"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.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
My Favorite Video Games of 2009
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Playstation 3) - this is one of those games that other developers look at and say to themselves that they gotta up the ante on their own games. While the game starts off slow, once the pedal hits the metal, the game becomes fantastically paced, offering moments of stealth, platforming and action. It delivers exactly what the developers promise, basically a summer blockbuster but instead of watching it in a theatre, you play it. There are numerous impossible moments, but who cares, they make this game unique and fun! I finished this in 2 days, but that doesn't mean it's short, I didn't want to put the controller down. In the making of for this game (included with the game), the developers said they wanted to make a game where the player didn't want to put the controller down, and they succeeded. I would have finished it in 1 day if my eyes weren't getting so dry from staying up so late! All in all, it took about 10 hours, but they were 10 great hours. I'd rather play a great 10 hour game than a so-so 40-hour game. Those ultra long games that offer 50 or 100 hours of gameplay are so boring and chock full of repetitive filler material just so they can say they offer "more" gameplay. Sorry but I'm sick of random battles and library levels.
Add to that a fairly robust multiplayer component here brings some extended replay value, I say fairly because while there are about a dozen different modes, there are only a handful of maps (only 3 for cooperative mode). Of course there will be additional content released later for download. The gameplay is top-notch, the graphics are fantastic, offering some of the most beautiful environments I've ever seen in a game, the audio matches that of the best slam-bang action movies you've seen (in 7.1 no less, if you've got the equipment), the story is compelling and the voice acting is terrific. It's as close as you can get to a perfect single-player experience in games today.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo DS) - ah Nintendo, for a while there it wasn't looking so hot, but all of a sudden you make a system where people wave their arms around and look like jackasses and you become the king of the mountain again! While the Wii and DS sell like hotcakes I barely touch them today. Why? There just aren't many good games to play for them. That's just my opinion of course. Another opinion I have is that nearly all of the Nintendo produced titles for their big names like Mario, Zelda and Metroid always deliver and make it worth owning their systems. Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is no exception. This game continues the great Mario RPG tradition where you take Mario and company fight in turn-based battles in a story-based RPG. Being used to the side-scrolling platforming of the Super Mario Bros. series, this seemed like an odd departure at first, but after playing it, I now prefer the RPG games to the platformers!
The story is pretty wacky, Mario is an Italian plumber after all, but would you want it any other way really? For reasons I won't go into, Bowser manages to inhale all the inhabitants of Mushroom Kingdom and a microsized Mario and Luigi must fight inside his body while a normal-sized Bowser fights in the real world. The game design takes this story and weaves it into the gameplay masterfully. The game makes novel use of the hardware, using both screens, stylus touch controls and even the microphone. It's fun, lengthy and there's plenty of stuff to do.
The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360/Playstation 3/Wii) - like Pixar with animated movies, the developers of this game, Harmonix just get it when it comes to music games. After you see the opening cinematic for this, easily the year's best for any game, you know that what you are experiencing is awesome. After the dissapointing Guitar Hero band-centric games for Aerosmith and Metallica, this is how you do the ultimate band-centric game. The game follows The Beatles as they progressed throughout their careers, following them through a small club, to a television show performance, to their giant shows in Shea Stadium and the Budokan in Japan all the way to their final days at Abbey Road studios. For those later years when The Beatles abandoned touring, instead of normal performances on stage like in your typical music game we are given these fantastic dreamscapes.
In addition to all the on-disc songs, we also have downloadable content for 3 of their greatest albums (Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Rubber Soul). It just leaves you wanting the entire catalog available (If that's not possible, can we at least get some of their greater hits like Yesterday, Hey Jude, Strawberry Fields Forever, etc.). The gameplay is the familiar Rock Band gameplay, tried and true, it works and it works well. The new innovation here is the addition of Harmonies, so vital to the Beatles work, which allows up to 3 people to sing at the same time. But the real star of this whole package are the songs and the accompanying dreamscapes. When you play this game you know that the people who made this, made it with love because like you, they love The Beatles.
Shadow Complex (Xbox 360) - this Xbox Live Arcade game costs only $15 but has better production values than some full-priced disc-based games. It's got a well-written, compelling story (think giant underground complex and government conspiracy) with great voice-acting to play it all out. The gameplay itself is classic 2D side scroller action/exploration, in the vein of classic Metroid and Castlevania. While you move on a 2D plane, the graphics and environment are in 3D and look especially great for a cheap downloadable game. The gameplay is varied and you get many different weapons and items that challenge you to mix it up to find the best way to defeat enemies. The story should take around 6-8 hours, but will probably last a little longer if you're like me and you want to explore every nook and cranny and find all the secret hidden areas and items. In addition are a bunch of short challenges that will test out all the skills you learned in the game. Most of them are a moderate challenge, but there are at least a few that will test your mettle. This is the best downloadable game released all year and well worth the money.
Add to that a fairly robust multiplayer component here brings some extended replay value, I say fairly because while there are about a dozen different modes, there are only a handful of maps (only 3 for cooperative mode). Of course there will be additional content released later for download. The gameplay is top-notch, the graphics are fantastic, offering some of the most beautiful environments I've ever seen in a game, the audio matches that of the best slam-bang action movies you've seen (in 7.1 no less, if you've got the equipment), the story is compelling and the voice acting is terrific. It's as close as you can get to a perfect single-player experience in games today.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo DS) - ah Nintendo, for a while there it wasn't looking so hot, but all of a sudden you make a system where people wave their arms around and look like jackasses and you become the king of the mountain again! While the Wii and DS sell like hotcakes I barely touch them today. Why? There just aren't many good games to play for them. That's just my opinion of course. Another opinion I have is that nearly all of the Nintendo produced titles for their big names like Mario, Zelda and Metroid always deliver and make it worth owning their systems. Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is no exception. This game continues the great Mario RPG tradition where you take Mario and company fight in turn-based battles in a story-based RPG. Being used to the side-scrolling platforming of the Super Mario Bros. series, this seemed like an odd departure at first, but after playing it, I now prefer the RPG games to the platformers!
The story is pretty wacky, Mario is an Italian plumber after all, but would you want it any other way really? For reasons I won't go into, Bowser manages to inhale all the inhabitants of Mushroom Kingdom and a microsized Mario and Luigi must fight inside his body while a normal-sized Bowser fights in the real world. The game design takes this story and weaves it into the gameplay masterfully. The game makes novel use of the hardware, using both screens, stylus touch controls and even the microphone. It's fun, lengthy and there's plenty of stuff to do.
The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360/Playstation 3/Wii) - like Pixar with animated movies, the developers of this game, Harmonix just get it when it comes to music games. After you see the opening cinematic for this, easily the year's best for any game, you know that what you are experiencing is awesome. After the dissapointing Guitar Hero band-centric games for Aerosmith and Metallica, this is how you do the ultimate band-centric game. The game follows The Beatles as they progressed throughout their careers, following them through a small club, to a television show performance, to their giant shows in Shea Stadium and the Budokan in Japan all the way to their final days at Abbey Road studios. For those later years when The Beatles abandoned touring, instead of normal performances on stage like in your typical music game we are given these fantastic dreamscapes.
