[kj] (OT) NIN

[Brendan]

To be honest a lot of my vitriol is because I tried hard to like NIN, and
some of it I actually do like, but I really dunno if the guy is on the
level or not. And his performance in Auckland, while there were plenty of
solid tracks, was quite a slap in the face.


>

> I don't even want to post it.  But if you want to hate him even more after

> that interview, look up his rendition of "Bela Lugosi's Dead" on SueTube.

>

>> Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 14:54:41 +1300

>> From: bq at soundgardener.co.nz

>> To: gathering at misera.net

>> Subject: Re: [kj] (OT) NIN

>>

>> Trentnor reckons he invented alternative music, Lollapaloser, and paved

>> the way for Nirvana:

>>

>> http://www.nin.com/

>>

>> >

>> > I read in one review that Trent Reznor is an heir to a large fortune.

>> I

>> > am not saying money is happiness, but it does make a nice down

>> payment.

>> > Do any of the musos floating around here know what he is heir to? It

>> is

>> > something electrical (I am *so* technical in my descriptions, I

>> > know)........

>> >

>> >> Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2009 12:37:48 +1300

>> >> From: bq at soundgardener.co.nz

>> >> To: gathering at misera.net

>> >> Subject: Re: [kj] (OT) Jane's Addiction at Echoplex in LA Last Night

>> >>

>> >> Gonna be 'interesting' to see how the NIN / Jane's Addiction shows

>> pan

>> >> out.

>> >>

>> >> My impressions of last night's NIN gig:

>> >>

>> >> Meh. With the emphasis on the 'eh'.

>> >>

>> >> I TRIED to like NIN. I went to all the effort of stealing Trentnor's

>> >> life's work, listening to it on train and plane journeys, walking in

>> to

>> >> work and feeling incongruously anti-social (and anachronistic) while

>> >> docile passersby passed by, oblivious to the fact that I was

>> listening

>> >> to

>> >> something that sounded like a hardcore remake of the Metropolis

>> >> soundtrack

>> >> (1994 Crack Remix).

>> >>

>> >> ...familiarised myself with Pretty Hate Machine (I passed on the 2/3

>> of

>> >> his album collection where he remixes his own stuff

yawn), which I

>> had

>> >> never picked up before because of the awful name.

>> >>

>> >> So I was relatively familiar with NIN, at least moreso than

>> previously,

>> >> when my appreciation was limited to the Quake soundtrack (sounds like

>> >> Tool

>> >> lite) and "that song that Johnny Cash does better." And Perfect

>> >> Drug...which always had me scratching my head as to why it was on

>> such

>> >> high rotate. (Surely these guys do better stuff than this?)

>> >>

>> >> The opening band's promo photo looked so shit I didn't even bother

>> >> listening to anything online to see what they were like. (This

>> >> admittedly

>> >> renders the rest of my review useless due to extreme prejudice but

>> >> hey...just being honest. Don't pretend you're not the same).

>> >>

>> >> NIN - sound quality was mildly mucky, not awful, and probably not

>> their

>> >> fault. Smallish crowd for the venue (half to two thirds of the ~10

>> 000

>> >> seat venue filled). Good light show, basic but good impact.

>> >> Overall...some

>> >> pretty solid material. A fair bit of it sounds samey to me, and I

>> really

>> >> wouldn’t rate them up there with their 90s contemporaries

>> (Soundgarden,

>> >> Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Ministry) for impact, depth, breadth,

>> or

>> >> range. Anyway, a *relatively* solid gig, but a few things gave away

>> that

>> >> it was a phone-in, in a disappointing way. Practically no

>> >> acknowledgement

>> >> of the crowd, no encore, and “this is probably going to be our last

>> show

>> >> in New Zealand" quoth Trentnor half-way through, in one of the

>> perhaps

>> >> two

>> >> times he deigned to address the audience. Seemed to fuck half the

>> >> audience

>> >> off, and rightly so. That was it, not "hey this might be the last

>> time I

>> >> play here so let's rip shit up." More like..."this is probably the

>> last

>> >> time I'm gonna fuck you up the ass, not sure if I can come, anyway,

>> just

>> >> thought I'd share...FYI. Now breathe out and clench."

>> >>

>> >> Yeah no worries, thanks for the newsflash, it's certainly gonna be

>> the

>> >> last time you get any money from me (I bought 2 tix), and a lot of

>> >> others

>> >> in the crowd like me who have seen better, more considerate bands try

>> to

>> >> disguise a phone-in, or dredge up enough energy from the crowd to

>> find

>> >> some reason to enjoy being there.

