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Metal Morsels: Kylesa, Saviours, Bison b.c., Kowloon Walled City @ DNA Lounge, 10/1/09 »

Industrial Strength: Psyclon Nine, Imperative Reaction, Dismantled, We Got This Far @ DNA Lounge, 9/29/09

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 7 days ago.]

“You’re not on the list”.

Not the way I like to start a show. Someone at Metropolis dropped the ball, but….it happens. So I bought a ticket.

It’s 8:30…and when I walk inside, locals We Got This Far are already on stage. I saw them open for 16volt earlier this year, and really liked their sound…..local industrial bands are few and far between. I would like to see what they would sound like with live synths and drums to make their sound a bit bigger. I spoke with the bassist after their set, and it sounds like big things are happening for them in the near future. Definitely a band to keep your eye on.

Dismantled is a three piece, one of which is a female on keys who looks like the Posh Spice of industrial music. She’s gorgeous- that is, if you’re ok with a hot girl with black paint smudged all over her. I wouldn’t exactly say her musical prowess is why she is there (her hands barely moved on the keys), but her energy is quite a spectacle. I found their sound to be largely less dynamic than the other bands on the bill, but they weren’t bad.

I’ve been waiting a while to see Imperative Reaction. My friend referred to them as a boy band- based on the female crowd reaction, I think they kind of are an industrial boy band. There was this one girl up front that I kept geeking out on- she knew every word and kept grabbing on to the singer’s leg whenever he came near. At the end, he bent down and kind of hugged her head….I was very happy for her. Most of my time was spent ogling the drummer- Joe Letz. I thought he looked really familiar- turns out I had a similar reaction when I saw him in Combichrist earlier this year. My perspective for watching him was better this time- he was positioned sideways on the left side of the stage, so that was facing me in the balcony. He loses sticks more than any drummer I’ve seen- but new ones just magically appear in his hands. He’s very intense. But the best part was when my ears perked up when I heard him play the drum intro to NIN’s ‘You Know What You Are’….one of my absolute favorite NIN songs live that I hadn’t heard on the final tour….I died a little with excitement. Then I was like…did I just hear that? So I tweeted about it…..and boy do I love twitter. One of my followers filled me in: Letz is from Combichrist, filling in for the IR drummer who was injured in a motorcycle accident. And….get this….Letz is Trent Reznor’s mic tech’s cousin! Todd, the guy who I’ve stood behind countless times….crazy. Then he played the intro to ‘Discipline’……le sigh. Anyway, I thought they were quite good- and they seemed to really like the crowd as well. They mentioned that they were treating this like the final show of the tour, even though they still had one date in San Diego….that “didn’t count”. Ha! So someone played a trick on them and passed out a bunch of packages of peanuts in the crowd, and everyone threw them on stage. Letz opened up a pack and and spread them out on the drums and played on top of them. Then someone bought them a round of shots. I think they ended up playing for longer than Psyclon Nine did.

youtube from warhawk7

Between sets I got to briefly go backstage, which at DNA is what is normally the loungey dance room on a regular club night. It reminded me of videos/photos I’ve seen of early NIN and Manson tours backstage- dirty, makeup and hair products everywhere, empty alcohol bottles, and a cloud of baby powder. Yeah, lot’s of baby powder….no cornstarch….though someone did point out that baby powder is cornstarch, so…whatever. But it was kind of humorous to watch the Psyclon Nine guys get their pictures taken right before going on stage as I’m inhaling a smell that reminds me of babies.

I like Psyclon Nine because they merge industrial and black metal well. The word that comes to mind is ‘demented’. Especially the bassist, who reminds me of Manson’s character in Party Monster…..just demented as fuck. He keeps his mouth stretched wide open almost the entire time.

They started off with a bang- the singer and guitarist went flying into the crowd.

Even though the crowd had thinned a bit- it was getting late- there was a pretty good pit going for this set. The vocalist screeched and screamed all over the stage- his spikey, cartoonish hair never faltering as he trashed around. He seemed genuinely pissed off the entire time.

At the end of the set, he went up to the drums and tried to light them on fire…but it didn’t work. So he picked up a keyboard and threw it at the drums instead. Yes! I love watching musicians break stuff. They left the stage, and the crowd was pretty quiet in their yelling for an encore. But they did eventually come back out for one song- and successfully lit the drums on fire. This was cool….I can buy into a gimmick that involves fire. The drummer continued to play, even when the fire extinguisher came out and they had a tough time putting it out! I think he may have been singed.