In addition to all the on-disc songs, we also have downloadable content for 3 of their greatest albums (Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Rubber Soul). It just leaves you wanting the entire catalog available (If that's not possible, can we at least get some of their greater hits like Yesterday, Hey Jude, Strawberry Fields Forever, etc.). The gameplay is the familiar Rock Band gameplay, tried and true, it works and it works well. The new innovation here is the addition of Harmonies, so vital to the Beatles work, which allows up to 3 people to sing at the same time. But the real star of this whole package are the songs and the accompanying dreamscapes. When you play this game you know that the people who made this, made it with love because like you, they love The Beatles.
Shadow Complex (Xbox 360) - this Xbox Live Arcade game costs only $15 but has better production values than some full-priced disc-based games. It's got a well-written, compelling story (think giant underground complex and government conspiracy) with great voice-acting to play it all out. The gameplay itself is classic 2D side scroller action/exploration, in the vein of classic Metroid and Castlevania. While you move on a 2D plane, the graphics and environment are in 3D and look especially great for a cheap downloadable game. The gameplay is varied and you get many different weapons and items that challenge you to mix it up to find the best way to defeat enemies. The story should take around 6-8 hours, but will probably last a little longer if you're like me and you want to explore every nook and cranny and find all the secret hidden areas and items. In addition are a bunch of short challenges that will test out all the skills you learned in the game. Most of them are a moderate challenge, but there are at least a few that will test your mettle. This is the best downloadable game released all year and well worth the money.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
My Favorite Television Shows of 2009
Friday Night Lights - this show has been so strong this season, but one episode in particular makes this show the best on television right now. The 5th episode of the 4th season entitled "The Son" which deals with one of the main characters as he reacts to the death of his father overseas in Iraq. Episodes about death on television are usually bogged down by scenes of melodrama and actors just screaming for an award, yet here Friday Night Lights tones that down to a realistic portrayal that doesn't hit you over the head but still absolutely breaks your heart. So well done and shot in a handheld style that gives it a documentary feel that it doesn't even seem like you're watching a TV show, you're watching life unfold. And the shameful thing is that you aren't watching it! Buy the DVDs, they're cheap!
Dexter - The serial killer who murders serial killers came back in what was my favorite season of Dexter yet. This year saw Dexter as he hunted down "The Trinity Killer." Perfectly played by John Lithgow who delivered an absolutely frightening portrait of a serial killer who is also a family man. I say this because there was one moment where the Trinity Killer confronts Dexter that startled me and made me want to take a step back (even though I was sitting down). The scenes between his family offered some of the most awkward but compelling moments in the show. It all builds up to a great and shocking final episode that makes me dread the next 9 months or so until the next season begins.
Community and Parks & Recreation - if there's one thing NBC did right this year, it was the introduction of these 2 new shows. Both ensemble single-camera comedies that are consistently funny with some really quirky but likable characters. Both feature lead roles that are absolutely perfect, Joel McHale in Community and Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation. Add in some great supporting characters, and general insanity and wackiness, make these 2 shows a great addition to the already hilarious 30 Rock and The Office.
Dollhouse - yeah the first half of the first season was crap, and honestly, after watching the first episode, the only reason I stuck it out was because it was a Joss Whedon show. As people who know me know that I love his work, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, and you might not know him but you've probably seen some of his work, for instance, he wrote Toy Story. Well Fox just wouldn't get their grubby hands off of Dollhouse and kept tampering with it and the result is that the first half of the first season is just so watered down and so un-Joss-like. After they finally let Joss do his thing, wow what a show this became.
What's great about Dollhouse is that it packs everything that Joss is good at into 2 short but oh so sweet seasons of television. There's action, comedy, drama, sometimes all in the same scene! There are tons of twists and surprises. People you think are good are bad, people you think are bad are good. And it wouldn't be a Joss Whedon show if there weren't a lot of deaths. People you love will die, and you will hate Joss for doing it. But it's how Joss makes you love the character in the first place is what's important. They knew that Season Two would be it and it's like they packed all the ideas they would have done if the show ran for 5 years into 1 year. As a result, those final episodes were entertaining as hell.
Dexter - The serial killer who murders serial killers came back in what was my favorite season of Dexter yet. This year saw Dexter as he hunted down "The Trinity Killer." Perfectly played by John Lithgow who delivered an absolutely frightening portrait of a serial killer who is also a family man. I say this because there was one moment where the Trinity Killer confronts Dexter that startled me and made me want to take a step back (even though I was sitting down). The scenes between his family offered some of the most awkward but compelling moments in the show. It all builds up to a great and shocking final episode that makes me dread the next 9 months or so until the next season begins.
Community and Parks & Recreation - if there's one thing NBC did right this year, it was the introduction of these 2 new shows. Both ensemble single-camera comedies that are consistently funny with some really quirky but likable characters. Both feature lead roles that are absolutely perfect, Joel McHale in Community and Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation. Add in some great supporting characters, and general insanity and wackiness, make these 2 shows a great addition to the already hilarious 30 Rock and The Office.
Dollhouse - yeah the first half of the first season was crap, and honestly, after watching the first episode, the only reason I stuck it out was because it was a Joss Whedon show. As people who know me know that I love his work, Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Serenity, and you might not know him but you've probably seen some of his work, for instance, he wrote Toy Story. Well Fox just wouldn't get their grubby hands off of Dollhouse and kept tampering with it and the result is that the first half of the first season is just so watered down and so un-Joss-like. After they finally let Joss do his thing, wow what a show this became.
What's great about Dollhouse is that it packs everything that Joss is good at into 2 short but oh so sweet seasons of television. There's action, comedy, drama, sometimes all in the same scene! There are tons of twists and surprises. People you think are good are bad, people you think are bad are good. And it wouldn't be a Joss Whedon show if there weren't a lot of deaths. People you love will die, and you will hate Joss for doing it. But it's how Joss makes you love the character in the first place is what's important. They knew that Season Two would be it and it's like they packed all the ideas they would have done if the show ran for 5 years into 1 year. As a result, those final episodes were entertaining as hell.
Monday, January 25, 2010
My Favorite Films of 2009
Inglourious Basterds - there are 2 scenes in this film that just may be 2 of the greatest scenes ever put to celluloid. The opening scene and the Tavern scene. Any of these 2 scenes alone would have made this my favorite movie of the year. These 2 scenes featuring just a handful of characters but have such intricately written dialogue, spoken perfectly by the cast. It's just so compelling and edge of your seat, you don't know what's going to happen, and you can't wait for it to happen. So well-written and the actors so perfect, this is truly Tarantino's masterpiece. And can I also say, a movie where Germans speak German and not English with poor German accents, how crazy is that?
(500) Days of Summer - it just gets better every time I see it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, easily the best actor his age in Hollywood, the only other actor that comes close to his pure acting ability is Ryan Gosling. A romantic comedy from the point of view of the guy this time, Levitt portrays Tom, the everyguy, with Zooey Deschanel playing Summer, the everyguy's dreamgirl. Both are perfect in their roles and have to be for this movie to work. The narrator warns you at the beginning that "this is not a love story" and Tom believes in the whole "one true love" bit while Summer doesn't want anything serious. Remember what the narrator said? Well things don't end well.....or do they?
I was hooked from the beginning with simple text explaining:
The following is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Especially you Jenny Beckman.
Bitch.
And how can you say no to that musical sequence?
Up - Another year, another of the year's best movies. If the opening wordless married life segment didn't tug at your heart then you have no heart. What else can I say about Pixar? They just deliver every time, they aren't just on another level in terms of animated film, but filmmaking in general. Their focus on story ensures a great time every time you watch their films. They don't rely on cheap jokes or catchy pop songs. The very definition of a perfect family film, there's something in it for everyone.
