Summer officially ends this weekend. Technically, it’s been over a couple of week s (since Labor Day), but this weekend marks the official ending of summer and the start of autumn. Here in North New Jersey, the air is already chilled at night and in a couple of more weeks I have a feeling we’ll be seeing the first frost. Brrr. I am definitely not ready for that.
Fall is a nice, pretty season, but it comes at a price. Admitting that another summer is over and another prime concert season has come to an end. I didn’t attend a lot of concerts this summer, and I didn’t get to any festivals. That’s going to change next year, and I’ll have all winter to decide which festival(s) to attend.
And while I was getting ready to change out my summer wardrobe, swapping T-shirts for sweaters, here’s what rocked this week:
The use of Kurt Cobain’s Image in Guitar Hero 5 has irritated a few people
This week kicked off with a bang when a clip of the upcoming Guitar Hero 5 came out. Not only was Courtney outraged, but so were the former members of Nirvana.
The final Nine Inch Nails concert ever (for now)
Here’s a review on the final NIN concert ever. I say “for now,” because we all know how farewell tours end up.
U2 remastering, reissuing, and re-releasing The Unforgettable Fire
Following in the footsteps of their re-released The Joshua Tree, U2 is giving The Unforgettable Fire similar treatment for its 25th anniversary. How many more bands are going to do this? I know it’s the hot new trend to remaster and re-rerelease classic albums with deluxe this and extra that, and I know this is a classic U2 album, but enough already. How many times are we going to buy the same album?
Hiatus for Springsteen & The E-Street Band?
OK, I have to admit, this post really bothered me. Not because the band may be taking a year or two off, but because it’s an obvious ploy to sell tickets that aren’t selling. Hinting that this may be your final tour ever, when you know damned well it isn’t, is a cheap tactic. Hey, guys! If you want to sell out stadiums, lower your ticket prices!
Jones latest CD due November 17th
Norah Jones is releasing her latest, The Fall, this fall. On November 17th, Jones will release her fourth album. I’m hoping that this one does not continue the trend of downward sliding. Each release since her debut has been a little worse than the one before. I’m hoping that The Fall will blow me away.
Brand new Pearl Jam out on Sunday
Pearl Jam’s latest, Backspacer, comes out on Sunday via Target. I will be there first thing in the morning to get my hands (and ears) on this beauty. It’s been too long since we’ve had some new Pearl Jam.
Gene talks Sonic Boom
While this post is nice and all, what I really want to know is whether Gene and the gang will make every Kiss fan in the world happy by dusting off a lost classic like Sweet Pain.
Showing posts with label Nine Inch Nails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nine Inch Nails. Show all posts
Friday, September 18, 2009
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Nine Inch Nails - December 9, 1994
Back in 1994, I was a HUGE Nine Inch Nails fan. I had gotten into them with the release of their debut, Pretty Hate Machine, fell in love after Broken, then became a huge fan when The Downward Spiral was released. This was a band (man) doing amazing things with music. Naturally, when they announced a tour in late 1994, I had to go see them perform live. They were making a stop at Madison Square Garden and I wasn’t missing out.
Driving into the city on a Friday night is never fun by any stretch of the imagination, but in the mid-nineties, it was a lot worse than today. We got through the Lincoln Tunnel without incident, but once we were through and heading toward the Garden, I was freaking out. There were hordes of people crawling the streets just walking in front of our car without a second thought or a care in the world. I almost hit three of them! And of course, when I was younger, I had a bad temper. I stopped the car immediately and my wife (at the time) took over the wheel, deciding for both of us that it would be better if she drove. She proceeded to get us to the Garden without further complications.
Nine Inch Nails had brought two opening acts on the road with them for this tour, The Jim Rose Circus and Marilyn Manson. The Jim Rose Circus isn’t a musical act, they are the largest collection of sideshow freaks and strange onstage acts this side of Barnum and Bailey’s. I don’t recall much about them, except that the acts were hard to see from the 400s where we were sitting. This would have been a really cool event to witness were we a lot closer to the stage, but from our vantage point, it was hard to tell what was happening.
