attend. You can read about his story here. It is sad, but also very inspirational. This is one of the many reasons why Trent Reznor is one of the greatest people ever.
23. While I'm Still Here
24. Black Noise
25. Hurt

Nov. 18 - Moda Center, Portland, OR

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Only Moment We Were Alone
2. Catastrophe and the Cure
3. Greet Death
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Birth and Death of the Day

Nine Inch Nails:

1. Copy of A
2. 1,000,000
3. Terrible Lie
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. All Time Low
7. Disappointed - the visuals for this are particularly amazing, with the band appearing as if they are inside of a 3-dimensional cube
8. Came Back Haunted
9. Find My Way
10. Various Methods of Escape
11. The Frail
12. The Wretched
13. Survivalism
14. Running
15. A Warm Place
16. Somewhat Damaged
17. Wish
18. The Hand That Feeds
19. Head Like a Hole
20. The Day the World Went Away - another classic from The Fragile, probably the best version I've heard live
21. Even Deeper
22. While I'm Still Here
23. Black Noise
24. Hurt

Nov. 21 - Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
I absolutely love these custom printed tickets, they make a great memento, and they help fight those pesky ticket scalpers. I wasn't able to get one for the Vegas shows because the presale sold out almost immediately, and the presale for Portland was over by the time I decided to attend it. Also thanks to this presale (which are 100% free to anybody) I managed to score fantastic seats, row 5, directly to the left of the stage, the closest I've ever been to the stage and the band. I usually prefer being in the hot, sweaty and rowdy pit, but it's nice not having to compete with other people for your spot. It was also probably a good idea seeing as how rowdy the crowd was, definitely the rowdiest of the 4 shows I attended. Kudos to the floor personnel for safely catching the crowdsurfers and even squirting water at the people in the front who probably needed the hydration, they've most likely been there in the exact same spots since 6:15pm when the doors were first opened to presale ticker holders (NIN came on a little before 9pm, and played until about 11pm)

Explosions in the Sky:

1. The Catastrophe and the Cure
2. The Birth and Death of the Day
3. Yasmin the Light
4. Let Me Back In
5. The Only Moment We Were Alone

Nine Inch Nails:

1. Copy of A
2. 1,000,000
3. Terrible Lie
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. All Time Low
7. Disappointed
8. Came Back Haunted
9. Find My Way
10. Various Methods of Escape
11. Sanctified
12. The Frail
13. The Wretched
14. The Big Come Down
15. Survivalism
16. Running
17. A Warm Place
18. Somewhat Damaged
19. Wish
20. The Hand That Feeds
21. Head Like a Hole
22. All the Love in the World
23. Even Deeper
24. While I'm Still Here
25. Black Noise
26. Hurt 

Some pictures from the Vancouver, BC show in Rogers Arena to close this out:

Before the show

Terrible Lie

Disappointed

The Big Come Down

The Big Come Down

Survivalism

Somewhat Damaged

Head Like a Hole

Head Like a Hole

Head Like a Hole

Head Like a Hole

The Iconic Logo

Hurt

My Ten Favorite Films of 2012

1. Silver Linings Playbook
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
3. Moonrise Kingdom
4. Django Unchained
5. The Avengers
6. Looper
7. Life of Pi
8. The Cabin in the Woods
9. Zero Dark Thirty
10. ParaNorman

100 of My Favorite Films from the Last Decade

2011:
1. The Descendants
2. Drive
3. A Separation
4. Hugo
5. 50/50
6. Shame
7. Midnight in Paris
8. The Tree of Life
9. From Up on Poppy Hill
10. A Simple Life 

2010:
1. Toy Story 3
2. Inception
3. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
4. The Social Network
5. Somewhere
6. How to Train Your Dragon
7. Never Let Me Go
8. True Grit
9. The Secret World of Arrietty
10. The Illusionist

2009:
1. Inglourious Basterds
2. Up
3. 500 Days of Summer
4. The Hurt Locker
5. District 9
6. Fantastic Mr. Fox
7. Up in the Air
8. The Princess and the Frog
9. Drag Me to Hell
10. 3 Idiots

2008:
1. Wall-E
2. Dear Zachary
3. The Dark Knight
4. Revolutionary Road
5. The Wrestler
6. Ponyo
7. Iron Man
8. The Fall
9. In Bruges
10. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

