If this is truly the “Wave Goodbye Tour” as Trent says it is, then his band NIN, is going down with guns ablazin’, heavy mortar fire and all.

The first three songs- “Somewhat Damaged”, “Terrible Lie”, and “Heresy”-are a sampling of what’s for dinner tonight..fiendish music that has to be played at volume 11 with the utmost intensity. The whole show from beginning to end is set in this vibe- with a couple of instrumentals added in for good measure, just barely long enough to catch your breath before the mosh pit and body surfers get their due… Blinding white light darted in and out the entire show, with heavy, dense fogs of dry ice added in for good measure- firing off an eerie WWlll post apocalyptic vibe that sends you reeling and ducking for cover…it absolutely makes you feel like it’s the end of the world..party while you still can, and pick up the remaining scraps for good measure.

What an immense sound system Trent has deployed for this tour- clear and crisp throughout- low end jolting through your sternum like an exchange of canon fire outside of Kabul. Trent is delivering this entire set like a champ: totally convincing with his delivery with his songs, some of which are dated 20 some odd years. Having written these lines, I’m now realizing why he might be wanting to take a break from this type of tour… If I’m feeling worn out after photographing this spectacle, imagine how Trent must feel, 15 some odd dates into this current tour, with another 10 or so to go..it can’t be easy on the body, let alone the vocals..Jack Johnson, this is NOT… And for a man whose 44, give him kudos…lots and lots of kudos. Trent’s totally blown me over, and I imagine I’ve seen Trent approximately 30 times by now.

Accolades have to go to Trent’s band as well…Robin Finck, genius on guitar as always..Justin Meldal-Johnsen, riveting on bass..Ilan Rubin on drums..man can he pound out the beat from beginning to end!
If I had to wrap up this show in one word:

I’d use FRENZIED.
How about two? DENSE and FRENZIED.
How about three? DENSE, FRENZIED and CONVINCING!!

You’ve got to go out and wave goodbye with a bang..a BIG bang..Trent and his band did this and so much more… Street Sweeper Social Club opened the show..I believe Tom Morello and Boots Riley are onto something huge…I mean HUGE..they deserve a separate review of their show, which I’ll provide in the next coming days…stay tuned!

All images © Bobby Talamine and are provided by the photographer for skipthedial.com

Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails have released a new album for free to their fans. only days after releasing their single, which he gave out almost immediately after finalizing the mix. It seems like Trent is trying to make a statement to the record labels, that an artist can create and be successful through the internet, and in doing so maybe he, along with Radiohead and other artists following in their footsteps, will be changing the way the medium is distributed and promoted.

Nine Inch Nails has 20 plus years in the industry, and show no signs of ever slowing down, creating music that different generations since their inception have loved and rocked out to. As one of the legion of fans I don’t know if I can be completely objective but I will try.
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