NIN On The Road Again After Five Years
By Carolyn Hillard for Suite101.com on December 1, 1999
The sound is more mature, and so are the players apparently. The first leg of the 1999-2000 Nine Inch Nails tour has generated very little offstage gossip of the sort that fascinates some fans and horrifies others.
After the Downward Spiral tour packed up their broken and battered instruments and went home, talk of rumored backstage shenanigans or depravity was rampant, and contributed to by none other than "Hole" leader and touring mate Courtney Love. This time around it?s apparently pretty much all business and everybody?s keeping a pretty low profile, except for one publicized incident of band members Danny Lohner and Jerome Dillon and a couple of over enthused girls at an informal after the gig gathering who reportedly were called down by NIN management.
What does this apparent new serenity mean for the fans? Does it even matter? On-stage some of the old songs are being played mixed with the new. And there?s still a spark of the theatrical violence that was a hallmark of a NIN stage performance half a decade ago. Instruments still getting a little battering and some tossed water bottles here and there. But miraculously, no reports this go around of injured NIN band members! The days of beaning one?s drummer in the head with a mic stand while in the musical throes of his own personal demons on-stage are apparently over for Mr. Reznor. His new drummer and the rest of the seasoned crew could concentrate on their music this time around without the necessity of being ready and able to duck quickly at any moment to dodge flying objects thrown by their leader.
The emotional intensity is still in the music. But the violence is slowly, surely and quite masterfully being siphoned out of the mix. It?s a brand new NIN for a brand new century. We can?t wait to see what new transformations 2000 brings.
NEWS BRIEFS...
FRAGILE GOES PLATINUM: It?s a precious commodity to NIN fans, we already knew that. But "The Fragile" was officially certified Platinum recently, after debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts before experiencing a drop in recent weeks. NEW SINGLE HITS THE AIRWAVES: "Into the Void" has been playing on alternative rock radio stations across the U.S. and it?s thought that the latest single to come from the new NIN album may spark a resurgence in album sales.
NIN FILLS THE VIDEO VOID: A music video for "Into the Void" was being lensed in London this week, as NIN concluded the European leg of their touring. The sold out tour started November 14th in Barcelona, Spain, and concluded at Brixton Academy in London on December 1st.
A NEW SPIN ON NIN: Spin Magazine continued their love affair with one of their most photogenic covers, Trent Reznor, by naming his new double album "The Fragile" as "Album of the Year" in their December/January issue, which went on sale at newsstands on December 9th.
COVER STORY: While the kids drag the adults off to see "Toy Story II" this week, the adults with good musical taste and an interest in yet another Trent Reznor interview might want to pick up the December/January issue of "Raygun" magazine, which features a cover story on him.
I?VE GOT THAT SPECIAL FEELING: MTV is set to air a half hour special program on Nine Inch Nails on Sunday, December 12th from 10:30 to 11 p.m. (ET)
AND THE TOUR GOES ON: After a brief holiday hiatus, NIN will hit the road again in January of 2000 to tour first in Japan, and then in Australia, before starting the United States segment of their tour.
NIN will be in Japan January 10-12 in Tokyo, January 14th in Yokohama. From there, it's on to Australia and New Zealand, where from January 21st to February 6th they'll be headlining on the "Big Day Out" tour.
After the Downward Spiral tour packed up their broken and battered instruments and went home, talk of rumored backstage shenanigans or depravity was rampant, and contributed to by none other than "Hole" leader and touring mate Courtney Love. This time around it?s apparently pretty much all business and everybody?s keeping a pretty low profile, except for one publicized incident of band members Danny Lohner and Jerome Dillon and a couple of over enthused girls at an informal after the gig gathering who reportedly were called down by NIN management.
What does this apparent new serenity mean for the fans? Does it even matter? On-stage some of the old songs are being played mixed with the new. And there?s still a spark of the theatrical violence that was a hallmark of a NIN stage performance half a decade ago. Instruments still getting a little battering and some tossed water bottles here and there. But miraculously, no reports this go around of injured NIN band members! The days of beaning one?s drummer in the head with a mic stand while in the musical throes of his own personal demons on-stage are apparently over for Mr. Reznor. His new drummer and the rest of the seasoned crew could concentrate on their music this time around without the necessity of being ready and able to duck quickly at any moment to dodge flying objects thrown by their leader.
The emotional intensity is still in the music. But the violence is slowly, surely and quite masterfully being siphoned out of the mix. It?s a brand new NIN for a brand new century. We can?t wait to see what new transformations 2000 brings.
NEWS BRIEFS...
FRAGILE GOES PLATINUM: It?s a precious commodity to NIN fans, we already knew that. But "The Fragile" was officially certified Platinum recently, after debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts before experiencing a drop in recent weeks. NEW SINGLE HITS THE AIRWAVES: "Into the Void" has been playing on alternative rock radio stations across the U.S. and it?s thought that the latest single to come from the new NIN album may spark a resurgence in album sales.
NIN FILLS THE VIDEO VOID: A music video for "Into the Void" was being lensed in London this week, as NIN concluded the European leg of their touring. The sold out tour started November 14th in Barcelona, Spain, and concluded at Brixton Academy in London on December 1st.
A NEW SPIN ON NIN: Spin Magazine continued their love affair with one of their most photogenic covers, Trent Reznor, by naming his new double album "The Fragile" as "Album of the Year" in their December/January issue, which went on sale at newsstands on December 9th.
COVER STORY: While the kids drag the adults off to see "Toy Story II" this week, the adults with good musical taste and an interest in yet another Trent Reznor interview might want to pick up the December/January issue of "Raygun" magazine, which features a cover story on him.
I?VE GOT THAT SPECIAL FEELING: MTV is set to air a half hour special program on Nine Inch Nails on Sunday, December 12th from 10:30 to 11 p.m. (ET)
AND THE TOUR GOES ON: After a brief holiday hiatus, NIN will hit the road again in January of 2000 to tour first in Japan, and then in Australia, before starting the United States segment of their tour.
NIN will be in Japan January 10-12 in Tokyo, January 14th in Yokohama. From there, it's on to Australia and New Zealand, where from January 21st to February 6th they'll be headlining on the "Big Day Out" tour.
Transcribed by Keith Duemling