NINE INCH NAILS: WITH TEETH 2005-2006
LONDON, UK [BRIXTON ACADEMY]
4.4.05
By Matt
I have to start by saying that this was the first NIN concert I've seen
(apart from the DVD) and it was also the best concert I have ever been to!!
Lining up outside the venue meant sitting outside the side entrance doors
(where all the merchandise,etc. was being taken through periodically), but
after about an hour and a half a very clear sound check began, first the
synths then the drums then the guitars. However, after 5 minutes or so the
soundcheck turned into a full rendition of The Frail!! I thought this was a
one off, but it was followed by The Wretched (with Trent's vocals!!), then
With Teeth, then one or two more songs and finally Wish. I don't know why
they played through those songs, although it might have been for the Spiral
members, as 15 or so people had earlier been lead around the back of the
building from the line.
Anyway, two hours later the doors opened and we were
in. First up was Saul Williams, who did a great job of winning over a crowd
who were mostly unfamiliar with his work. He went through about 6 songs
(lasting around 25 minutes) then finished to mass applause and cheering. The
lights then came back up as the NIN roadcrew began their preparations. I was
on the right of the stage, in front of Aaron and Jerome. As I looked
backstage on the left (Jeordie's side) I saw him and Alessandro speaking to
what might have been his tech. Everyone on my side of the stage saw him and
began yelling to him, but he seemed to be intent on dealing with whatever he
was trying to sort out. Shortly after, the lights went down and the band
appeared, launching into a ferocious 2 hour set. Although I was in front of
Aaron for most of the performance, I had a perfect view of Jeordie, Trent
and Jerome (only Alessandro was out of view). Although less aggressive than
Aaron, Jeordie's performance was still incredible, as he threw himself all
over the stage (only once losing his timing when he swung his bass during
The Hand that Feeds and it slipped when he tried to grab it, but he
revcovered almost instantly and his timing was so precise that he barely
missed a note). The entire performance was incredible from start to finish.
The set list was (by album, not in order of the performance):
Terrible Lie, Sin, Head Like a Hole, Something I can Never Have, Suck, Wish,
Gave Up, Burn, Dead Souls (the cover from the Crow soundtrack and one of my
favourite NIN songs), Piggy, March Of The Pigs, Hurt, Closer, The Frail, The
Wretched, The Big Comedown (another of my fav NIN songs), Starfuckers inc,
The Hand that Feeds, You Know What You Are, With Teeth, Home, Love Is Not
Enough and The Line Begins To Blur.
There was no encore, the whole performance was continuous.