By then it was almost 2am. It was an industrial strength evening.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2815Comments (0)2009-09-30+22%3A01%3A03hardrockchick

Rain When I Die ~ An Evening with Alice in Chains @ The Fillmore, 9/28/09

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 8 days ago.]

If Nine Inch Nails has been the soundtrack to my life, Alice in Chains has tried to be the soundtrack to my death on multiple occasions.

It all started off well – my first real kiss was while listening to the SAP EP.

Then, when I was 14 years old, one day after school I was riding in my boyfriend’s car, between the two front seats because four other people were crammed into the Honda Civic, and it started to rain. We took a corner and hydroplaned off an embankment and fell fifteen feet into a creek bed. We could have all easily died- but somehow I was the only one injured, since I wasn’t sitting in a real seat. I broke my left elbow, and hit my head and was knocked out (the roof caved in during the roll). The CD stuck in the player of the totaled car: Dirt.

“Down in a Hole”.

The only time I ever came close to thinking I had OD’ed in my brief fling with hard drugs during high school, we were listening to Facelift.

“We Die Young”.

I was a sophomore in high school when I found out my serious boyfriend cheated on me. I went for a drive to think about things- as I still do to this day- and a deer ran out in front of my car and I smashed into it. I was listening to Alice in Chains (we used to call it the ‘three legged dog’ album).

“Again and again and again and again…”

Then another good thing happened- one of my closest friends in high school named his son Layne. I thought maybe the AiC curse was over.

However, shortly after Layne Staley died in 2002, I was listening to a lot of AiC again. I was driving home from college, having one of the killer migraines that I get from time to time, and ended up rear ending a car. I don’t even remember what AiC album I was listening to, I just know that at that moment, I decided to never listen to AiC in the car again. And I don’t. If it comes up in my shuffle I skip it.

Even after all of that, it never soured me to the band. That’s how much I love them.

But I digress. Alice in Chains is second to NIN as a favorite band for me. The difference is that Layne died, and I never got to see the original lineup. And as my readers can probably sense, a band almost never becomes real to me- at least everything doesn’t fully click- until I see them live. So for AiC, this piece will forever and always be missing.

There was a lot of skepticism when AiC reformed in 2005 and announced that William DuVall would take on singing duties. That didn’t stop me from going to see them at The Warfield in 2006, shortly before I started writing HRC. DuVall really impressed me, and every time I heard from a skeptic, I quickly shut them down.

OK, that was a really long intro. But now we’re caught up to the show.

When the tickets went on sale, I was actually still recovering from the NIN/JA tour and was sleeping in. I was 10 minutes late logging on, and the show had already sold out. After a minor freak out, I decided to just keep checking in to see about extra tickets being released, or try my luck getting a press pass. Neither happened.

Last week, desperation started to set in. So I started monitoring Craigslist. Tickets were going for about double face value. But then I stumbled upon an ad- someone had comp tickets, and was looking for someone to go with. So I replied, including info on my site and referencing my fandom. In a random small world moment- this person happened to also be at the final NIN shows in LA. Crazy!

OK, so we’re really to the actual show now. We arrived a little before doors open at 7pm, and there was a fairly long line down the block already. Yet somehow, after entering the venue, buying my signed, limited to 75 prints poster, coat checking it, and walking onto the floor, I ended up in my normal front row left side, standing next to the rail spot. Seriously, they should put a little star on the floor with ‘HRC’ engraved on it right there- it’s my spot!

With no opener and a cocktail waitress who never made it anywhere near my vicinity, the anticipation in the air was thick. But then by 8:30, the lights dimmed and out walks Cantrell, DuVall, Kinney, and Inez. Inez straps his bass on and walks right in front of me, emitting his devilish energy. And they launch into ‘Rain When I Die’.

It’s almost too much at first. I have become accustomed to having multiple shows with the bands I love, but I know that this night, it’s my only time. So I savor it. And I take a LOT of twitpics because I’m so close that I’m overflowing with excitement and want to share. I think they may have wondered why I kept texting people throughout the show…

AiC is one of those bands that really knows how to connect with a crowd. They just go for it, they’re in the moment with you, singing in your face, pointing at you. DuVall isn’t trying to channel Layne; there’s no karaoke vibe from his performance. There are vocal similarities, but he’s got his own style- it’s less wicked and demented, but it’s still gritty rock ‘n roll.

