Nine Inch Nails - Finally on tour!
Originally published in Metal Hammer Spain on March 1, 2000
Translated from original Spanish by : Victoria Jenkins (vjlaqem@hotmail.com)
Brixton Academy : London
Almost half a decade has passed since Nine Inch Nails graced us with their presence, and five years is a long time!
After the set of supporting band Atari Teenage Riot, the atmosphere became charged with expectation. There was always the fear that after such a long absence and the recent release of the spectacular album ?The Fragile? that Trent Reznor could have become a pompous and egotistic person. Thank God, nothing was further from the truth, because tonight Nine Inch Nails were highly impressive, giving a concert that other so-called industrial groups could only dream of, and demonstrating that NIN?s status as best electronic rock groups is completely valid. Hiding behind blinding lights and surrounded by white smoke, Reznor commanded the stage with his captivating personality, showing a voice in top form.
The band was also in sensational form, from the opening songs ?Somewhat Damaged?, ?Terrible Lie? and ?Sin? until the last song ?Head like a Hole? ? doubtlessly the most commercial and well-known NIN song ? leaving the amazed audience asking themselves what they had seen. The epic ?March of the Pigs? and ?Piggy?, two of the key songs taken from the breakthrough album ?The Downward Spiral?, both sounding amazing in the middle of the ?illuminated forest? where Reznor and his band seem to be.
Halfway through the concert, shorter songs like ?La Mer?, ?The Great Below? and ?The Way Out is Through? were joined by a projector screen in front of the stage showing images with a procreation theme ? including a turbulent sea, a volcano and a dose of sperm. Behind these images appeared Reznor?s slim silhouette.
For some of the concertgoers, this part of the set presented the perfect opportunity to go to the bathroom or have a beer at the bar, but for those who came to enjoy the whole experience it was a perfect combination of music and visuals, demonstrating that they can work in perfect harmony. Between songs Reznor didn?t say a word, letting the music talk for him. The rest of the band generated a musical torment, with each song full of passion and ferocity.
Reznor is an expert in letting the music provoke a reaction. He left the fans to think and discuss what they had seen and the kind of nightmare he had exposed. While many other groups could have lost themselves in the enormity of the Academy?s stage, Nine Inc Nails used its colossal size to its full potential. The musicians were not confined to the back of the stage to allow enough room for the inflated ego of the frontman, as has been the case with other giants of American industrial rock.
The set couldn?t have ended better with the combination of ?The Day the World Went Away? and the grinding ?Starfuckers, Inc.? (directed towards Marilyn Manson), before closing with ?Hurt?.
Trent Reznor has never been afraid to take risks. Consequently, he wasn?t planning to just provoke, but to provide something more than music: a night full of entertainment and culture. And it was clearly not a concert for Goths with makeup or Manson wannabes! While other bands like Kiss or Marilyn Manson use surprise tactics to create a theatrical show, Nine Inch Nails doesn?t need cheap tricks to impress anyone.
This is what I call vanguard rock.
And the original:
Brixton Academy : London
Almost half a decade has passed since Nine Inch Nails graced us with their presence, and five years is a long time!
After the set of supporting band Atari Teenage Riot, the atmosphere became charged with expectation. There was always the fear that after such a long absence and the recent release of the spectacular album ?The Fragile? that Trent Reznor could have become a pompous and egotistic person. Thank God, nothing was further from the truth, because tonight Nine Inch Nails were highly impressive, giving a concert that other so-called industrial groups could only dream of, and demonstrating that NIN?s status as best electronic rock groups is completely valid. Hiding behind blinding lights and surrounded by white smoke, Reznor commanded the stage with his captivating personality, showing a voice in top form.
The band was also in sensational form, from the opening songs ?Somewhat Damaged?, ?Terrible Lie? and ?Sin? until the last song ?Head like a Hole? ? doubtlessly the most commercial and well-known NIN song ? leaving the amazed audience asking themselves what they had seen. The epic ?March of the Pigs? and ?Piggy?, two of the key songs taken from the breakthrough album ?The Downward Spiral?, both sounding amazing in the middle of the ?illuminated forest? where Reznor and his band seem to be.
Halfway through the concert, shorter songs like ?La Mer?, ?The Great Below? and ?The Way Out is Through? were joined by a projector screen in front of the stage showing images with a procreation theme ? including a turbulent sea, a volcano and a dose of sperm. Behind these images appeared Reznor?s slim silhouette.
For some of the concertgoers, this part of the set presented the perfect opportunity to go to the bathroom or have a beer at the bar, but for those who came to enjoy the whole experience it was a perfect combination of music and visuals, demonstrating that they can work in perfect harmony. Between songs Reznor didn?t say a word, letting the music talk for him. The rest of the band generated a musical torment, with each song full of passion and ferocity.
Reznor is an expert in letting the music provoke a reaction. He left the fans to think and discuss what they had seen and the kind of nightmare he had exposed. While many other groups could have lost themselves in the enormity of the Academy?s stage, Nine Inc Nails used its colossal size to its full potential. The musicians were not confined to the back of the stage to allow enough room for the inflated ego of the frontman, as has been the case with other giants of American industrial rock.