The Hurt Locker - this movie about a Bomb squad technician works both as an action-thriller with tense bomb defusing segments and also as a condemnation of war. The opening quote that says that "war is a drug" is something that haunts modern times. It's a sad thing when a man feels the need to abandon his newborn baby boy to defuse bombs halfway across the world, not because he doesn't love his son, not because he needs to help others, but because it's an addiction. War is a drug in the worst way.
(500) Days of Summer - it just gets better every time I see it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, easily the best actor his age in Hollywood, the only other actor that comes close to his pure acting ability is Ryan Gosling. A romantic comedy from the point of view of the guy this time, Levitt portrays Tom, the everyguy, with Zooey Deschanel playing Summer, the everyguy's dreamgirl. Both are perfect in their roles and have to be for this movie to work. The narrator warns you at the beginning that "this is not a love story" and Tom believes in the whole "one true love" bit while Summer doesn't want anything serious. Remember what the narrator said? Well things don't end well.....or do they?
I was hooked from the beginning with simple text explaining:
The following is a work of fiction.
Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Especially you Jenny Beckman.
Bitch.
And how can you say no to that musical sequence?
Up - Another year, another of the year's best movies. If the opening wordless married life segment didn't tug at your heart then you have no heart. What else can I say about Pixar? They just deliver every time, they aren't just on another level in terms of animated film, but filmmaking in general. Their focus on story ensures a great time every time you watch their films. They don't rely on cheap jokes or catchy pop songs. The very definition of a perfect family film, there's something in it for everyone.
The Hurt Locker - this movie about a Bomb squad technician works both as an action-thriller with tense bomb defusing segments and also as a condemnation of war. The opening quote that says that "war is a drug" is something that haunts modern times. It's a sad thing when a man feels the need to abandon his newborn baby boy to defuse bombs halfway across the world, not because he doesn't love his son, not because he needs to help others, but because it's an addiction. War is a drug in the worst way.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
How About Some Love for Books?
It's occurred to me that I haven't written much about books here. So let me make up for that.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - one of the best books I've ever read. The story follows two jewish kids who create comics and spans several decades from the Depression era all the way through the Second World War. The writing is just top-notch, with the setting pitch perfect and all the characters feel real. While this is a work of fiction, many real-life incidents are reproduced that give it that extra sense of realism.
I was interested in this book because I'm a comic book fan, but this book is by no means only for that group. It's won some deserved awards such as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. So take that for what it's worth. Interestingly enough, a real comic book has been created based on the comic that Kavalier and Clay create in the book. Even better is that it's a pretty good read too! There have been rumblings of a movie, but I have no idea how a 2 or even 3 hour movie could do this book justice. It seems the wheels started spinning but have completely stalled, and that's probably for the best. Although the rumoured casting of Natalie Portman as one of the leads would be absolutely perfect.
Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling - having grown up as a big wrestling fan, my favorite wrestler in the world was Bret Hart. He seemed to be the perfect package, great on the mic, great in the ring, and he was Canadian.
This is an absorbing book which drew me in and broke my heart. Surely you've all heard of all the deaths of so many wrestlers in the past couple of decades. Hart is frank and reveals everything, the funny side, the bad side, the egos, the politics, and everything in between. He is brutally honest about himself, his many infidelities and the behind the scenes workings of the wrestling business. Unlike the many other wrestler biographies, this isn't being published by the WWE, and doesn't have the filter and ass-kissing attitude that the other books sometime have, because let's face it, those wrestlers need money and WWE is pretty much the only game in town now, and they don't want to go around badmouthing their boss.
This is one of those reads that is of most interest to wrestling fans, but would be a good read for anyone.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - fans of Fight Club (the movie or the book) will love this. It's by the same author, so it has the same twisted, dark sense of humour that is Palahniuk's trademark. This book was such a scintillating read I found myself reading it loud because the dialogue was so rich.
There was a recent movie made of this book that more or less remains faithful to the book, but it just isn't on the level of the Fight Club adaptation. While it has it's own merits, it just lacks that spark the book has. Stick with the book here.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - one of the best books I've ever read. The story follows two jewish kids who create comics and spans several decades from the Depression era all the way through the Second World War. The writing is just top-notch, with the setting pitch perfect and all the characters feel real. While this is a work of fiction, many real-life incidents are reproduced that give it that extra sense of realism.
I was interested in this book because I'm a comic book fan, but this book is by no means only for that group. It's won some deserved awards such as the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. So take that for what it's worth. Interestingly enough, a real comic book has been created based on the comic that Kavalier and Clay create in the book. Even better is that it's a pretty good read too! There have been rumblings of a movie, but I have no idea how a 2 or even 3 hour movie could do this book justice. It seems the wheels started spinning but have completely stalled, and that's probably for the best. Although the rumoured casting of Natalie Portman as one of the leads would be absolutely perfect.
Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling - having grown up as a big wrestling fan, my favorite wrestler in the world was Bret Hart. He seemed to be the perfect package, great on the mic, great in the ring, and he was Canadian.
This is an absorbing book which drew me in and broke my heart. Surely you've all heard of all the deaths of so many wrestlers in the past couple of decades. Hart is frank and reveals everything, the funny side, the bad side, the egos, the politics, and everything in between. He is brutally honest about himself, his many infidelities and the behind the scenes workings of the wrestling business. Unlike the many other wrestler biographies, this isn't being published by the WWE, and doesn't have the filter and ass-kissing attitude that the other books sometime have, because let's face it, those wrestlers need money and WWE is pretty much the only game in town now, and they don't want to go around badmouthing their boss.
This is one of those reads that is of most interest to wrestling fans, but would be a good read for anyone.
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk - fans of Fight Club (the movie or the book) will love this. It's by the same author, so it has the same twisted, dark sense of humour that is Palahniuk's trademark. This book was such a scintillating read I found myself reading it loud because the dialogue was so rich.
There was a recent movie made of this book that more or less remains faithful to the book, but it just isn't on the level of the Fight Club adaptation. While it has it's own merits, it just lacks that spark the book has. Stick with the book here.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Nine Inch Nails: Wave Goodbye 2009 in Los Angeles
20 years after exploding onto the scene my favorite band in the entire universe has played their final live show. I've been a fan of NIN since 1997 when I first heard The Perfect Drug, I slowly got all their albums and they've been my favorite band ever since. It's hard to believe so much time has passed since then. Having missed out on the NINJA tour, which by all accounts was awesome, I told myself I had to try and get tickets for the final section of the Wave Goodbye 2009 tour. After seeing the Ninternet almost fall apart for the New York and Chicago presales, I didn't want to get my hopes up, as NIN decided to play the small venues Hollywood Palladium (4,000), Wiltern Theater (2,000), Henry Fonda Theater (863) and Echoplex (500). (Approximately capacities in parentheses.) With these small venues, the number of people wanting tickets is most definitely greater than the number of tickets available so not everyone is gonna get a ticket. Surprisingly enough the presale process for me was absolutely painless and I managed to get 1 ticket for each of the venues fairly quickly, the only hiccup being that Henry Fonda floor tickets were sold out and I had to "settle" for balcony (this would turn out to be a big blessing). Expecting nothing, I ended up with a ticket to each show!