The other thing is that you can easily pick up on the chemistry they have with each other. Inez, DuVall, and Cantrell switch places a lot, and walk around to pair up and feed off each other frequently. They just seemed to be having a good time.

They played five songs off their new record, which they mentioned “comes out in a few hours”. It all sounds AMAZING live. Better than the record. We got an acoustic portion as they were warming up for a set they are doing today on Jimmy Kimmel…and let me tell you, acoustic ‘Black Gives Way to Blue’, which was dedicated to Layne, brought tears to my eyes. Inez teased a little ‘Rotten Apple’ at the beginning on the acoustic set….damn him!

I was really glad that was the only mention of Layne during the evening. At the last Warfield show, there was an entire video sequence tribute thing, and it was just heartbreaking. I understand the gesture, but it was too much. There were several guys in the crowd with slicked back hair wearing sunglasses trying to channel Layne though…

One of the things that I point out to people when they stick their nose up at the ‘new AiC’ is that Cantrell has always been a huge part of the vocals, and thus sound, that is often attributed solely to Layne. This is why he is one of my Guitar Gods. I love his signature move where he steps to the side and flings his hair forward and then back….a really slow headbang. So during the couple of times he came right up in front of me and played, I melted into the little 12 year old girl that fell in love with them. It’s kind of funny- this pic I managed to snap:

It may look like his head exploded, but really it was my mind that was blown! Luckily I remembered all of the words to be able to make eye contact and sing along…..also with DuVall:

Yep, that was awesome.

There were just a few teeny tiny mess ups with timing on some of the songs- things I only noticed because one of the guys would laugh and look at the other when it happened.

The setlist was so amazing, yet too short, that it’s hard for me to pick a highlight. But, ‘Man in a Box’, and the closers ‘Would’ and ‘Rooster’ had the best crowd energy. Not sure if it was just me, but both ‘Would’ and ‘Rooster’ seemed slower than normal.

The show went by too fast, ending by 10:30. I’m hanging onto the promise from the band: “we’re just getting started”.

Special thanks to Alan for grabbing me a guitar pick, and for my ticket lifesaver Thomas who also grabbed the setlist I’d been waiting and reaching for when some other guys tried to grab it, and bought me a t-shirt!

However, I did miss out on the free Fillmore poster as I was late leaving…so if anyone knows of an extra: hardrockchick – at- hardrockchick – dot – com.

“Did she call my name?
I think its gonna rain
When I die”

Nice youtubes!

from matvei15

From Bad2b2

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2806Comments (5)2009-09-29+17%3A14%3A13hardrockchick

HRC’s Musings: Coming Soon

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 13 days ago.]

Quite a few people have asked me what I’m going to do now that the NIN shows are over.

The immediate answer is ‘I don’t have a clue’. A lot of HRC’s real estate went to NIN news and shows. It feels sad all on its own, and it makes me sadder when people feel sad for me for ‘my loss’. Which in the scheme of life, isn’t a big deal; but when you’re trying to make it as a writer and your muse checks out, it kinda is.

So, what can you expect to fill the gaping hole that NIN has left in HRC?

There are other bands to follow. From my experiences following NIN, Manson, The Faint, and the Mayhem Fest, I’ve determined a plan of action for tours that I love. In research geek speak, it’s a ‘longitudinal study’, where the reviews will check in at the beginning, middle, and end of the tour. There’s something about those first couple shows, where everything is new and the kinks are being worked out; to the middle, where their rhythm has been hit and they are in the thick of it; to the end, where they are exhausted, sentimental, and laying it all on the line.

I will be doing this with the Mastoklok (Mastodon / Dethklok) tour starting next week in Portland, picking back up in Texas in November, and then the end back in California. I’m doing a couple Rob Zombie dates. Other bands that I will be following in the near future are Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Tool (well, hopefully), and Behemoth. I’m also hoping to do some international travel around a tour, to check out how things work in other parts of the world.

It’s interesting to follow a band other than NIN- there are little to no communities for most bands. It makes it tricky to travel around as a single girl , attending shows by myself in foreign venues. That’s one of the things I’ll miss most about my NIN shows. Even if I didn’t like some of the NIN fans, at least I knew them….