The set couldn?t have ended better with the combination of ?The Day the World Went Away? and the grinding ?Starfuckers, Inc.? (directed towards Marilyn Manson), before closing with ?Hurt?.
Trent Reznor has never been afraid to take risks. Consequently, he wasn?t planning to just provoke, but to provide something more than music: a night full of entertainment and culture. And it was clearly not a concert for Goths with makeup or Manson wannabes! While other bands like Kiss or Marilyn Manson use surprise tactics to create a theatrical show, Nine Inch Nails doesn?t need cheap tricks to impress anyone.
This is what I call vanguard rock.
And the original:
ATRAPADOS!
Nine Inch Nails - Final de gira!
Brixton Academy
Londres
Ha pasado casi media d�cada desde que Nine Inch Nails nos obsequiaran con su presencia, y cinco a�os son muchos!
Despu�s del set del grupo telonera Atari Teenage Riot se empieza a crear una atm�sfera cargada de expectaci�n. Siempre hubo la preocupaci�n de que despu�s de tan larga ausencia y la reciente edici�n del espectacular �lbum ?The Fragile?, Trent Reznor podr�a haverse convertido en un personaje demasiado pomposo y ego�sta. Pero gracias a Dios nada m�s lejos de la realidad, porque esta noche Nine Inch Nails resultaron altamente impresionantes, descargando un concierto que otros de los que se autodenominan grupos industriales s�lo podr�a so�ar, y demostrando que NIN son totalmente v�lidos en su actual status como mejores exponentes del rock electr�nico. Escondido tras unas luces magnificentes y atmosf�ricas y rodeado de humo blanco, Reznor comanda el escenario con esa personalidad endiosada, mostrando una voz a tope de forma.
La banda tambi�n est� en forma sensacional, desde los temas de aperatura ?Somewhat Damaged?, ?Terrible Lie? y ?Sin?, hasta el tema final ?Head like a Hole? ? sin ninguna duda el tema a�n m�s comercial y conocido de NIN ? dejando a la asombrada audiencia pregunt�ndose lo que hab�a podido presenciar esa noche. Los �picos ?March of the Pigs? y ?Piggy? son dos de los temas claves extra�dos del rompedor �lbum ?The Downward Spiral?, ambos sonando alucinantes en mitad de ese bosque iluminado donde parecen estar Reznor y su banda.
A mitad del concierto, cortes como ?La Mer?, ?The Great Below? y ?The Way Out Is Through? son aumentados mediante una pantalla de proyecci�n que aparece en frente del escenarios destripando ondas visuales basadas en el tema de la procreaci�n ? incluyendo el mar enmara�ado, un volc�n de lava y una dosis de esperma. Delante de esas im�genes Reznor nos muestra su delgada silueta.
Para algunos de los presentes esta parte del set result� la oportunidad perfecta para visitar el lavabo o conseguir una cerveza en el bar, pero para los que vinieron a disfrutar de estar experiencia en toda su extensi�n fue una apoteosis combinatoria de m�sica y aspectos visuales, demonstrando que pueden trabajar en perfecta armon�a. Entre tema y tema Reznor no suelta ni palabra, dejando que hable el m�sica por �l. Y el resto de la banda genera una tormenta musical, con cada canci�n siendo descargada con su adecuada pasi�n y ferocidad.
Reznor es un experto en dejar que la m�sica provoque una reacci�n, no es una cantama�anas. De esta manera deja tambi�n que los fans luego pueden discutir sobre lo que han visto y sobre la especia de pesadilla a la que han quedado expuestos. Y mientras que muchos otros grupos pod�an haberse perdido en la enormidad del escenario de la Academy, Nine Inch Nails utilizaron su colosal tama�o con todo su potencial. Esto ayudado por el hecho de que los m�sicos no estaban confinados en la parte trasera de las tablas, permitiendo el suficiente espacio para el s�per-hinchado ego del frontman, como ciertamente ha demostrado ser el caso de otros gigantes del rock industrial americano.
El set no pod�a finalizar mejor que con el bis con ?The Day the World Went Away? y la crujiente ?Starfuckers, Inc.? a lo Marilyn Manson, antes de cerrar los procedimientos con la corrosiva ?Hurt?.
Trent Reznor nunca ha tenido miedo de tomar riesgos. Consiguientemente este show no est� pensando s�lo para provocar, pero si que es algo m�s que m�sica: es una noche completa de entretenimiento y cultura. Y lo que queda claro es que no fue un concierto para g�ticos con maquillaje or asipantes a Mansons!
Mientras que bandas como Kiss o Marilyn Manson se afierran potentemente a sus t�cticas de sorpresa creando una teatralidad espectacular para proporcionar algo extra en el escenario, Nine Inch Nails no necesitan trucos baratos ni tonter�as para impresionar a nadie.
Esto es lo que llamo rock de vanguardia.
Transcribed by Keith Duemling