The original plan had NIN playing Sept. 2, 3, 5 and 6. But after the Sept. 2 show, Trent was too sick and had to cancel and reshuffle the dates from 3 and 5 to 8 and 10. This presented a dilemma as I was originally scheduled to fly home on the 7th, but because of this I had to extend the trip to the 11th. It cost me more than $500 to change my flight, extend my hotel stay, car rental and medical insurance, bringing the cost for the whole trip to well over 2 grand. It was more than worth it though. If I had left as originally planned on the 7th and missed the last 2 shows, I would end up regretting it for the rest of my life.
To all those that waited overnight, and endured the scorching heat to get the best place in the floor and be one of the few to get those venue and show specific shirts, cherish them, because you deserve them! You are as hardcore as hardcore gets, and I bow down to you. To everyone looking for tickets outside the venue, I hope you were able to get in, and sorry I couldn't help. To everyone who couldn't attend, I'm sorry you missed it because it was pretty amazing. Words and video and audio recordings will never do justice to experiencing NIN live. On these very special nights, Nine Inch Nails delivered an experience I will never ever forget. I'm happy that I got to attend these very special shows, but also saddened that I'll probably never see them live again. But as Trent said, Nine Inch Nails has just stopped touring, not making music, so I shouldn't be too sad.
Here are some pics of all the swag I got, followed by each night's setlist and some recollections:
Personalized Tickets and Wristbands (in a nice touch, each featured a different NIN logo from over the years) along with a Pin for the Palladium show that you could only get if you picked up your ticket early:
Posters:
T-Shirts, the top 2 both have the standard NIN Logo on the front, while the bottom 2 show the front and back of the same shirt (1 of em purchased for a friend):
Night 1 - Sept. 2, 2009 - Hollywood Palladium
The first night started out with a bang literally with Mr. Self Destruct. As the rest of The Downward Spiral album was played in order, we knew we were in for a treat as this was only the 2nd (and also the last) time the album in its entirety had been played.
Setlist: (with my own personal comments and observations)
1. Mr. Self Destruct
2. Piggy
3. Heresy - been wanting to hear this live and it does not disappoint!
4. March of the Pigs
5. Closer
6. Ruiner
7. The Becoming - love this song even more after hearing it live
8. I Do Not Want This - so many songs I haven't heard live before, it was heaven
9. Big Man With A Gun
10. A Warm Place - this is so cool to hear live I wish it was in the setlist every night!
11. Eraser
12. Reptile
13. The Downward Spiral
14. Hurt - man, people just wouldn't shut the hell up during this song. We're lucky Trent said he couldn't hear because he probably would have walked off during this and I wouldn't have blamed him
15. 1,000,000
16. Terrible Lie - I love how this song is probably the most popular NIN song that's never been a single. It always get a good reaction and never disappoints
17. Lights in the Sky
18. Burn
19. Gave Up
20. Suck
21. Metal (with Gary Numan) - what a great surprise! It must be so amazing for Trent to be able perform on stage with so many of his childhood heroes, first David Bowie and now Gary Numan (Imagine if Freddie Mercury were still alive!). It's also amazing that those that Trent looked up to when he was younger now look up to him musically. And I don't know how old Gary Numan is, but he can still sing!
22. Cars (with Gary Numan)
23. The Hand That Feeds
24. Head Like A Hole
No encore, but that was most likely because Trent was very sick, although if he didn't say so you wouldn't have known it.
Night 2 - Sept. 6, 2009 - Echoplex
Originally this was supposed to be the last show, but I'm glad it wasn't because it's not exactly the ideal venue for NIN. With a tiny capacity of about 500, you might think it would make the show more intimate, but the way the venue is laid out was just awkward. The venue was asymmetrical, had a low ceiling, columns in the way and the soundboard area took up a huge chunk of desirable floor space. Might be a cool venue to see some small band with a couple hundred other people, but for NIN at full capacity it wasn't to my liking. With that said, the band and crowd were excellent. The band was almost at full capacity as Trent said, and there weren't any screamers during Hurt (that's gotta be the barometer of how good a NIN audience is).
Setlist:
1. Somewhat Damaged
2. The Beginning of the End
3. The Collector - first time live, much more aggressive live, no piano at all, just more guitar
4. Discipline
5. March of the Pigs
6. Something I Can Never Have
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched - during the last couple of years NIN would sometimes play The Frail but not The Wretched, but I'm glad that we got them both for 2 nights!
9. Terrible Lie
10. Ruiner - just awesome live
11. Head Down
12. Burn
13. Gave Up
14. La Mer
15. Non-Entity
16. Gone, Still
17. The Big Come Down - my favorite live NIN song. The energy of this song is just incredible and never ceases to get my heart pumping
18. The Way Out Is Through - first time hearing this live, definitely a pleasure
19. Wish - What else is there to say? This just blew the roof off the place especially at the end with all the guitar and the double bass-pedal from Ilan
20. Survivalism
21. Down In It
22. Metal (with Gary Numan)
23. I Die: You Die (with Gary Numan) - a pleasant surprise, it was nice to know that even near the end Trent and Co. still wanted to break out some new songs to surprise the audience
24. Physical - another live first for me
25. The Hand That Feeds - have heard this at every show except my very first in 2000 and love it, but now it makes me a little sad because when this plays, I know we're getting close to the end
26. Head Like A Hole - after all these years, this is still THE quintessential high energy NIN song and gets the crowd riled up like nothing else
Encore:
27. Dead Souls - before they did this, it sounded like they were going to do Atmosphere and started it twice but screwed it up both times and just went into Dead Souls
28. Hurt - in contrast to Head Like A Hole, this is the quintessential quiet NIN song. Always more enjoyable when there are no screaming idiots in the crowd like on this night
Night 3 - Sept. 8, 2009 - Henry Fonda Theater (Rescheduled from Sept. 3, 2009)
As I said earlier, I could only get a balcony ticket to this show, but it worked out for the better in the end. Normally I like having a floor ticket because the experience of being in a hot, sweaty mosh pit with a bunch of other rabid fans just adds to excitement of enjoying a live show. If you can handle it, I recommend you do it at least once in your life. The downside of course is that you are surrounded by hot and sweaty fans and you are on your feet for hours on end and that gets really tiring. Not only is your body taking a pounding, but your view is constantly obstructed by others. And I'm 6 feet tall which is taller than most, if I'm having trouble seeing, I can't imagine how bad it is for those shorter than me.
That being said, the balcony tickets were a godsend because it allowed me to enjoy the entire show with a clear view of the whole stage. I was already a big fan of Ilan's short stint with NIN, but this night made me respect him even more. I was mostly watching him play most of the night because the other 3 nights I couldn't quite see him clearly; he's kind of tucked away in the back, hidden behind the drums on a riser barely half a foot high.
With this being a rescheduled night and with the promise of making these last nights special, NIN delivered, and the theme of this night (and the next) was special guests galore! Joining NIN on stage were Mike Garson (pianist who's worked with David Bowie and NIN on The Fragile), Gary Numan, Jane's Addiction Bassist Eric Avery, opening act HEALTH, Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato, and former NIN member Danny Lohner.
Setlist:
1. Head Like A Hole - usually saved for last, they instead open with it
2. Terrible Lie - after the first 2 songs, and having The Downward Spiral in its entirety days before, was this going to be Pretty Hate Machine in its entirety?
