Of all the rock sub-genres that had their moment in the sun in the 1990s (and there were plenty of them), perhaps the most misunderstood was industrial rock. Combining the savagery of heavy metal with the surgical precision of electronic and dance music, industrial rock graduated from some basements in the midwest to the mainstream for a few minutes during the last decade of the 20th century. Its legacy is small, mostly consisting of a few good Ministry albums, a handful of Sister Machine Gun songs, KMFDM's Nihil and the entirety of the Nine Inch Nails catalog.
On this day in 1994, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor released his masterpiece. The Downward Spiral was unlike anything the mainstream had heard, melding together huge arena rock guitars, dance beats, tape experiments, bits of hardcore, samples and — perhaps most importantly — Reznor's haunting voice, which could whisper, growl, shout and croon his unending supply of self-destructive pathos.
The Downward Spiral became an incredible cultural phenomenon. Through the power of Reznor's incredible, confrontational live performances and his stunning cinematic sense, the album sold millions of copies and made Nine Inch Nails an MTV staple. Despite its filthy chorus ("I want to f--- you like an animal/ I want to feel you from the inside"), "Closer" morphed into a radio hit and a video smash, instantly ascending onto many all-time greatest videos lists. Other singles became massive too, including "Hurt" (which Johnny Cash later fashioned into one of his biggest hits) and "March of the Pigs," a brutal three minutes that features an grim, low-fi video that focuses on Reznor's unending well of charisma and his unhinged approach to performing live. If Reznor is to be believed and the Nine Inch Nails moniker is really done forever (at least in a live setting), he can rest easy knowing that he crafted one of the best albums of the end of the millennium and a perfect distillation of haunting angst.
Of all the rock sub-genres that had their moment in the sun in the 1990s (and there were plenty of them), perhaps the most misunderstood was industrial rock. Combining the savagery of heavy metal with the surgical precision of electronic and dance music, industrial rock graduated from some basements in the midwest to the mainstream for a few minutes during the last decade of the 20th century. Its legacy is small, mostly consisting of a few good Ministry albums, a handful of Sister Machine Gun songs, KMFDM's Nihil and the entirety of the Nine Inch Nails catalog.
On this day in 1994, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor released his masterpiece. The Downward Spiral was unlike anything the mainstream had heard, melding together huge arena rock guitars, dance beats, tape experiments, bits of hardcore, samples and — perhaps most importantly — Reznor's haunting voice, which could whisper, growl, shout and croon his unending supply of self-destructive pathos.
The Downward Spiral became an incredible cultural phenomenon. Through the power of Reznor's incredible, confrontational live performances and his stunning cinematic sense, the album sold millions of copies and made Nine Inch Nails an MTV staple. Despite its filthy chorus ("I want to f--- you like an animal/ I want to feel you from the inside"), "Closer" morphed into a radio hit and a video smash, instantly ascending onto many all-time greatest videos lists. Other singles became massive too, including "Hurt" (which Johnny Cash later fashioned into one of his biggest hits) and "March of the Pigs," a brutal three minutes that features an grim, low-fi video that focuses on Reznor's unending well of charisma and his unhinged approach to performing live. If Reznor is to be believed and the Nine Inch Nails moniker is really done forever (at least in a live setting), he can rest easy knowing that he crafted one of the best albums of the end of the millennium and a perfect distillation of haunting angst.
Of all the rock sub-genres that had their moment in the sun in the 1990s (and there were plenty of them), perhaps the most misunderstood was industrial rock. Combining the savagery of heavy metal with the surgical precision of electronic and dance music, industrial rock graduated from some basements in the midwest to the mainstream for a few minutes during the last decade of the 20th century. Its legacy is small, mostly consisting of a few good Ministry albums, a handful of Sister Machine Gun songs, KMFDM's Nihil and the entirety of the Nine Inch Nails catalog.
On this day in 1994, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor released his masterpiece. The Downward Spiral was unlike anything the mainstream had heard, melding together huge arena rock guitars, dance beats, tape experiments, bits of hardcore, samples and — perhaps most importantly — Reznor's haunting voice, which could whisper, growl, shout and croon his unending supply of self-destructive pathos.
The Downward Spiral became an incredible cultural phenomenon. Through the power of Reznor's incredible, confrontational live performances and his stunning cinematic sense, the album sold millions of copies and made Nine Inch Nails an MTV staple. Despite its filthy chorus ("I want to f--- you like an animal/ I want to feel you from the inside"), "Closer" morphed into a radio hit and a video smash, instantly ascending onto many all-time greatest videos lists. Other singles became massive too, including "Hurt" (which Johnny Cash later fashioned into one of his biggest hits) and "March of the Pigs," a brutal three minutes that features an grim, low-fi video that focuses on Reznor's unending well of charisma and his unhinged approach to performing live. If Reznor is to be believed and the Nine Inch Nails moniker is really done forever (at least in a live setting), he can rest easy knowing that he crafted one of the best albums of the end of the millennium and a perfect distillation of haunting angst.