I’m also going to be working on writing pieces regarding several topics that keep bouncing around in my head. These may or may not include:

-Tour do’s and don’ts from a fan’s perspective
-Twitter and musicians
-The groupie vs. the band-aide vs. the fan debate
-Band merch…what’s missing.
-Music blogging….so what
-Live music photography- the pros vs. the amateurs
-The venue can make it or break it
-MySpace isn’t dead
-The virtual groupie
-Side projects
-Music memorabilia
-The X Factor: what exactly is it?
-YouTube and concert footage: the good and the bad

I’m also trying to figure out how I want to approach interviews in the future, as well as a few ways to grow HRC by partnering with some other sites.

To be continued….

Genre(s): Musings

2800Comments (2)HRC%27s+Musings%3A+Coming+Soon2009-09-24+18%3A30%3A22hardrockchick

Top 5 Dream Songs

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 14 days ago.]

I’ve been having really intense dreams lately. I’ve also been having pretty serious insomnia issues- so perhaps my elongated naps are making for these crazy dreams. Dreams are always a mystery- what do they mean? Sometimes I don’t want to know. Alas….I bring you dream themed songs:

Dream On / Aerosmith

Dreams / Fleetwood Mac

Only In Dreams / Weezer

(When You Wake) You’re Still In A Dream

And Then I Dreamt of Yes / The Dandy Warhols

Genre(s): Lists

2797Comments (2)Top+5+Dream+Songs2009-09-24+08%3A12%3A07hardrockchick

You Should Check Out: Dirt Communion

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 14 days ago.]

Name: Dirt Communion

From: Reno, NV

Shares DNA With: Down, Goatwhore, The Sword

Feels Like: A dirty communion on the banks of the Mississippi River

Key to Success: I don’t know about you, but I generally never tire of the heavy, southern metal sound.

Needs To Work On: Some of the vocals could use a little polish.

Download their music here.

Genre(s): You should check out:

2792Comments (0)You+Should+Check+Out%3A+Dirt+Communion2009-09-24+07%3A51%3A41hardrockchick

Shock and Awe w/ Five Finger Death Punch, Shadows Fall, otep @ The Regency Ballroom, 9/22/09

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 14 days ago.]

The ‘Shock and Raw‘ tour got off to an interesting start. After tour headliners Five Finger Death Punch’s record release party in Las Vegas last weekend, lead guitarist Zoltan Bathory went missing. After a couple days of speculation, and a fast approaching first day of the tour, he surfaced; unscathed and with little explanation.

I scored rockstar parking next to the venue, and proceeded to make my way inside. During the search at the door, my gum was confiscated. My GUM! Not G-U-N. Security told me it’s because there is new carpet inside. OK…..but really, come on!

Otep took the stage as soon as I walked inside. Last time I saw Otep was at one of the last shows at the now closed 12 Galaxies. I definitely think she is one of the coolest chicks in metal- she’s smart, very pretty, and has a great stage presence. However, she could use a better backing band…..and the audience didn’t quite get her forays into her spoken word pieces. I also don’t like the different face coverings she utilizes for different songs….feels trite to me. It was good to see her again.

Shadows Fall is a band I know absolutely nothing about. I should have mentally prepared myself though….because when the singer hit the stage with his near floor length dreads, it was nearly over for me then and there. Watching him headbang was for sure one of the most ludicrous things I have witnessed in metal. No offense to their music- it was alright, just not my style. But the Dreadbanging…..holy moly…..I could create a videogame character around this awesome fighting mechanic. I saw the dreads slap security a couple times. When he jumped into the crowd, I was waiting for someone to yank them…I might not have been able to resist! Wow. Anyway- I was too distracted by this obviously to get very into the music, but I don’t think their music gave me much of a reason to not be.

Five Finger Death Punch has never been on my radar- but I’m trying to branch out. But I’m familiar with the inspiration for the name, as I’m a Kill Bill fan. Their brand of metal is more of the ‘jock’ variety – the costume of choice consists of baseball caps, jerseys, mesh shorts, and sneakers. My brand of metal requires a vastly different costume- mostly based on the color black, denim, and combat boots. That said, the band has great energy, their sound is pretty clean and much more hook driven than Shadows Fall, and the crowd LOVES them.