>> >>

>> >> No encore despite most of the crowd giving it heaps for 10 mins,

>> futiley

>> >> as the stage was dismantled immediately the black-clad phoners in

>> left..

>> >>

>> >> That was the more objective impression. This is what part of me

>> really

>> >> thinks:

>> >>

>> >> Go home and polish your Grammys and play Hurt to yourself on your

>> synth

>> >> you never-really-has-been. There's a reason I wasn't into NIN and I'm

>> >> glad

>> >> I had my suspicions confirmed. 80% of their songs sound the same. Sub

>> >> par

>> >> lyrics, predictable anthems for 14-year old sexually ambivalent teens

>> to

>> >> half-heartedly self-harm to in the privacy of their bedrooms in

>> between

>> >> Evanescence CDs.

>> >>

>> >> Note to self: Don't ever bend over backwards trying to like something

>> >> you

>> >> don't.

>> >>

>> >> > Jane's Addiction, reunited with original bass player Eric Avery has

>> >> been

>> >> > doing a few low key warm-up bar and club shows in LA the past few

>> >> months

>> >> > before they go out on tour with Nine Inch Nails in late Spring. I

>> >> caught

>> >> > last night's show at the Echoplex club which was their third

>> >> appearance

>> >> > together since all four members began working together again.

>> >> >

>> >> > It turned out to be an excellent if short show, mostly better than

>> the

>> >> > tiny

>> >> > El Cid bar show #2 which I caught last December. Only things I

>> think

>> >> El

>> >> > Cid

>> >> > was marginally better was being a tiny club, much more intense

>> energy

>> >> from

>> >> > the crowd that show. I think Perry sounded better there as well.

>> >> >

>> >> > It had been raining really hard much of the day in Southern

>> California

>> >> and

>> >> > I

>> >> > was really on the fence about going or not right up to about 6pm. I

>> >> went

>> >> > for it and got to the Echoplex (in Echo Park) around 8:15 and a

>> huge

>> >> line

>> >> > of 200 - 300 people was winding along the building and it quickly

>> >> because

>> >> > obvious some people didn't have or even know about the RSVP thing.

>> >> Light

>> >> > rain had just stopped and it was cool but at least dry. The line

>> >> started

>> >> > moving as they left small groups of about 10 - 15 people in at a

>> time

>> >> to

>> >> > get

>> >> > their ID checked for a wristband, then get their ID checked against

>> a

>> >> list

>> >> > at the door from the website registration rsvps. Saw a couple

>> people

>> >> > turned

>> >> > away in front of me but later saw them inside so its possible they

>> had

>> >> > enough room for people who basically walked up to see the show

>> after

>> >> the

>> >> > majority of RSVP'ers got in. Considering my own feelings this

>> method

>> >> of

>> >> > getting people in the show could have turned into a real mess, it

>> >> seems

>> >> > like

>> >> > it turned out to be well run with few problems.

>> >> >

>> >> > My first time at Echoplex. Kind of a weird room, the mixing desk

>> kinda

>> >> > bisects the club in half so if your in the back, you gotta stand on

>> >> some

>> >> > boxes to get a decent view. Pretty laid back, almost too mellow of

>> a

>> >> > crowd

>> >> > especially for the opening band "Dot," which was kind of a more

>> >> ambient,

>> >> > dissonant noise version of Secret Machines. Band shows some

>> promise,

>> >> but

>> >> > the singer was hardly audible, partly because he rarely projected

>> >> himself

>> >> > but moreso because the vocals were mixed way too far down (same for

>> >> Perry

>> >> > during Jane's set). They got a decent response from the crowd, more

>> >> > respect

>> >> > than actual adoration. Frankly, I thought they were boring.

>> >> >

>> >> > There was a long wait, made somewhat manageable by the selections

>> >> whoever

>> >> > was DJ'ing played a good amount of Killing Joke ("Change"),

>> Bauhaus,

>> >> > Cramps

>> >> > ("New Kind Of Kick" got a huge response), Bowie and a few other

>> favs

>> >> on

>> >> > the

>> >> > PA.