The events from Marilyn Manson I remember well enough. They had just released their first album that year and were getting some radio play with Get Your Gunn. I had heard a couple of their songs, but didn’t really know what to expect. Their performance was ok, not stellar, but in their defense, they were also the opening act. The sound wasn’t yet impeccable, and they were still adjusting to performing in large theaters.
Toward the end of their performance, a wicked cover of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) was performed and that grabbed audience attention. It was a decidedly different version, but a worthwhile cover. Shortly after that, Marilyn decided it was time to get naked. He literally stripped down to nothing but his birthday suit and danced around the stage. I’m not sure what his thought process was, but as a heterosexual male, this is not something I wanted to see. It actually made me think less of him as a performer and I honestly believe that one incident is why I never got into the band.
After Marilyn left, we were highly anticipating the headliners. Nine Inch Nails were about to storm the stage and I couldn’t wait to hear them. I wanted to know what they would open with, how many of the newer songs would they be playing, how long were they going to play for, etc? I was psyched and raring to go.
The opening buildup of Pinion came across the speakers and we knew it was time. Pinion went into Mr. Self Destruct which went right into SIN. It was an awesome way to open the show. SIN was performed album perfect and the show was off and running.
Trent and the band had their energy level up from the minute they took the stage. There was plenty of screaming, pounding drums, loud guitars, and happy, insane fans. On the floor there was a pit of mosh dancers, not visible to those of us that sat near the ceiling, but we knew it was there.
March of the Pigs, Reptile, and Gave Up all sounded impeccable, and even though it was near the end of their tour, Nine Inch Nails sounded in mid-tour form that night.
Wish brought out the headbanging, hard rocking, heavy metaler in me, and I was jumping up and down, singing at the top of my lungs, pounding on the seat in front of me, and generally going crazy.
One of the coolest moments of the night came with the performance of Hurt. A large screen was dropped to the stage and a mini-movie was played as the band performed. The song itself is amazing on its own, but hearing it in a live setting with the added images, pushed it over the top. It was spectacular.
Head Like A Hole was the big show closer and everyone in the Garden was going nuts. This was a powerful song that the entire audience sang along to, as loud as they could. Seeing it performed live was a real treat and worth the price of admission (which was not too much back then).
The encore was strong, with Closer (Trent’s biggest hit at the time), Dead Souls (a lovely song from The Crow soundtrack), and Something I Can Never Have (the smooth ballad from Nine Inch Nail’s debut). When the concert ended and the last song of the encore was played, I was exhausted. Nine Inch Nails had come to New York City, played the world’s most famous arena, and kicked our ass with their brand of rock and roll. It was an experience like no other and one that I was proud to have been a part of.
Setlist
Pinion
Mr. Self Destruct
Sin
March of the Pigs
Piggy
Reptile
Gave Up
Happiness In Slavery
Eraser
Hurt
The Downward Spiral
Wish
Suck
The Only Time
Down In It
Head Like A Hole
Encore
Closer
Dead Souls
Something I Can Never Have
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sunday CD Review - Nine Inch Nails:Pretty Hate Machine
In 1989, during the head bangers, glam/hair metal’s height of glory, a new band stormed onto the scene with their big hit single, Head Like A Hole. Nine Inch Nails was launched and no one knew what to make of them, but the music was definitely great.
Pretty Hate Machine was Nine Inch Nails debut album and is decidedly different from the current offerings of Trent Reznor. The early discs helped define the sound of Nine Inch Nails and their industrial, edgy rock. Pretty Hate Machine is the closest they have to a pure rock/metal album, and it is also a fantastic disc to listen to.
Head Like A Hole, the big, signature, arena stomp song, opens the disc and sets the pace for a hard rocking, fast moving, wild ride. Terrible Lie follows and keeps the sound rolling with its rocking groove and fist pumping, foot smashing beat.
The keyboards, bells, whistles, and extra sounds are what make this disc so intense. It’s a blend of different instruments, background effects, vocals, and obscure noises that pull the music together and solidify the listening experience.