There were a lot of crowd surfers, and the lead singer kept dousing the barrier (security included) and pit in water. They are the type of band who really connects with the crowd- pointing, looking everyone in the eye…they really made a lot of people’s nights. In particular, there was a 9 year old boy at the rail with his father, and the lead singer gave him a lot of attention- bringing him swag, saying, “you made our night!”, and so on. It was heartwarming…..something that I don’t want anywhere near my metal shows, but that’s beside the point.

As the main set came to a close and I planned my exit before the encore, I stood there listening to one of the many surprisingly slower songs of theirs, and all of the men in the room singing along to it. It was an interesting moment for me, looking around and realizing that little me might be more hardcore than 95% of the people in the room. Sometimes I even scare myself.

So, with that, I took my little jaded hardcore ass home, and called it a night.

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2787Comments (0)2009-09-23+18%3A29%3A18hardrockchick

Top 5 Serial Killer Songs

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 16 days ago.]

I’ve always been a little obsessed with serial killers….well, ever since I went to see Silence of the Lambs when I was 10 years old. I have no idea how my parents let me see that, but that’s beside the point. I went on to study Abnormal Psychology in college, but decided against pursuing a career after visiting a prison and feeling uncomfortable around the inmates. Instead, I use my knowledge to understand the guys I date.

Lots of great tunes have been written about serial killers. Here are my top 5:

Dead Skin Mask / Slayer

Subject: Ed Gein

Ted, Just Admit It / Jane’s Addiction

Subject: Ted Bundy

Jack the Ripper / The Horrors

Subject: Jack the Ripper

Bloodbath in Paradise / Ozzy Osbourne

Subject: Charles Manson

Son of Sam / Dead Boys

Subject: David Berkowitz

Genre(s): Lists

2783Comments (2)Top+5+Serial+Killer+Songs2009-09-22+02%3A02%3A53hardrockchick

Like in the Nineties: Meat Puppets, Dead Confederate @ Slim’s 9/19/09

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 17 days ago.]

It felt a bit odd as I walked down 11th Street past the Repulsion show at DNA Lounge, where a sea of metalheads in black took a cigarette break. I looked at them, wide eyed with a sense of longing. I really need a good metal show in my life right now. But I kept on walking, because I was going to Slim’s to see the Meat Puppets.

Why? Because I had always felt compelled to go see them. I was a huge Nirvana fan until Kurt went and died on me (I still am….). It was through Nirvana Unplugged that I learned about the Meat Puppets. And every time they’ve come around, I’ve always had a conflict….until now.

Dead Confederate, from Athens, GA, fit nicely into the evening. Psychedelic rock with a country twang, the lead singer has an definite Kurt Cobain vibe, especially when he reaches for his upper register and his voice takes on that sandpaper quality. Plus he wore a flannel- though it was updated to current fashion because it had a hood. Songs like ‘The Rat’ and ‘All the Angels’ show off their sound well. However, just like other bands from Athens that I often have a problem with (Drive By Truckers, R.E.M., Neutral Milk Hotel)- some of their songs slip into a mellow territory that leave them indistinct. How else can I tell they are from Athens? Presence of a trucker hat and handlebar mustache.

The Meat Puppets hit the stage, and it was immediately apparent that, while both of the Kirkwood brothers have a storied past of drug addiction, one brother has done more drugs that the other. At first, I became surrounded by guys stuck in the nineties, bouncing to the music with shirts tied around their waists. I thought, what am I doing here, really? Then, the second song happened: ‘Oh Me’. I honestly have only listened to Nirvana Unplugged maybe 5 times since Kurt died….to me, that album is like visiting his grave and also represents a very difficult time in my life. So it felt weird to hear the song, even in their much more country rock style. But I knew why I was there.

The Meat Puppets are a band where you have to take the sum of their songs rather than the individual ones to really understand and appreciate them. They have elements from many genres, span many moods, and aren’t exactly the cleanest in execution of them. But there is something in their spirit that makes them unique. For me, it conveyed the groundwork for early nineties alternative music. I felt a bit transported during the evening; a result of the band and the audience. Did I mention there were a lot of guys with shirts tied around their waists?

I’ve read quotes here and there that the Meat Puppets are somewhat resentful of their fame that came from Nirvana’s covers. I never quite understood this line of thinking. However, I left the gig saying to myself, ‘it was good, but I liked those songs better when Kurt sang them’. Go figure.