>> >> >

>> >> > About 11:15, Jane's strolled on the stage and ground into Up The

>> >> Beach. I

>> >> > think it was played half a step down and a bit slower. Eric had

>> more

>> >> room

>> >> > to

>> >> > prowl and stomp tonight so he'd either be doing his tribal stomp to

>> >> songs

>> >> > like Mountain Song or Ocean Size or locked into his zone often

>> staring

>> >> up

>> >> > at

>> >> > the ceiling playing Pigs in Zen. Tonight, Dave was more on the mark

>> >> most

>> >> > of

>> >> > the show that the 2nd show, Perkins was simply 100% a precision

>> human

>> >> > piledriver. The man is simply an incredible drummer. Perry

>> >> unfortunately

>> >> > I

>> >> > have to say was the weak link. Not a lot of power in his voice,

>> didn't

>> >> > really make a lot of use of his little echo toolbox and took a lot

>> >> longer

>> >> > than the rest of the band to loosen up as the set progressed. I

>> will

>> >> say

>> >> > when they got to Been Caught Stealing, he was up with the rest of

>> the

>> >> band

>> >> > and loosened up enough to bullshit and introduce most of the

>> remaining

>> >> > songs.

>> >> >

>> >> > I do think in a lot of ways this reunion, especially how Perry

>> carries

>> >> > himself these days reminds me of the recent David Lee Roth/Van

>> Halen

>> >> > reunion

>> >> > in the way both frontmen have dropped the more manic, physical

>> aspect

>> >> of

>> >> > their stage persona due to age and are more like Vegas car dealers

>> >> doing

>> >> > their shtick for the rubes. At times, Perry was genuinely funny but

>> >> when

>> >> > he

>> >> > used forced, awkward analogies to introduce each of the last few

>> >> songs, it

>> >> > got hackneyed.

>> >> >

>> >> > Most of the songs from a performance standpoint sounded excellent.

>> >> > Mountain

>> >> > Song is played by Dave a bit differently now, a bit more RAWK! like

>> >> > someone

>> >> > like Billy Duffy would play the tune. The band was very tight with

>> one

>> >> > major

>> >> > exception. The only song I thought kinda missed the mark was the

>> one I

>> >> was

>> >> > most excited to hear, Ted, which lacked an "edge" it's had in the

>> past

>> >> and

>> >> > never really got out of third gear and came close to falling apart

>> the

>> >> > last

>> >> > couple minutes as the band kind of careened a bit out of time with

>> >> each

>> >> > other.

>> >> >

>> >> > But I'll tell you what, "Stop" was fucking perfect. Clearly the

>> best

>> >> > performed song of the set and got great audience participation.

>> "Had a

>> >> > Dad"

>> >> > and "Ocean Size" ended the 2 song encore and the short barely hour

>> >> long

>> >> > set

>> >> > was done.

>> >> >

>> >> >>From a crowd standpoint, the asshole factor was low but there were

>> a

>> >> few

>> >> > lobcocks who'd careen around like big, sweaty, smelly dreidels. One

>> >> > grinning drunk slob who looked like Seth Rogan got hoisted up for

>> some

>> >> > crowd

>> >> > surfing and got maybe 5 feet before being dumped on the ground like

>> a

>> >> sack

>> >> > of shit. He later wound up getting on the stage on Erics side and

>> then

>> >> > flopped off the stage like a beached whale.

>> >> >

>> >> > All n' all though, a great night even if it was too short and I

>> >> *really*

>> >> > wanted to hear "Three Days."

>> >> >

>> >> > Setlist:

>> >> >

>> >> > Up The Beach

>> >> > Trip Away (on the setlist but not played)

>> >> > Whores

>> >> > 1%

>> >> > Ain't No Right

>> >> > Mountain Song

>> >> > Been Caught Stealing

>> >> > Ted Just Admit It.

>> >> > Stop!

>> >> > (encore)

>> >> > Had a Dad

>> >> > Ocean Size

>> >> >

>> >> > T.B.

>> >> >

>> >> > _______________________________________________

>> >> > Gathering mailing list

>> >> > Gathering at misera.net

>> >> > http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>> >> >

>> >>

>> >>

>> >> _______________________________________________

>> >> Gathering mailing list

>> >> Gathering at misera.net

>> >> http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>> >

>> > _________________________________________________________________

>> > Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live.

>> > http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008_______________________________________________

>> > Gathering mailing list

>> > Gathering at misera.net

>> > http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>> >

>>

>>

>> _______________________________________________

>> Gathering mailing list

>> Gathering at misera.net

>> http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>

> _________________________________________________________________

> Get more out of the Web. Learn 10 hidden secrets of Windows Live.

> http://windowslive.com/connect/post/jamiethomson.spaces.live.com-Blog-cns!550F681DAD532637!5295.entry?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_domore_092008_______________________________________________

> Gathering mailing list

> Gathering at misera.net

> http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering

>