3. Sin - alas, it was not to be
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. Echoplex
7. Reptile
8. I'm Afraid of Americans
9. Survivalism
10. Head Down
11. 1,000,000
12. Letting You
13. Burn
14. Gave Up
15. Eraser
16. Just Like You Imagined (with Mike Garson) - at my first NIN show in 2000, they were supposed to play this, but because of a technical fuckup they skipped the song. I've been wanting to hear it live ever since and finally 9 years later it happened in a rendition that exceeded all my expectations
17. The Becoming (with Mike Garson) - Mike Garson adds so much to these songs that I wish he was a full time member. There's a sound in the studio version of this song at the end that is guitar, but live is Ilan playing double-bass pedals, and I love it!
18. I Do Not Want This (with Mike Garson)
19. Down In The Park (Piano Version)(Mike Garson Solo) - it shows you the kind of person Trent Reznor is that even on the final NIN shows, he'll take a step back and showcase his fellow musicians
20. Down In The Park (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
21. Metal (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
22. Cars (with Mike Garson, Gary Numan and Eric Avery) - every time the lights went out between the songs and went on again, it seemed like there was someone new up on stage!
23. Anthrax (with Gary Numan, Eric Avery and HEALTH) - I think there must have been 10 people on stage all jamming on this cover of the Gang of Four song!
Encore:
24. Heresy (with Danny Lohner) - so nice to see Danny up there as he was such a big part of NIN
25. Get Down, Make Love (with Danny Lohner) - according to NINTourHistory.com, the last time they played this song live was on May 23, 2007 in Osaka, another show I was at! (NINTourHistory.com is a fantastic site for all you NIN fans out there)
26. Mr. Self Destruct (with Danny Lohner and Greg Puciato) - Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato joins NIN onstage to provide vocals for this and Wish
27. Wish (with Danny Lohner and Greg Puciato)
28. The Hand That Feeds
Encore 2:
29. Atmosphere - Thankfully they didn't screw it up this time. However, Trent screwed up the lyrics near the end and his voice was definitely suffering at this point in the show
30. Dead Souls - more Joy Division goodness
31. The Day The World Went Away
32. Hurt
Night 4 - Sept. 10, 2009 - Wiltern Theater (Rescheduled from Sept. 5, 2009)
Despite being sick of Los Angeles by now, it was actually nice to have a day in between shows to recover, especially with the Henry Fonda show going nearly 3 hours. With the reshuffling and rescheduling of the dates, this became the last show and has already reached legendary status in Nine Inch Nails lore. An epic set of 38 songs lasting nearly 3 and a half hours. I was slightly sick (caught the Ninfluenza at the Fonda show I think), I was on my feet for a good 5 hours straight, but I was never tired and I didn't want it to end.
Setlist:
1. Home - another first for me. A subdued opening to a grand night. This was kind of like an Overture you'd see in some classic movies. When it comes on, it lets you know that the show is about to start
2. Somewhat Damaged - and after the Overture, the show kicks into high gear with this
3. The Collector
4. Discipline
5. March of the Pigs
6. Something I Can Never Have
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched
9. Ruiner
10. Head Down
11. Burn
12. Just Like You Imagined (with Mike Garson)
13. La Mer (with Mike Garson)
14. Eraser (with Mike Garson)
15. The Becoming (with Mike Garson)
16. Down in the Park (Piano Version)(Mike Garson Solo)
17. Down in the Park (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
18. Metal (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
19. I Die: You Die (with Gary Numan)
20. 1,000,000
21. Letting You
22. Survivalism
23. Suck
24. Down In It - "Here we go...all the way back to the beginning"
25. The Hand That Feeds
26. Head Like A Hole
Encore:
27. Me, I'm Not (with Atticus Ross) - nice to see Atticus up there as he's been one of the unsung heroes in the NIN camp, he's been Trent's self-professed "right-hand man" in the studio and had a major part in the production of all NIN albums from With Teeth onwards. Very cool to see this song live again, one of my favorites from the Year Zero album, I just love the distorted sounds in this
28. The Warning (with Atticus Ross and Dave Navarro) - great to hear these Year Zero songs again one last time
29. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) (with Atticus Ross and Dave Navarro) - Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction joins in with some guitar for a few songs
30. Gave Up (with Dave Navarro)
Encore 2:
31. Mr. Self Destruct (with Dillinger Escape Plan) - everybody was clapping to the opening beat of this song as it slowly sped up until pandemonium hit! 2.5 hours in and the crowd was still full of energy. None of us wanted to leave
32. Wish (with Dillinger Escape Plan) - with Dillinger Escape Plan it was 2 bands and twice the carnage. Just absolute and utter destruction at the finish of these 2 songs. Instruments were thrown into bodies, and bodies were launched into instruments. Somebody launched himself full speed into Ilan's drum set. That had to hurt! After Trent came back for the final encore, he apologized for taking so long because they had to make sure they weren't missing any teeth!
Encore 3:
33. Atmosphere - a beautiful cover of my favorite Joy Division song. The original always had this melancholy feeling, but this live rendition by NIN gives it a little kick of energy. And third time's the charm apparently as this was their best performance of it yet!
34. Dead Souls - I was starting to get sad here, I thought it would be this, then Hurt, then the end
35. The Good Soldier - fortunately I was wrong, and NIN really sent us out with a great encore
36. The Day The World Went Away - these last 3 songs were appropriately sad and melancholy
37. Hurt - Johnny Cash may have popularized this song some years ago, but to me, this is and always will be Trent's song. With the right crowd, this song always brings a tear to my eye. What else is there to say? "Everyone I know goes away in the end"
38. In This Twilight - I remember when this song was first leaked before Year Zero came out. It was a sad song with lyrics that haunted me, and I couldn't stop listening to it. I must have looped it for at least an hour. To me this song was about the end of the world, not literally, but in the sense that when you lose something you love, like someone close to you, that can feel like the end of the world. Well tonight, with the end of NIN touring, it was the end of the world for many of us in that crowd and across the world.
"And the longing that you feel
you know none of this is real
we will find a better place
in this twilight"
The original plan had NIN playing Sept. 2, 3, 5 and 6. But after the Sept. 2 show, Trent was too sick and had to cancel and reshuffle the dates from 3 and 5 to 8 and 10. This presented a dilemma as I was originally scheduled to fly home on the 7th, but because of this I had to extend the trip to the 11th. It cost me more than $500 to change my flight, extend my hotel stay, car rental and medical insurance, bringing the cost for the whole trip to well over 2 grand. It was more than worth it though. If I had left as originally planned on the 7th and missed the last 2 shows, I would end up regretting it for the rest of my life.
To all those that waited overnight, and endured the scorching heat to get the best place in the floor and be one of the few to get those venue and show specific shirts, cherish them, because you deserve them! You are as hardcore as hardcore gets, and I bow down to you. To everyone looking for tickets outside the venue, I hope you were able to get in, and sorry I couldn't help. To everyone who couldn't attend, I'm sorry you missed it because it was pretty amazing. Words and video and audio recordings will never do justice to experiencing NIN live. On these very special nights, Nine Inch Nails delivered an experience I will never ever forget. I'm happy that I got to attend these very special shows, but also saddened that I'll probably never see them live again. But as Trent said, Nine Inch Nails has just stopped touring, not making music, so I shouldn't be too sad.
Here are some pics of all the swag I got, followed by each night's setlist and some recollections:
Posters:
T-Shirts, the top 2 both have the standard NIN Logo on the front, while the bottom 2 show the front and back of the same shirt (1 of em purchased for a friend):
Night 1 - Sept. 2, 2009 - Hollywood Palladium
The first night started out with a bang literally with Mr. Self Destruct. As the rest of The Downward Spiral album was played in order, we knew we were in for a treat as this was only the 2nd (and also the last) time the album in its entirety had been played.
