NINE INCH NAILS: WITH TEETH 2005-2006
LOS ANGELES, CA [HOLLYWOOD BOWL]
10.1.05
By tangyzizzle
First, a little bit about the venue. This was my first time attending a show at the Hollywood Bowl and I was really, really impressed with it (though Denver's Red Rocks still holds top spot as far as my favorite venues). Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, you kind of forget that you are in the middle of a huge metropolis -- Los Angeles could be a million miles away. The sound is also incredible and by all accounts, there isn't a bad seat in the house in that regard. The Bowl also has quite a history, most notably in my mind the Beatles having performed there in 1964 and 65 during their first visits to the United States. Watching NIN on stage, I couldn't help but be in a little bit of awe knowing that The Beatles had once stood on this very same spot -- whoa!
My seat was great, 3rd row dead center in the Pool Circle. Definitely the place to be. It was kind of nice to be able to relax some and not have to fight to hold a spot at the rail, nice to be able to go out and grab a bite to eat, get a beer, take a bathroom break, etc. and know that my spot would still be waiting for me when I returned. Although some folks did run up to the rail when NIN hit the stage, I still kind of stood back a bit. With the second row virtually emptied out by the rush to the stage, I opted to move up to that row, not a really big change. Nice to have lots of space around me to be able to move for a change as well. It was only towards the very end of the show that I made my way closer to the barricade, partially in preparation to make my escape as soon as the show ended.
NIN did vary the set list some from the shows I'd been to last week, with the set list being as follows:
Pinion/Love is Not Enough
You Know What You Are
Terrible Lie
The Line Begins to Blur
March of the Pigs
The Frail/The Wretched
Closer
Burn
Gave Up
Eraser
Right Where It Belongs
Beside You in Time
Wish
Sin
Only
Reptile
Suck
Hurt
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole
There were no special surprises for those of us in L.A. as far as the material, no songs added that had never been played before. I was a bit disappointed at the omission of "Deep" and "Down In It", as well as the fact that the didn't do "Not So Pretty Now", which has grown on me tremendously. But still just as impressive was the Eraser/Right Where It Belongs/Beside You In Time interlude. Without having to fend off a surging crowd, I could truly afford to let myself be carried away by it. Some people complain that this interlude is somewhat counterproductive as they feel its hard to gain back the momentum afterwards, but I'm finding I have no problem getting my ass back into gear when the curtain rises and its time to rock again.
The band put an incredible amount of energy and passion into their performance, I hope they were feeling it from the crowd as well and didn't feel let down. With the venue being seated, and said seats getting in the way of things, it was kind of hard to get too crazy. But for an LA audience, which can be pretty blase about shit, I think the crowd was pretty good.
Jeordie, the consummate rock star, seems more and more energized with each performance, continously switching back and forth between bass and guitar (including, as mentioned in previous reviews, an acoustic performance during "Right Where It Belongs"). Watching him perform, and always having believed he could become more than what he was when he was in Marilyn Manson, I feel vindicated. The show was technically flawless, except for a minor malfunction during "Closer" where it seemed Trent's mic cut out for a bit. He was singing but for a few short seconds, you couldn't hear him. I also noted that this show seemed shorter than others I've been to and ended rather abruptly in that I wasn't expecting it to end quite when it did. But I think this had more to do with the fact that an 11 p.m. curfew is strictly enforced on the Bowl so as not to disturb the populace living up in the surrounding hills. As usual, the show ended with "Head Like A Hole". Even though I am not quite as angst-ridden and rebellious as I was in my teens and 20's, shouting the words to this song still gives me an amazing sense of empowerment against anyone who has ever tried to control me or hold me back. I can't think of a better note on which to bring things to a close.
The biggest surprise of the evening was Jerome Dillon's emergence as his own replacement. As stated on nin.com several days ago, it had been indicated that a replacement drummer was being sought in light of Jerome's health concerns. Josh Freese was heavily rumoured to be in the running and then last night I caught several glimpses of Josh backstage early on in the evening. Awhile later, reliable sources did seem to confirm that Josh would be filling in. During the first three songs I was pretty much focused on Trent and Jeordie and then I remembered that Josh was supposed to be playing drums. All things considered, I was quite shocked and did a double take when I looked over and instead of Josh, I saw Jerome pounding away. Certainly it's great to see Jerome still a part of the band as he's an incredible talent, but I can't help but be a little skeptical and hope that he knows what he's doing and/or that he isn't pushing himself too hard. After all, he was "okay" after his last episode, and look how that ended up. Trent's statements on nin.com after the Sacramento show made things seem rather serious, so hopefully Trent will have more to say on this to clarify what the situation really is.
This was my last show for awhile and I just want to give a big thanks to Jeordie & his bandmates and all the people I met and talked to along the way for contributing to a totally awesome (and much-needed) vacation. And also a big thanks to Brandi for all of her efforts with The Spiral fanclub and to Sweeney for looking out for everyone on the barricade.