All the black is really white, if you believe it.
Last night’s Nine Inch Nails show at the Wachovia Center was the greatest visual spectacle I’ve ever seen in my life. Trent & the gang have crafted a mind-blowing light show, one that goes way beyond cool strobe light and effects, bringing in new LED technology and videos that interact with the music and the musicians themselves. Each song had its own intricate visual effects…sweeping outdoor footage during the Ghosts instrumentals (Trent plays the vibraphone! And a melodica?!), interactive effects for “Echoplex” and ”Only” (is that choreographed? Or more likely, someone controlling things via laptop….). Trent ‘wiping away’ the screen with a spotlight-as-paint brush! “The Great Destroyerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” with the laser-gun-effects battle-as-visual chaos (with the ‘blue screen of death’ making a blink-and-you-missed-it appearance!). It’s the only time I remember a crowd going “WHOA!” audiablly, multiple times during a concert, as a reaction to the visuals. Four songs in, during the blinding, sweeping lights of “March Of The Pigs,” my girlfriend turned to me and said, “There IS going to be a tour DVD right? Trent’s too smart not to put one out!” And yes Trent, if you’re reading, please put out a DVD of this tour. If you missed the Philly show, you MUST see what NIN has come up with this time. And if you live somewhere else NIN is coming to later this year, do yourself a favor and GO!
After Lollapalooza, our own Adam Blyweiss called the “Lights In The Sky” tour “one concert you must see before you die” and for once, the reality actually surpassed the hype.
Setlist after the cut…
1. 999,999 [Intro]
2. 1,000,000
3. Letting You
4. Discipline
5. March Of The Pigs
6. Head Down
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched
9. Closer [The Only Time Breakdown]
10. Gave Up
11. Me, I’m Not
12. The Great Destroyer
13. Ghosts 5
14. Ghosts 17
15. Ghosts 19
16. Piggy [Ghosts]
17. The Greater Good
18. Pinion [Interlude]
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie
21. Survivalism
22. The Big Comedown
23. Ghosts 8
24. Only
25. Down In It
26. Head Like A Hole
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27. Echoplex
28. Reptile
29. God Given
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight