So while other people took Trent’s “retirement” from NIN seriously, I always said “give him 5 years, he’ll be bored, he’ll be back”….so I was wrong, it only took 4 years, but here he is again. Hesitation Marks has really never grown on me, I feel like I’ve given it ample time and several tries, and I just don’t like it. So that being said, 2 shows supporting an album I don’t like, they’re not going to end up on my “favourites” list. But, it IS Trent Reznor we’re talking about here, and it’s impossible for him to disappoint.
So the shows brought Adam into town, and I was making Jason go to his first with me (ok so “making” isn’t the right word, he said he wanted to go, and I tried to warn him about what it meant to go to a nin show with me, and he said he got it but then…i don’t think he really “got” it hahaha cuz he hated queuing all day even though we didn’t get there til noon which is fairly “late” for us, and he hated waiting around for the crappy opener, etc etc etc). We were 20th in line, which was really far up for arriving at noon for a Toronto show. We tried to prepare Jason for what the crowd would be like, to protect his head/hat/glasses if security is in front of us for a crowd surfer, to hold onto the rail and not let go, etc then we ended up not getting touched. We got a tiny bit of jostling with March of the Pigs and Wish, and that was it. It was the most ridiculously tame GA show I’ve ever been to of any band in Toronto. U2 was worse than this LOL. So after all that prep for Jason, I felt almost embarrassed that the experience didn’t live up to the hype LOL. Though I’m pretty sure he’s ok with it haha
The show itself. Like I said, it’s Trent, it’s going to be impressive and awesome. And it was. We were at the rail in front of Robin and the new backup singers when they were on stage. The light show was along similar lines to Lights in the Sky tour, with 2 curved light screens that moved up and down. There were moving sets of lights above each band member and other areas of the stage, that had 9 sets of lights of 9 in them, that could rotate and spin and created some nice effects. Being up front you miss a lot of the light effects, so the 2nd night I spent “mid-ice” in Cleveland it was cool to see. Since the tour is supporting the new album, he played 9 new songs….too much, and they were grouped badly, with a chunk of 5 of them in the middle of the set. I hate when bands do that. I know you’re going to play new stuff, doesn’t matter if I like it or not, but spread it out, intersperse it with old familiar stuff. Ugh. So, to me, it got sorta boring. I’m happy he played the 2 songs I like from the album, but Disappointed, Find My Way and Running are too long, and fairly boring. And while the new songs did sound better live than on the record (live drums!!!), just like The Slip, I still don’t like them. The argument for the grouping of all new songs, is that they feature his new female backup singers, so perform them all together and keep them on stage…as if they can’t walk back and forth on and off the stage? Whatever. But the singers. It was a bit weird the first show, at times I couldn’t hear them that well, so I couldn’t really tell if they “worked” or not, but being mid-ice for Cleveland and I could hear them better, they do add something different to the old songs, and are fairly necessary for the new ones. I approve. I hope for a good bootleg recording that I can hear them well on.
Of course the show highlights for me will be the old songs, but in particular, Somewhat Damaged. Dear lord that song. Suddenly it makes me emotional and teary, but holy crap it’s so good. Adam said he liked it mid-set instead of as an opener, and I’m not sure I agree, but who cares, it’s amazing and I’m just glad they kept it in the set. Survivalism was too loud and distorted when we were up close, better when I was at mid-ice. In This Twilight was not mixed right either, too loud, or the bass too strong or something. Wish had some amazing lights at the end, reminiscent of the spinning lights during U2’s “Streets” on Elevation tour. In Cleveland they switched out Various Methods of Escape for Piggy and Only for Burn, and the lights on Burn were the best I’ve seen from all the shows I’ve seen that song played at. While I’m Still Here is yet another new song I find a bit boring, but it builds and goes into the instrumental Black Noise, which was pretty overwhelming and awesome.
So overall the show was good, Trent can’t be bad, but to be honest I’m glad the tickets ended up being as expensive as they were which prevented me from going berzerk and going to every show I could. Because I’d be a bit bummed if I had to go to more shows where I had to wait out that mid set of new tracks and not hear other songs that I want. If I hadn’t liked With Teeth I wouldn’t have wanted to go to 20 shows from that tour, but it was an easy decision that time since the album was out long before tickets went on sale, unlike this time. Same thing with Year Zero, and Ghosts and even The Slip. I knew I liked those records and wanted to see those songs live, so I knew to buy as many tickets as I could. So I’m ok with my decision to not go to Detroit and Pittsburgh this tour.
And I’m really completely over the queuing and waiting at the rail, suffering through openers etc. It’s just not as fun for me as it was before, and I’m totally happy and can enjoy the show from farther back, with space, and less annoyances.
So Jason said he liked the show, and I hope he’s being honest. I know it’s not his style, I didn’t think it would convert him into being a fan who’d want to listen to nin all the time. But I wanted him to be blown away and I don’t get that impression from his response. I wanted him to experience it because it’s such a big part of who I am.
In Cleveland, Adam and I got to catch up a bit with Matt who we had met at the Wave Goodbye shows in Chicago, which was nice. In general there were only 3 or 4 other people we recognized from previous tours. We had wondered who’d still be doing the travel thing. Not as many as we thought, in the end. It was an enjoyable few days, got to spend time with friends, and see some great music. Time to relax now.
Toronto Setlist:
Copy of A
1,000,000
Terrible Lie
March of the Pigs
The Frail
The Wretched
All Time Low (With barely a snippet of “Closer”)
Disappointed
Came Back Haunted
Find My Way
Various Methods of Escape
Into the Void
Survivalism
Running
A Warm Place
Somewhat Damaged
Wish
Only
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Encore:
Even Deeper
In This Twilight
While I’m Still Here
Black Noise (Not listed on the setlist)
Hurt
Cleveland setlist:
Copy of A
1,000,000
Terrible Lie
March of the Pigs
Piggy
All Time Low
Disappointed
Came Back Haunted
Find My Way
The Frail
The Wretched
Into the Void
Survivalism
Running
A Warm Place
Somewhat Damaged
Wish
Burn
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
Encore:
Even Deeper
In This Twilight
While I’m Still Here
Black Noise
Hurt