Meat Puppets: Lake of Fire

Nirvana: Lake of Fire

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2777Comments (0)2009-09-20+19%3A41%3A19hardrockchick

Mini Review: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, YACHT @ Fox Theater, 9/9/09

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 23 days ago.]

I honestly had no business being at this show.

It was initially supposed to be part of my ‘getting me through my post-NIN depression’ schedule. But instead, it became sandwiched between 2 NIN shows that I was flying in and out of LA for. But! I loves me some Karen O.

I consumed mass amounts of green tea, but I was still near zombie status when I picked up my friend to make the trek ‘overseas’ to the beautiful Fox Theater in Oakland. And then when we reached the front of the theater and I looked in my bag for the print at home tickets he’d asked me to print out….NOTHING. I’ve never (knock on wood) left home without my ticket before…this is how tired I was. But, a quick trip to the box office, and ouila! A nice printed ticket. Not bad.

*insert gush about how beautiful the Fox Theater is here*

YACHT: a male and female duo from Portland. One wears black, the other wears white, with matching mics. They have a sizable multimedia display. And the music is not good. Not good at all. I had a feeling I had seen this before.…back when it was just the guy and the multimedia setup was much much more lo-fi. Just not my thing.

This was my third time seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I think Karen O is a great performer. Unfortunately, I feel like they are on a path towards the middle, when I wish they’d kept the edge they used to have. Karen wears some insane stuff though- this night seemed to be diaper chic….seriously. It really borderlines on ugly, but somehow she pulls it off.

It was so weird to go from a NIN crowd to this. Screaming girls, happy people, hipsters…..it made me feel super goth, but at least the guitarist, Nick, made me feel like at least there was one like-minded person in the room. Except that he kept snapping pictures of the crowd with a Holga or something….it was a little forced. He was also having a lot of guitar problems.

Anyhoo, due to my NIN extravaganza, computer malfunction, and general tardiness of this write up….that’s about all I have. They were good as expected, nothing out of the ordinary happened, and the night will soon fade into obscurity.

“They don’t love you like I love you”

Genre(s): My Musical Adventures

2769Comments (0)2009-09-15+08%3A51%3A10hardrockchick

The Day That NIN Went Away: Nine Inch Nails, Io Echo @ The Wiltern, 9/10/09

by hardrockchick [about 11 months, 25 days ago.]

Let’s just say that Nine Inch Nails has been like my lover…perhaps my best friend….for a long time. NIN has been there with me through a lot. It has comforted me when I was sad; it has turned me on; it has introduced me to new people; it has given me inspiration.

The break up began in December in Las Vegas. But then we got back together for a brief fling earlier this summer. I thought it was over in Holmdel. And then, we went on a couple dates in New York. But NIN made it official on September 10th, 2009. That was the day the movers came, and the keys were left on the counter.

My final pilgrimage to LA started like this: I was hardcore frisked by security because my bondage pants (hey- I was dressed for the show!) set off the alarms, then my flight was delayed and I was freaking out amidst all of these suits who were staring at me in my outfit. It was only delayed 20 minutes, but that was enough time to know that I wouldn’t make it for wristbanding. The Wiltern has a bunch of tiers, and the pit is limited to a couple hundred people. Luckily my friend and +1 who had been waiting all day was able to find another person to use their +1, so she could get in the pit (scalper rules say both people have to be present to fetch the tickets). But I was very sad knowing that I wouldn’t be close for this show.

A stiff drink and the now familiar 55 minute plane ride later, I was in a cab and off to the venue. Then I walked down the ticketing line to see if anyone waiting needed a ticket, and I found one! So I was able to skip the line and give this guy my extra ticket. It wouldn’t have been a NIN show if I didn’t stress about tickets or lines somehow.

Everyone was in quite the mood for this last show. You could cut the tension with a knife. The outpouring of emotion by the fanbase was an amazing thing to witness. I’d liken it to attending a wake; everyone was sad, but sharing positive NIN memories while waiting in line. But everyone was stressed about having the perfect spot at their final NIN show.

It was NIN magic- somehow, me, @trzdnsmommie, and @Capital_M were able to score the center of the first tier, which was eye level with the stage- and we all came in at different times. I couldn’t believe it. It was meant to be. After spending most of the last shows standing by myself, I got to stand in between two of my favorite NIN friends.