The funky grooves of The Only Time will make heads sway and may cause an infectious case of body motion. The angry cry of repressed youth can be felt on the song SIN, a worthy tune of no longer receiving what was once easily accessible. The song touches on denial, rejection, humiliation, and human desire, everything a growing teenage boy needs to scream about.
The “ballad” of the disc would be Something I Can Never Have. Lyrically speaking, it is more of an anti-ballad, a soft, slow moving, beautiful song that speaks of losing a loved one and living with the aftermath of that loss. It’s never quite stated if the loss is breakup or death, but either way, the pain is felt and translated into this wonderful song, one of the best on the disc, and possibly one of the best Nine Inch Nails songs ever.
From start to finish, Pretty Hate Machine delivers everything that a hard rocking, head banging fan could want in a record. Although there are no songs of the glamorous party lifestyle of the Hollywood strip, this would pave the way for the alternative movement of doom and gloom. While Pretty Hate Machine covers a lot of hatred and anger, it also moves the listener musically and raises the bar lyrically.
Trent’s lyrics may not be the most uplifting, but they do make one think. And long after the record has been released and played over and over; people are still talking about it. That’s what makes it a great disc, one that stands up over time. Pretty Hate Machine can compete with today’s bands/music, just as easily as it did back in 1989 when it first released. This is a fantastic disc that stood the test of time and still has musical relevance. A rare feat, but a grand one that master Trent pulled it off.
Vie’s Rating: 8.5 (Out of 10)
Track Listing:
1. Head Like A Hole
2. Terrible Lie
3. Down In It
4. Sanctified
5. Something I Can Never Have
6. Kinda I Want To
7. Sin
8. That’s What I Get
9. The Only Time
10. RIngfinger
Pretty Hate Machine was Nine Inch Nails debut album and is decidedly different from the current offerings of Trent Reznor. The early discs helped define the sound of Nine Inch Nails and their industrial, edgy rock. Pretty Hate Machine is the closest they have to a pure rock/metal album, and it is also a fantastic disc to listen to.
Head Like A Hole, the big, signature, arena stomp song, opens the disc and sets the pace for a hard rocking, fast moving, wild ride. Terrible Lie follows and keeps the sound rolling with its rocking groove and fist pumping, foot smashing beat.
The keyboards, bells, whistles, and extra sounds are what make this disc so intense. It’s a blend of different instruments, background effects, vocals, and obscure noises that pull the music together and solidify the listening experience.
The funky grooves of The Only Time will make heads sway and may cause an infectious case of body motion. The angry cry of repressed youth can be felt on the song SIN, a worthy tune of no longer receiving what was once easily accessible. The song touches on denial, rejection, humiliation, and human desire, everything a growing teenage boy needs to scream about.
The “ballad” of the disc would be Something I Can Never Have. Lyrically speaking, it is more of an anti-ballad, a soft, slow moving, beautiful song that speaks of losing a loved one and living with the aftermath of that loss. It’s never quite stated if the loss is breakup or death, but either way, the pain is felt and translated into this wonderful song, one of the best on the disc, and possibly one of the best Nine Inch Nails songs ever.
From start to finish, Pretty Hate Machine delivers everything that a hard rocking, head banging fan could want in a record. Although there are no songs of the glamorous party lifestyle of the Hollywood strip, this would pave the way for the alternative movement of doom and gloom. While Pretty Hate Machine covers a lot of hatred and anger, it also moves the listener musically and raises the bar lyrically.
Trent’s lyrics may not be the most uplifting, but they do make one think. And long after the record has been released and played over and over; people are still talking about it. That’s what makes it a great disc, one that stands up over time. Pretty Hate Machine can compete with today’s bands/music, just as easily as it did back in 1989 when it first released. This is a fantastic disc that stood the test of time and still has musical relevance. A rare feat, but a grand one that master Trent pulled it off.
Vie’s Rating: 8.5 (Out of 10)
Track Listing:
1. Head Like A Hole
2. Terrible Lie
3. Down In It
4. Sanctified
5. Something I Can Never Have
6. Kinda I Want To
7. Sin
8. That’s What I Get
9. The Only Time
10. RIngfinger
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