2007:
1. The Lookout
2. Ratatouille
3. 3:10 to Yuma
4. Zodiac
5. Across the Universe
6. There Will Be Blood
7. No Country for Old Men
8. Into the Wild
9. Atonement
10. Gone Baby Gone

2006:
1. Children of Men
2. Away from Her
3. United 93
4. The Host
5. Pan's Labyrinth
6. The Lives of Others
7. Once
8. Happy Feet
9. Apocalypto
10. Casino Royale

2005:
1. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
2. Hustle & Flow
3. The Constant Gardener
4. Brokeback Mountain
5. Batman Begins
6. Sin City
7. Serenity
8. Junebug
9. Walk the Line
10. Hard Candy

2004:
1. Spider-Man 2
2. The Incredibles
3. Million Dollar Baby
4. Kill Bill Vol. 2
5. Baadasss!
6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
7. A Very Long Engagement
8. Howl's Moving Castle
9. The Motorcycle Diaries
10. The Machinist

2003:
1. Oldboy
2. Finding Nemo
3. Lost in Translation
4. In America
5. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring
6. Open Range
7. The Station Agent
8. American Splendor
9. X2: X-Men United
10. House of Sand and Fog

2002:
1. The Way Home
2. City of God
3. Minority Report
4. Adaptation
5. Y Tu Mama Tambien
6. Spirited Away
7. The Pianist
8. 25th Hour
9. Rabbit-Proof Fence
10. Oasis


The End, for now....

The Greatest Television Show of All-Time: The Wire

"The Greatest Television Show of All-Time" -- that is one hell of a statement. One that gets tossed around quite arbitrarily. Whenever we hear that statement we always take it with a grain of salt. As the show aired, it quickly gained a small but very loyal fanbase that heaped mountains of praise on it. I'm not even sure if this show was aired properly in Canada so I never got a chance to verify it for myself. I was still skeptical, but hearing and reading many people and many critic's opinions got me curious. These weren't just generic one sentence statements that studios like to put in advertisements, these were passionate, detailed love letters to the show. People that liked the same shows I did loved The Wire. So with the show over and released in its entirety on DVD, it allowed me a chance to look and confirm for myself whether or not this was the greatest television show of all-time.

The main premise of the show follows several detectives in the city of Baltimore as they investigate murders and the drug trade. What makes this show unique is that it gives equal billing to both sides of the law. The supposed good guys aren't always good and the supposed bad guys aren't always bad. It's not as a simple as looking at it and calling it black and white.

Show creator David Simon, was a former reporter in Baltimore, and another major contributor to the show was former Baltimore detective and school teacher Ed Burns. No doubt the realism of the show comes from their first-hand experiences in their respective fields. Simon himself was frustrated by what he saw in the police, school systems and the failure of the bureaucracy to deal with it in a timely and efficient manner. In one of the special features in this DVD set, Simon specifically talks about the city of New York and the Law & Order television shows. He mentions how there are more murders on all those shows combined than there are in Manhattan in a year.

The scope of the show expands greatly as the series progresses. We are introduced to the police and the drug dealers in the first season. The second season introduces to the Port, where these dealers get their drugs. The third season introduces us to the political side. The similarities between politicians and drug dealers are uncanny. Drug dealers deal in drugs and destroy lives with guns and coke. Politicians deal in bullshit and destroy lives with their words. The fourth season delves into the school system and how many kids are pushed into the underworld as a result of the failure of the school system. Finally, the final season introduces us to newspaper reporting. I think we've all experienced sensationalistic reporting, and this season gives us a pretty good overview of it.

Besides its eye on detail and ultra realism, what really makes this show special, is its large and diverse cast. I don't believe I've seen another television show that not only had so many important characters, but so many fully developed characters. I could go on and on about this show, but there is so much it covers and so much that I want to talk about: my favorite characters, my favorite moments, my favorite season; I could go on and on.

So is The Wire is the greatest television show of all-time? Having seen the entire series in a very short span, I can confirm that yes, The Wire is indeed, The Greatest Television Show of All-Time. It's not a cheery show by any means, it'll make you angry and it might even make you cry, but it is very well worth checking out. It's available on DVD for a reasonable price, and most likely free at your local library.