Lack of "fun money" in the bank sucks and can affect even the most dedicated and loyal of music fans. I still get to my fair share of great shows, (large and small venue) but lately there have been less "must sees" and more "maybe sees". This summer, two large venue "must sees" were penned in early on the concert calendar; Radiohead on August 27th and Nine Inch Nails on September 6th.
Radiohead was a great evening in Chula Vista and although the band seemed tired from a long and winding down tour, they did and always do put forth greatness, musically and visually with their genius fusion of eclectic music, light shows and video. Radiohead incorporates an advanced LED laser show and a split view, big screen of each member of the band. This is a wonderful accompaniment to their ethereal style of music and the new songs from "In Rainbows" were equally impressive live and continue the bands ever expanding style of rock deconstruction.
With all due respect to the greatness of Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails tore them a new asshole and in my opinion are the best live show around. The old, gray, Forum roof could barely contain the rock energy pulsing off the stage, throughout the crowd. I hadn't experienced anything like it since Rage Against the Machine dropped the "Battle of San Diego" banner and turned Cox Arena into a human wave pool.
Although the bands NIN and Radiohead historically don't have much musically in common, I have noticed new similarities and at this point in their careers, I imagine the crossover of the bands' fan base is probably greater than ever! We are talking about two of the biggest bands in the world right now and 20 years in the making! Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor are both talented song writers but its their bands as a product that are also on top of their game in so many ways and elevated the fan experience to another level. This is something that has been declining for some time and follows closely along with the demise of the record label. I'm not talking about dancing midgets and miniature replicas of Stonehenge. There is a line between something that becomes distracting versus enhancing the show but most live musical performances have the ability to also tell a visual story and create a complete experience. I had found myself recently avoiding large venue concerts because of over-priced tickets with rising fees, too many people, non intimate setups, poor sound and nothing to really draw you into the vastness of the stage versus the smallness of the bands performing on it. When the visual and the aural come together and work at the same high level of creativity the show transcends from just watching a great band play great music to an amazing rock experience and Nine Inch Nails are the future of this experience.
Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails combine art, technology, politics, and an array of emotion into a live, mind blowing trip of site and sound. Layered series of digital curtains create visual landscapes of light and graphics that accents every note, hit or lyric the band plays. At one point in the show, while the rest of the band gets ready to shift down into a set of "Ghosts" tracks, NIN drummer, Josh Freeze walks out to a digital display of squares and programs his drums on the massive curtain by pushing red squares to white. Reznor finally got to do what he so badly wanted for the 2005 VMAs, which led to his pullout after static from MTV brass. The band performed "The Hand That Feeds" with an image of George W. Bush in the background but added a new twist when the image slowly morphed into the image of John McCain. Good news for Obama supporters, the reaction was twenty thousand middle fingers.
Reznor has also decided to tap into the minds of his "people" and give them the ultimate NIN experience! Along with Radiohead's pay what you feel release of "In Rainbows", Reznor released "The Slip" thanking his fans for their loyal support by saying, "This one's on me." I could go into the correlation between giving away a free album and selling out every large venue around the globe or talk about how 'free" is the newest advertising revolution but this article is already too long, pick up a "Wired" magazine.
What I'm talking about here is having ultimate creative freedom and some really, really, innovative people taking control of every detail and every aspect of what it is to call yourselves Radiohead or Nine Inch Nails. These bands are no longer tied to major labels or a failing system where they are a part of the whole. They are the whole! They have constructed their own team and their own rules and used their creative minds to evolve and reach out and ask, "What do our money spending fans want?" Seems like the bands are happier doing things on their own terms, creating the ultimate experience and controlling their futures. Happier bands, happier fans, sorry record labels...but fuck off!
If the ultimate fan experience is the next evolution in music, than we are all in for a great ride. Some critics will condemn the grandness of such things and only identify with the core or smaller aspects that make bands great because it admits to popularity and accessibility. Those critics and fans will look back in ten years and admit that its alright to like things which millions of other people like when bands like Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails set the bar so high.
Nine Inch Nails: The Forum, Los Angeles - 9/06/08
Set list:
999,999
1,000,000
Letting You
Discipline
March of the Pigs
Head Down
The Frail
Closer (The Only Time)
Gave Up
The Warning
Vessel
5 Ghosts I
17 Ghosts II*
19 Ghosts III*
Ghosts Piggy
The Greater Good
Pinion
Wish
Terrible Lie
Survivalism
The Big Comedown
31 Ghosts IV
Only
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole
Encore:
Echoplex
Reptile
God Given
Hurt
In This Twilight