The return of Nine Inch Nails was a welcome treat for Southern Californian’s as Trent and crew took over the Verizon Wireless amphitheatre on this warm summer night.
The house lights weren’t even fully down when Trent hit the stage and the crowd went nuts. The show began with the song Somewhat Damaged and a very large chain link curtain that the band played behind for their first two songs. Adding to this larger than life feeling were many fog machines creating the ambience only NIN is known for.
At the beginning of Terrible Lie (the third song in the set) the iron curtain was lifted no longer obscuring the crowd’s view of the band (and Trent Reznor). Moving deeper into the set, a personal favorite of mine was Closer in which Trent was silhouetted on the big screens, (that appeared to be dripping blood) while he shoke his money maker for all to see. Go Trent!
Trent entertained the crowd many times throughout the show by tossing several mic stands vigorously to various parts of the stage, never missing a beat of his well executed performance. The stage show at this point in the set was quite spectacular as the iron curtain once again came down to reveal an intricate display of lights.
Other songs played during this 90 min plus set included: Burn, Gave up, Non-Entity, Even Deeper, Only and Slipping Away, all of which kept the crowd amped and on their feet through most of the set.
Another song that stood out to me was Hurt, in which the audience sang so loudly they nearly overpowered Trent’s main vocal. When talking about fans, it’s clear to see NIN’s lead the pack.
Towards the end of the night, Trent Reznor invited a special guest on stage who he said was a big inspiration for him over the years. The crowd let out roars of approval as Peter Murphy joined Trent on stage to sing a duet of Should the World fail to Fall Apart.
Undoubtedly this had to have been one of the most enjoyable shows I have seen this summer. It was clear to me Trent by far surpasses any expectations I might have had about his live performance. And needless to say the live show is a must see for any NIN listener. A++