Setlist: (with my own personal comments and observations)
1. Mr. Self Destruct
2. Piggy
3. Heresy - been wanting to hear this live and it does not disappoint!
4. March of the Pigs
5. Closer
6. Ruiner
7. The Becoming - love this song even more after hearing it live
8. I Do Not Want This - so many songs I haven't heard live before, it was heaven
9. Big Man With A Gun
10. A Warm Place - this is so cool to hear live I wish it was in the setlist every night!
11. Eraser
12. Reptile
13. The Downward Spiral
14. Hurt - man, people just wouldn't shut the hell up during this song. We're lucky Trent said he couldn't hear because he probably would have walked off during this and I wouldn't have blamed him
15. 1,000,000
16. Terrible Lie - I love how this song is probably the most popular NIN song that's never been a single. It always get a good reaction and never disappoints
17. Lights in the Sky
18. Burn
19. Gave Up
20. Suck
21. Metal (with Gary Numan) - what a great surprise! It must be so amazing for Trent to be able perform on stage with so many of his childhood heroes, first David Bowie and now Gary Numan (Imagine if Freddie Mercury were still alive!). It's also amazing that those that Trent looked up to when he was younger now look up to him musically. And I don't know how old Gary Numan is, but he can still sing!
22. Cars (with Gary Numan)
23. The Hand That Feeds
24. Head Like A Hole
No encore, but that was most likely because Trent was very sick, although if he didn't say so you wouldn't have known it.
Night 2 - Sept. 6, 2009 - Echoplex
Originally this was supposed to be the last show, but I'm glad it wasn't because it's not exactly the ideal venue for NIN. With a tiny capacity of about 500, you might think it would make the show more intimate, but the way the venue is laid out was just awkward. The venue was asymmetrical, had a low ceiling, columns in the way and the soundboard area took up a huge chunk of desirable floor space. Might be a cool venue to see some small band with a couple hundred other people, but for NIN at full capacity it wasn't to my liking. With that said, the band and crowd were excellent. The band was almost at full capacity as Trent said, and there weren't any screamers during Hurt (that's gotta be the barometer of how good a NIN audience is).
Setlist:
1. Somewhat Damaged
2. The Beginning of the End
3. The Collector - first time live, much more aggressive live, no piano at all, just more guitar
4. Discipline
5. March of the Pigs
6. Something I Can Never Have
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched - during the last couple of years NIN would sometimes play The Frail but not The Wretched, but I'm glad that we got them both for 2 nights!
9. Terrible Lie
10. Ruiner - just awesome live
11. Head Down
12. Burn
13. Gave Up
14. La Mer
15. Non-Entity
16. Gone, Still
17. The Big Come Down - my favorite live NIN song. The energy of this song is just incredible and never ceases to get my heart pumping
18. The Way Out Is Through - first time hearing this live, definitely a pleasure
19. Wish - What else is there to say? This just blew the roof off the place especially at the end with all the guitar and the double bass-pedal from Ilan
20. Survivalism
21. Down In It
22. Metal (with Gary Numan)
23. I Die: You Die (with Gary Numan) - a pleasant surprise, it was nice to know that even near the end Trent and Co. still wanted to break out some new songs to surprise the audience
24. Physical - another live first for me
25. The Hand That Feeds - have heard this at every show except my very first in 2000 and love it, but now it makes me a little sad because when this plays, I know we're getting close to the end
26. Head Like A Hole - after all these years, this is still THE quintessential high energy NIN song and gets the crowd riled up like nothing else
Encore:
27. Dead Souls - before they did this, it sounded like they were going to do Atmosphere and started it twice but screwed it up both times and just went into Dead Souls
28. Hurt - in contrast to Head Like A Hole, this is the quintessential quiet NIN song. Always more enjoyable when there are no screaming idiots in the crowd like on this night
Night 3 - Sept. 8, 2009 - Henry Fonda Theater (Rescheduled from Sept. 3, 2009)
As I said earlier, I could only get a balcony ticket to this show, but it worked out for the better in the end. Normally I like having a floor ticket because the experience of being in a hot, sweaty mosh pit with a bunch of other rabid fans just adds to excitement of enjoying a live show. If you can handle it, I recommend you do it at least once in your life. The downside of course is that you are surrounded by hot and sweaty fans and you are on your feet for hours on end and that gets really tiring. Not only is your body taking a pounding, but your view is constantly obstructed by others. And I'm 6 feet tall which is taller than most, if I'm having trouble seeing, I can't imagine how bad it is for those shorter than me.
That being said, the balcony tickets were a godsend because it allowed me to enjoy the entire show with a clear view of the whole stage. I was already a big fan of Ilan's short stint with NIN, but this night made me respect him even more. I was mostly watching him play most of the night because the other 3 nights I couldn't quite see him clearly; he's kind of tucked away in the back, hidden behind the drums on a riser barely half a foot high.
With this being a rescheduled night and with the promise of making these last nights special, NIN delivered, and the theme of this night (and the next) was special guests galore! Joining NIN on stage were Mike Garson (pianist who's worked with David Bowie and NIN on The Fragile), Gary Numan, Jane's Addiction Bassist Eric Avery, opening act HEALTH, Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato, and former NIN member Danny Lohner.
Setlist:
1. Head Like A Hole - usually saved for last, they instead open with it
2. Terrible Lie - after the first 2 songs, and having The Downward Spiral in its entirety days before, was this going to be Pretty Hate Machine in its entirety?
3. Sin - alas, it was not to be
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. Echoplex
7. Reptile
8. I'm Afraid of Americans
9. Survivalism
10. Head Down
11. 1,000,000
12. Letting You
13. Burn
14. Gave Up
15. Eraser
16. Just Like You Imagined (with Mike Garson) - at my first NIN show in 2000, they were supposed to play this, but because of a technical fuckup they skipped the song. I've been wanting to hear it live ever since and finally 9 years later it happened in a rendition that exceeded all my expectations
17. The Becoming (with Mike Garson) - Mike Garson adds so much to these songs that I wish he was a full time member. There's a sound in the studio version of this song at the end that is guitar, but live is Ilan playing double-bass pedals, and I love it!
18. I Do Not Want This (with Mike Garson)
19. Down In The Park (Piano Version)(Mike Garson Solo) - it shows you the kind of person Trent Reznor is that even on the final NIN shows, he'll take a step back and showcase his fellow musicians
20. Down In The Park (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
21. Metal (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
22. Cars (with Mike Garson, Gary Numan and Eric Avery) - every time the lights went out between the songs and went on again, it seemed like there was someone new up on stage!
23. Anthrax (with Gary Numan, Eric Avery and HEALTH) - I think there must have been 10 people on stage all jamming on this cover of the Gang of Four song!