The roaming cocktail waitresses helped us celebrate- we got three rounds of shots brought right to us! Everything had fallen into place.

Celebrity spotting was fun: Adrienne Curry was in the pit, Ron Jeremy, Penn Jillette, Tony Kanal, and Rick Rubin were in the balcony. Ron Jeremy always gets a lot of attention from the NIN fans (we like to yell at him…in a good way)- he’s at every Vegas or LA show. Tony Hawk was around somewhere.

Io Echo really scored a gig opening for this show. I had seen them before, opening for She Wants Revenge. The NIN connection is that the lead guitarist is Atticus Ross’ little brother.

I think they won some new fans with their set. Io is a great performer, running around onstage in her chic hospital gown. ‘I’m On Fire’ is my favorite song of theirs.

In between sets, my girls and I chatted about the meaning of this moment. Pretty much everything that was said started with “I can’t believe…” A brief check in on twitter revealed that all the NIN fans around the world had succeeded in making #NIN the #1 trending topic on twitter….amazing! It felt like all the NIN fans were there with us, sharing in the moment virtually. I never partake in the trending topic thing, but I felt compelled to share my favorite NIN memory as everyone else was:

Story here.

And then it began.

Robin’s guitar intro to ‘Home’ swam into my ears to kick off the show. We linked arms and breathed in, as Ilan started assaulting the drums. JMJ started plucking away, and Trent Reznor emerged to sing for us. This, ladies and gents, was the true beginning of the end. My heart started beating faster, my eyes welled up, my mind focused to a sharp point at what was onstage. “I return to the only place I’ve ever felt that I belong”.

‘Somewhat Damaged’…we are in the best spot in the entire building. Out of harm’s way, on the same level as the band, able to leverage the barrier to go wild. And this is a song I like to do that to. “Where the fuck were you?!?!?!”

‘The Collector’…hmmmm…sad thing about this show was the fact that there were some casual fans in our vicinity. Songs like this make me aware of their dumb chatter. ‘Discipline’: the girls and I bump hips as we dance. ‘March of the Pigs’….I will SO miss seeing this song live and feeling the energy it brings. This is the ‘brace yourself, we’re at a fucking NIN show’ song….even outside of the pit.

‘Something I Can Never Have’ just had to be in this set. This song puts into words so many of my emotions that I can hardly stand it. “You make this all go away”…..le sigh.

‘The Frail’ into ‘The Wretched’ was perfect. ‘Ruiner’->’Head Down’->’Burn’…..I was grasping at every note. A crowd surfer came over our head around this point- wasn’t expecting that from this spot- but as he fell to the ground I noticed that he was desperately grasping onto the sole tambourine that Reznor threw out at this show. He had probably been attacked and was trying to get the hell out of there.

Mike Garson came onstage for ‘Just Like You Imagined’, ‘La Mer’, ‘The Becoming’, and ‘Down in the Park’. ‘La Mer’ nearly made me crumple where I stood. It’s truly one of Reznor’s best compositions.

Gary Numan came out again for ‘Down in the Park’, ‘Metal’, and ‘I Die: You Die’. This wrapped up the main set.

The first encore could be entitled ‘new meets old’. Some of the newer tracks: ’1,000,000′, ‘Letting You’, ‘Survivalism’, ‘The Hand That Feeds’ were paired with some of the oldest: ‘Suck’, ‘Down In It’, and ‘Head Like A Hole’. It was really eerie that everyone in front of me knew now that Reznor changes the lyrics in ‘Down In It’ to “I looked him right in the eye and waved goodbye”, and everyone did so in unison. ‘HLAH’ always signals the end of a show for me, so having it at this point meant that for the rest of the set, anything goes.

from synthetikz

The second encore was my favorite. I could tell something very different was going to happen because the set change took quite a while. And then out walks Reznor and Atticus Ross, and they launch into ‘Me, I’m Not’. YES! I had never heard it live before. I like Atticus’ dance moves. It was like a NIN DJ set.

They launch into ‘The Warning’, and out strolls Dave Navarro. Or, as most of us say, ‘Dave-Fucking-Navarro!’ I had expected this to happen during the NIN/JA tour, and was so sad when it never did. Good things come to those who wait! Atticus left after ‘The Warning’, and Reznor tossed his voice manipulator into the crowd, causing a massive fight.

