[kj] (OT) NIN

[Bette Dillinger]

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.

> >> >

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> >> >

> >>

> >>

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