Encore:
24. Heresy (with Danny Lohner) - so nice to see Danny up there as he was such a big part of NIN
25. Get Down, Make Love (with Danny Lohner) - according to NINTourHistory.com, the last time they played this song live was on May 23, 2007 in Osaka, another show I was at! (NINTourHistory.com is a fantastic site for all you NIN fans out there)
26. Mr. Self Destruct (with Danny Lohner and Greg Puciato) - Dillinger Escape Plan's Greg Puciato joins NIN onstage to provide vocals for this and Wish
27. Wish (with Danny Lohner and Greg Puciato)
28. The Hand That Feeds
Encore 2:
29. Atmosphere - Thankfully they didn't screw it up this time. However, Trent screwed up the lyrics near the end and his voice was definitely suffering at this point in the show
30. Dead Souls - more Joy Division goodness
31. The Day The World Went Away
32. Hurt
Night 4 - Sept. 10, 2009 - Wiltern Theater (Rescheduled from Sept. 5, 2009)
Despite being sick of Los Angeles by now, it was actually nice to have a day in between shows to recover, especially with the Henry Fonda show going nearly 3 hours. With the reshuffling and rescheduling of the dates, this became the last show and has already reached legendary status in Nine Inch Nails lore. An epic set of 38 songs lasting nearly 3 and a half hours. I was slightly sick (caught the Ninfluenza at the Fonda show I think), I was on my feet for a good 5 hours straight, but I was never tired and I didn't want it to end.
Setlist:
1. Home - another first for me. A subdued opening to a grand night. This was kind of like an Overture you'd see in some classic movies. When it comes on, it lets you know that the show is about to start
2. Somewhat Damaged - and after the Overture, the show kicks into high gear with this
3. The Collector
4. Discipline
5. March of the Pigs
6. Something I Can Never Have
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched
9. Ruiner
10. Head Down
11. Burn
12. Just Like You Imagined (with Mike Garson)
13. La Mer (with Mike Garson)
14. Eraser (with Mike Garson)
15. The Becoming (with Mike Garson)
16. Down in the Park (Piano Version)(Mike Garson Solo)
17. Down in the Park (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
18. Metal (with Mike Garson and Gary Numan)
19. I Die: You Die (with Gary Numan)
20. 1,000,000
21. Letting You
22. Survivalism
23. Suck
24. Down In It - "Here we go...all the way back to the beginning"
25. The Hand That Feeds
26. Head Like A Hole
Encore:
27. Me, I'm Not (with Atticus Ross) - nice to see Atticus up there as he's been one of the unsung heroes in the NIN camp, he's been Trent's self-professed "right-hand man" in the studio and had a major part in the production of all NIN albums from With Teeth onwards. Very cool to see this song live again, one of my favorites from the Year Zero album, I just love the distorted sounds in this
28. The Warning (with Atticus Ross and Dave Navarro) - great to hear these Year Zero songs again one last time
29. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) (with Atticus Ross and Dave Navarro) - Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction joins in with some guitar for a few songs
30. Gave Up (with Dave Navarro)
Encore 2:
31. Mr. Self Destruct (with Dillinger Escape Plan) - everybody was clapping to the opening beat of this song as it slowly sped up until pandemonium hit! 2.5 hours in and the crowd was still full of energy. None of us wanted to leave
32. Wish (with Dillinger Escape Plan) - with Dillinger Escape Plan it was 2 bands and twice the carnage. Just absolute and utter destruction at the finish of these 2 songs. Instruments were thrown into bodies, and bodies were launched into instruments. Somebody launched himself full speed into Ilan's drum set. That had to hurt! After Trent came back for the final encore, he apologized for taking so long because they had to make sure they weren't missing any teeth!
Encore 3:
33. Atmosphere - a beautiful cover of my favorite Joy Division song. The original always had this melancholy feeling, but this live rendition by NIN gives it a little kick of energy. And third time's the charm apparently as this was their best performance of it yet!
34. Dead Souls - I was starting to get sad here, I thought it would be this, then Hurt, then the end
35. The Good Soldier - fortunately I was wrong, and NIN really sent us out with a great encore
36. The Day The World Went Away - these last 3 songs were appropriately sad and melancholy
37. Hurt - Johnny Cash may have popularized this song some years ago, but to me, this is and always will be Trent's song. With the right crowd, this song always brings a tear to my eye. What else is there to say? "Everyone I know goes away in the end"
38. In This Twilight - I remember when this song was first leaked before Year Zero came out. It was a sad song with lyrics that haunted me, and I couldn't stop listening to it. I must have looped it for at least an hour. To me this song was about the end of the world, not literally, but in the sense that when you lose something you love, like someone close to you, that can feel like the end of the world. Well tonight, with the end of NIN touring, it was the end of the world for many of us in that crowd and across the world.
"And the longing that you feel
you know none of this is real
we will find a better place
in this twilight"
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Quick Hit List
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father - this documentary movie was one of the most compelling movies I've seen in recent memory. Dear Zachary is a letter in the form of a movie by Kurt Kuenne, close friend to Zachary's murdered father, Andrew Bagby. The twist: The murderer, Shirley Jane Turner, also gave birth to Zachary after she murdered his father. We follow Kuenne in his journey to document how Andrew affected so many people in a positive way. We also follow how Andrew's parents do everything in their power to gain custody of their grandson. Complicating matters, Turner flees to Canada. The Grandparents follow, but are subjected to legalities of Canadian law, which throw some unfavorable roadblocks in their way. Their fight is long and tough and does not end well.
Be prepared, this movie will absolutely tax you emotionally. After I finished watching it, I just sat in silence trying to soak it all up. While this movie is meant to be upbeat, it is, but it is still heartbreaking after we learn the outcome.
Telefon Tel Aviv: Immolate Yourself - the third album from the electronic group Telefon Tel Aviv is their best yet. Having gotten it a few days ago, I've been listening to it nonstop. Surely that's the sign of a great album. Eschewing traditional song-structure, the tracks typically combine electronic beats with usually just a couple lines of lyrics, repeated throughout the song. Strange at first, but catchingly effective. This electronic album has some nice sound manipulation but sometimes has some very dark, brooding and ambient elements.
My favorite tracks: The Birds, Mostly Translucent, You Are The Worst Thing In The World.
The Kills: Midnight Boom - This is another album I've been enjoying a lot lately. This duo have made an album that is an amalgamation of indie rock, electronica with a little bit of punk. It's very danceable with some catchy hooks. I particularly like how "funky" it is; I can't explain that in words, it's just something I feel when I listen to the record.
Favorite Tracks: Getting Down, Last Day of Magic, Black Balloon.
And Remember, you can always see recent stuff I'm enjoying on the sidebar to the right. Scroll down to see it all. I like to reserve full posts for the absolute best stuff.
Be prepared, this movie will absolutely tax you emotionally. After I finished watching it, I just sat in silence trying to soak it all up. While this movie is meant to be upbeat, it is, but it is still heartbreaking after we learn the outcome.
Telefon Tel Aviv: Immolate Yourself - the third album from the electronic group Telefon Tel Aviv is their best yet. Having gotten it a few days ago, I've been listening to it nonstop. Surely that's the sign of a great album. Eschewing traditional song-structure, the tracks typically combine electronic beats with usually just a couple lines of lyrics, repeated throughout the song. Strange at first, but catchingly effective. This electronic album has some nice sound manipulation but sometimes has some very dark, brooding and ambient elements.
My favorite tracks: The Birds, Mostly Translucent, You Are The Worst Thing In The World.
The Kills: Midnight Boom - This is another album I've been enjoying a lot lately. This duo have made an album that is an amalgamation of indie rock, electronica with a little bit of punk. It's very danceable with some catchy hooks. I particularly like how "funky" it is; I can't explain that in words, it's just something I feel when I listen to the record.
Favorite Tracks: Getting Down, Last Day of Magic, Black Balloon.
And Remember, you can always see recent stuff I'm enjoying on the sidebar to the right. Scroll down to see it all. I like to reserve full posts for the absolute best stuff.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
2008: Over!