Navarro stayed to spice up ‘Piggy’ (Nothing Can Stop Me Now…otherwise know as Remix) and ‘Gave Up’. Having Navarro perform Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) was significant because he played guitar on the recorded track. Plus Rick Rubin, who remixed it, was sitting in the balcony. Full circle.

from synthetikz

from discobunny9

from synthetikz

from okeastron2008

For the third encore, a second drum set appeared. And then everyone from The Dillinger Escape Plan appeared. And they FUCKED SHIT UP! The quote, “If you don’t know, now you know” comes to mind…..afterward the NIN fans were buzzing about these guys…I have a feeling I’ll run into more NIN fans at DEP shows now. ‘Mr. Self Destruct’ and ‘Wish’ were accompanied by equipment being tossed around and mutilated. Puciato dove into the crowd. It was total chaos, and it was lovely to observe.

from synthetikz

To go from that into ‘Atmosphere’ was jarring…and it was the beginning of the comedown that would be the end of the show. ‘Dead Souls’, ‘The Good Soldier’….and then ‘The Day the World Went Away’….with two false starts. The song was preceded by a thank you speech to the band and crew by Trent. “I just don’t want to be touring..I’m gonna die if I keep it up” He stopped the song twice to add people to the thank you list. It was interesting to hear him say all of their names and realize how many of them I know due to following the band around. The speech and the false starts were humorous and touching all at the same time.

from okeastron2008

This is the point when my ‘NIN life’ flashed before my eyes. Really, the last year of it….which was the most meaningful. 20 shows in 4 years; 16 of which were in the past 15 months: 5 LITS shows, 6 NIN/JA shows, and 5 Wave Goodbye shows. All of the waiting in line for rail, all of the people I’ve met, all of the travel, the three times I met Trent Reznor, all of the blogs I’ve written, all of the pictures I’ve taken, all of the video I’ve shot, all of the times I stressed about getting tickets. Really overwhelming.

I don’t care if you tell me this isn’t the end. A lot of people kept saying to me, “why are you making such a big deal about this, Jamie; you know this isn’t the end! It’s just a marketing thing”. I don’t really buy that. I think it will be at least five years before we see something. Reznor’s getting married. He’ll probably have kids. He’ll change. I’ll change. I could be dead in five years! I’ll definitely be older….I probably won’t ever be able to hit the road with a band like I have been able to do this past year. It’s fucking heartbreaking, but I feel good about the fact that I took every opportunity I could to do so. Because I’ll never be at this point in my life at this time in society with this band ever again.

‘Hurt’….

‘In This Twilight’ is when the sorrow manifested and the tears started rolling down my cheeks, as they are as I write this. The girls and I held hands and cried and watched the band leave the stage one by one. And we stood there. “I don’t know what to do”. “I don’t want to leave”. “It’s really over”.

from synthetikz

Now what? After a lot of quiet looks at each other as we made our way out of the venue, the subject was broached…who do we follow now???

I feel lost, but hopeful. I will find this feeling again somewhere along my journey, but it will never be quite the same as with Nine Inch Nails.

Setlist/Special Guests Tracker (from nin.com)
1. Home
2. Somewhat Damaged
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 (w Mike Garson)
13. La Mer (w Mike Garson)
14. Eraser (w Mike Garson)
15. The Becoming (Still) (w Mike Garson)
16. Down In The Park (w Gary Numan & Mike Garson intro(?) )
17. Metal (w Gary Numan)
18. I Die: You Die (w Gary Numan)

19. 1,000,000
20. Letting You
21. Survivalism
22. Suck
23. Down In It
24. The Hand That Feeds
25. Head Like A Hole

26. Me, I’m Not (w Atticus Ross)
27. The Warning (w Atticus Ross & Dave Navarro)
28. Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now) (w Dave Navarro)
29. Gave Up (w Dave Navarro)

30. Mr. Self Destruct (w The Dillinger Escape Plan)
31. Wish (w The Dillinger Escape Plan)
32. Atmosphere (cover – Joy Division)
33. Dead Souls (cover – Joy Division)
34. The Good Soldier
35. The Day The World Went Away
36. Hurt
37. In This Twilight

Genre(s): HRC loves NIN,My Musical Adventures

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