NINE INCH NAILS: WITH TEETH 2005-2006
RENO, NV [RENO HILTON THEATRE]
3.24.05
By tangyzizzle
The show last night was infuckingcredible and those of you who were lucky enough to score tickets to these very intimate gigs are in for a treat. The set list, which I copied from a NIN message board since I'm not very good at remembering the order and such (plus, not having listened to the leaked tracks, I'm not sure on the names of the new songs) was as follows:
Love Is Not Enough
March Of The Pigs
Reptile
Piggy
Terrible Lie
The Collector
With Teeth
Closer
Home
Burn
No You Don't
Even Deeper
The Line Begins To Blur
Suck
Wish
Hurt
The Hand That Feeds
Starfuckers
Head Like A Hole
"March of the Pigs", "Terrible Lie", "Burn", "Hurt", "The Hand that Feeds" (hadn't been overly impressed with it when I first heard it on the radio, but it sounds much better live), and" Head Like a Hole" (the ultimate "fuck you!" song) really stood out for me. Not that the others were by any means sub par -- the entire set was simply stellar. And just like with APC, Jeordie's definitely got his groove on with these guys. The whole band is one tight unit and I really am very impressed with the new lineup, particularly with guitarist Aaron North. He really does piss on Robin's shoes and he proves himself a worth addition to the lineup.
In addition to playing bass, Jeordie plays guitar on many of the songs as well. I can't remember all of the songs he played guitar on ("March of the Pigs" was one) but he switches up quite frequently. Pretty sure the guitar was a Fender. He is also using a wider selection of basses than he did with APC (or with Manson), during this show he used two Fenders (one black, one white; not sure of the models) and a MusicMan StingRay. He is also singing backup on almost every song. There was one song, and I forget which one it was...really interesting bass riffs, kind of had almost a jazzy or blues vibe to it. I hope they play this again in Davis so I can make note of which song it was.
There were some lighter moments during the set as well. Jeordie messed up on "Starfuckers" (started playing the wrong song?), but unlike some artists *cough*Manson*cough*, Trent just took it in stride, laughed at Jeordie and said to the audience, "Hey, it's only our second show!" Jeordie was laughing as well. Nice to see that these guys can take themselves not so seriously. At another point in the show, Jeordie had knocked down his mic stand, and went on playing before he picked it up again. Then it was time for his vocals. He goes up to the mic, opens his mouth to sing, only to realize that the mic is missing from the stand! He laughed and shrugged like "Oh, well!". One of the roadies then ran out on stage, found the errant mic and reattached it to the stand so Jeordie could get on with his vocal chores.
Trent Reznor is just as intense of a frontman as he was when I last saw him perform back in April of 2000, but yet he's grown and seems more comfortable with who he is now. It's also apparent that Jeordie has evolved as well since the Manson days and seems more comfortable in his own skin than ever. As a performer, he's definitely come into his own.
From talking to a friend who'd gone to the show in Fresno, the set list tonight was different from that in Fresno. Trent is being true to his word regarding changing the set list at each show.
Just a brief word about the venue, the Reno Hilton Theater. Very intimate, with the capacity being roughly 1700. What was interesting about this one was that it was set up like a dinner theatre. There was a pit in the front of the stage but behind the pit were rows of tables and chairs, some being pretty plush looking booths. Each row was up a step from the other so you probably had a good view no matter where you sat. I would love to see another show there! I have to say that when I walked into the place and saw how fancy it was, I was totally expecting it to be destroyed by the time NIN was done. Surprisingly, though, it held up pretty well.
I feel extremely grateful to have been able to be at this show. I never dreamed I'd get to see a band the calibre of NIN in venues such as these and it's been a mind blowing experience I won't soon forget!
Edit regarding Jeordie's choice of guitars: The guitar may have been a Les Paul, not a Fender (thanks, Calliope)...unless there two guitars he was using. Now I'm not sure if he only used the one guitar or if there was another one.