Nine Inch Nails wows crowd
After a five-year hiatus, Trent Reznor
and Nine Inch Nails reminded Phoenix
on Sunday just how overpowering
their mix of raging lyrics, power
chords, thrash and occasional
peaceful interludes can be.
Assaulting the two-thirds-full America
West Arena with angry classics as
well as more complex newer material,
this performance again proved that a writer's
words can
hold just as much shock value as the loudest
guitar
barrage when performed by musical masters
such as
Reznor and his four bandmates.
A chaotic combination of cutting lyrics,
slashing guitar
and droning keyboards launched the 90-minute
show with
Reznor telling God that "you owe me a great
big apology"
in 1989's "Terrible Lie."
White lights and blinding strobes bathed the
general-admission crowd as much as Reznor,
who has
always seemed far more interested in
delivering his
singleminded music than in grabbing the
spotlight. There
was little color evident as the singer
lamented that "your
need for me has been replaced" in another
early song,
"Sin."
The stage was non-stop movement for most of
the night,
with Reznor dousing the standing room crowd
that swirled
in front of the stage with water, and
guitarist Robin Finck
launching himself into the throng. Reznor,
clad in his
generic uniform of sleeveless top, dark pants
and boots,
later would spend some time in the audience
as well.
A few members of the audience launched cups
of ice at
the band, but in general this crowd didn't
justify the
massive show of security at the arena. (No
beer was
sold. It seems that crazed hockey fans who
bang their
heads on the glass can buy unlimited brewskis
at Coyotes
games, but 22-year-old kids who happen to
favor black
wardrobes get to sip Diet Coke when they
visit the Purple
Palace.)
The Nine Inch Nails classics were greeted
like old friends
by this young crowd. "Head Like a Hole" was
as fired off
against a glitzy yet hip white video backdrop
designed by
New York artist Bill Viola and unrelenting
strobes.
"March of the Pigs" still brings a smile with
its mix of
thrash and a chorus that asked "Doesn't it
make you feel
better?"
And the infamous "Closer "was as animalistic
as ever,
sung before a flood of bordello red video.
This onslaught was balanced by the more
intricate
material of 1999's "The Fragile" album.
"The Day the World Went Away" was bathed in a
dreamy
intro and showcased haunting guitar and
synthesizer work
by Finck and Charlie Clouser.
The tender title cut promised that "I won't
let you fall
apart."
The show ended with a mix emblematic of the
evening:
The raunchy "Star(expletive) Inc." and the
soft,
emotional "Hurt."
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This article
is provided courtesy Keith Duemling and Tracy Thompson from the collection previously
located at SUS.
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