Been a while since I did one of these, so let's revisit some of my favorite things from the year 2008:
Wall-E - the best movie of the year, and nothing else really came close (although keep in mind I haven't seen a lot of recent releases like Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler). Just a masterpiece of storytelling, the likes of which we haven't seen since the Halcyon Days of silent cinemas when masters like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin delivered us dozens of dialogue-less epics. Bravo Pixar, just when I think you've hit the top of the ladder, you manage to find another rung. So many movies are filled with inane banter and dialogue that just exists because the filmmakers don't have the talent to portray it on screen. Here we have a movie where dialogue is kept to a bare minimum and everything is told through visual storytelling. An absolutely beautiful and engrossing movie with some of the most endearing and memorable characters ever put on screen, and they're not even real! Despite that, they way they act seems more real than most "real" people in other movies. This is one of the sweetest and most romantic movies I've ever seen and there's no sex and not even a kiss (in the traditional sense). It's also one of the best movies I've ever seen. This one's for the kids, the adults, the romantics and and everyone else in between.
The Way Home - this Korean movie hit home with me so much that I couldn't stop balling at the end of it. This is the story of a young city boy sent to live with his grandma in the country by his mom who needs some time to sort out some personal issues. I was raised by my grandmother as much if not even more than my parents when I was a kid, and the parallels between the movie and my childhood were uncanny.
One of my favorite scenes is when the boy tries to teach his grandmother to write so that she can let him know when she gets sick. She can't quite get it, so the boy, crying, finally tells her to send him a blank letter so he'll know that she's ill, and come to her right away. If that description made you feel something, then you need to see this movie right away.
A love letter to grandmothers everywhere, this is a movie that I will cherish forever.
Friday Night Lights - who knew high school football in Small Town, USA would make for a great TV show? I just recently got into this, and I am addicted. A wonderfully shot, written and acted TV show, that is as compelling as television can get. We are shown real life issues, and real life situations. Shot in a handheld documentary style, the best compliment I can give this show is that it feels real. This is one of those shows where I'm protective of the characters. When something happens to a character it's like you're brother's being hurt and you want to defend him. This is one of those shows that's always on the cusp of cancellation. For some reason it just doesn't click with the mainstream. Watch it, buy the DVDs, spread the word, and cross your fingers for a fourth season.
Dexter - Like Friday Night Lights, I am a recent devotee of this show also. This is a show about a serial killer who kills serial killers. An interesting concept that is backed up by good writing and superb acting. Not only does it make you question morals and ethics, it's a hell of an entertaining show. Not for the faint of heart (obviously), but those with the stomach will be rewarded.
Torchwood - this is an atypical scifi show (spun off from the also excellent Doctor Who), billed as a sci-fi show for adults. It deals with more mature themes that you wouldn't see in a typical sci-fi show while still managing to include all the stuff most people enjoy about sci-fi shows like action & adventure. From the show's introduction, "Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police; tracking down alien life on Earth, and arming the human race against the future." Seems like any other sci-fi show, but what sets it apart is how it deals with adult themes like death, homosexuality, bisexuality, and existentialism. Definitely not anything you see in any sci-fi show airing on American TV today.
More Later. Soon (Hopefully).
Wall-E - the best movie of the year, and nothing else really came close (although keep in mind I haven't seen a lot of recent releases like Slumdog Millionaire and The Wrestler). Just a masterpiece of storytelling, the likes of which we haven't seen since the Halcyon Days of silent cinemas when masters like Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin delivered us dozens of dialogue-less epics. Bravo Pixar, just when I think you've hit the top of the ladder, you manage to find another rung. So many movies are filled with inane banter and dialogue that just exists because the filmmakers don't have the talent to portray it on screen. Here we have a movie where dialogue is kept to a bare minimum and everything is told through visual storytelling. An absolutely beautiful and engrossing movie with some of the most endearing and memorable characters ever put on screen, and they're not even real! Despite that, they way they act seems more real than most "real" people in other movies. This is one of the sweetest and most romantic movies I've ever seen and there's no sex and not even a kiss (in the traditional sense). It's also one of the best movies I've ever seen. This one's for the kids, the adults, the romantics and and everyone else in between.
The Way Home - this Korean movie hit home with me so much that I couldn't stop balling at the end of it. This is the story of a young city boy sent to live with his grandma in the country by his mom who needs some time to sort out some personal issues. I was raised by my grandmother as much if not even more than my parents when I was a kid, and the parallels between the movie and my childhood were uncanny.
One of my favorite scenes is when the boy tries to teach his grandmother to write so that she can let him know when she gets sick. She can't quite get it, so the boy, crying, finally tells her to send him a blank letter so he'll know that she's ill, and come to her right away. If that description made you feel something, then you need to see this movie right away.
A love letter to grandmothers everywhere, this is a movie that I will cherish forever.
Friday Night Lights - who knew high school football in Small Town, USA would make for a great TV show? I just recently got into this, and I am addicted. A wonderfully shot, written and acted TV show, that is as compelling as television can get. We are shown real life issues, and real life situations. Shot in a handheld documentary style, the best compliment I can give this show is that it feels real. This is one of those shows where I'm protective of the characters. When something happens to a character it's like you're brother's being hurt and you want to defend him. This is one of those shows that's always on the cusp of cancellation. For some reason it just doesn't click with the mainstream. Watch it, buy the DVDs, spread the word, and cross your fingers for a fourth season.
Dexter - Like Friday Night Lights, I am a recent devotee of this show also. This is a show about a serial killer who kills serial killers. An interesting concept that is backed up by good writing and superb acting. Not only does it make you question morals and ethics, it's a hell of an entertaining show. Not for the faint of heart (obviously), but those with the stomach will be rewarded.
Torchwood - this is an atypical scifi show (spun off from the also excellent Doctor Who), billed as a sci-fi show for adults. It deals with more mature themes that you wouldn't see in a typical sci-fi show while still managing to include all the stuff most people enjoy about sci-fi shows like action & adventure. From the show's introduction, "Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police; tracking down alien life on Earth, and arming the human race against the future." Seems like any other sci-fi show, but what sets it apart is how it deals with adult themes like death, homosexuality, bisexuality, and existentialism. Definitely not anything you see in any sci-fi show airing on American TV today.
More Later. Soon (Hopefully).
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
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.
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.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
NIN + Vegas = Awesome
Booked my flights and hotel and got my tickets for NIN's last show of the year in Sin City aka Las Vegas! Suggestions for things to do and places to see are very welcome.
It'll also be drummer Josh Freese's last show with NIN. Out of all the drummers NIN has had, he is easily my favorite. There's gonna be some tough shoes to fill for the next drummer.
Trent says he's got some new tricks up his sleeve for this leg of the tour. We know what the stage setup will be, so the only new surprises will come in the form of new songs. Having the oppotunity to also see them in Victoria the week before Vegas can only help my chances of hearing new songs. Here's my wishlist of songs I've yet to hear live (that they have played live before, except for the last song):
- Getting Smaller
- God Given
- Vessel
- We're In This Together
- The Fragile
- The Perfect Drug (The Holy Grail of NIN songs never played live, heads would explode!)
It should be the show to end all shows. And Hopefully I can get Ron drunk enough to marry some random floozy. I just have one word for him: prenup!
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Lights in the Sky Have Finally Arrived...
Nine Inch Nails - Lights in the Sky over North America 2008
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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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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