Of all the rock sub-genres that had their moment in the sun in the 1990s (and there were plenty of them), perhaps the most misunderstood was industrial rock. Combining the savagery of heavy metal with the surgical precision of electronic and dance music, industrial rock graduated from some basements in the midwest to the mainstream for a few minutes during the last decade of the 20th century. Its legacy is small, mostly consisting of a few good Ministry albums, a handful of Sister Machine Gun songs, KMFDM's Nihil and the entirety of the Nine Inch Nails catalog.
On this day in 1994, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor released his masterpiece. The Downward Spiral was unlike anything the mainstream had heard, melding together huge arena rock guitars, dance beats, tape experiments, bits of hardcore, samples and — perhaps most importantly — Reznor's haunting voice, which could whisper, growl, shout and croon his unending supply of self-destructive pathos.
The Downward Spiral became an incredible cultural phenomenon. Through the power of Reznor's incredible, confrontational live performances and his stunning cinematic sense, the album sold millions of copies and made Nine Inch Nails an MTV staple. Despite its filthy chorus ("I want to f--- you like an animal/ I want to feel you from the inside"), "Closer" morphed into a radio hit and a video smash, instantly ascending onto many all-time greatest videos lists. Other singles became massive too, including "Hurt" (which Johnny Cash later fashioned into one of his biggest hits) and "March of the Pigs," a brutal three minutes that features an grim, low-fi video that focuses on Reznor's unending well of charisma and his unhinged approach to performing live. If Reznor is to be believed and the Nine Inch Nails moniker is really done forever (at least in a live setting), he can rest easy knowing that he crafted one of the best albums of the end of the millennium and a perfect distillation of haunting angst.
Of all the rock sub-genres that had their moment in the sun in the 1990s (and there were plenty of them), perhaps the most misunderstood was industrial rock. Combining the savagery of heavy metal with the surgical precision of electronic and dance music, industrial rock graduated from some basements in the midwest to the mainstream for a few minutes during the last decade of the 20th century. Its legacy is small, mostly consisting of a few good Ministry albums, a handful of Sister Machine Gun songs, KMFDM's Nihil and the entirety of the Nine Inch Nails catalog.
On this day in 1994, Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor released his masterpiece. The Downward Spiral was unlike anything the mainstream had heard, melding together huge arena rock guitars, dance beats, tape experiments, bits of hardcore, samples and — perhaps most importantly — Reznor's haunting voice, which could whisper, growl, shout and croon his unending supply of self-destructive pathos.
The Downward Spiral became an incredible cultural phenomenon. Through the power of Reznor's incredible, confrontational live performances and his stunning cinematic sense, the album sold millions of copies and made Nine Inch Nails an MTV staple. Despite its filthy chorus ("I want to f--- you like an animal/ I want to feel you from the inside"), "Closer" morphed into a radio hit and a video smash, instantly ascending onto many all-time greatest videos lists. Other singles became massive too, including "Hurt" (which Johnny Cash later fashioned into one of his biggest hits) and "March of the Pigs," a brutal three minutes that features an grim, low-fi video that focuses on Reznor's unending well of charisma and his unhinged approach to performing live. If Reznor is to be believed and the Nine Inch Nails moniker is really done forever (at least in a live setting), he can rest easy knowing that he crafted one of the best albums of the end of the millennium and a perfect distillation of haunting angst.
08
Jul
Author: Kyle Anderson // Category:
Latest Music News,
Nine Inch Nails,
music
A few months ago at the Bonnaroo Festival, Trent Reznor announced that his band’s show there would be the final Nine Inch Nails performance in North America, at least for the time being. Now that the band’s tour dates in Europe with Jane’s Addiction are winding down, the band has announced they will do a series of farewell shows in small venues in a handful of cities starting at the end of August. The final dates have not been confirmed, but Reznor says he’ll take Nine Inch Nails to intimate locations like New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Los Angeles’ Echoplex and Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom. “Upon reflection, the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due to a limited allotted set length and many shows were in daylight,” Reznor wrote on the band’s official site. “It just didn’t feel right to end NIN that way.”
Reznor says the shows will contain longer set lists and special guests, which is exciting. But a Nine Inch Nails concert is a slippery slope, and though Reznor and his tour band remain some of the best and most dynamic rock shows on the road, it’s hard to get excited over the forays into moody instrumentals in between “Happiness in Slavery” and “March of the Pigs.”
So as a service to Reznor, here’s the ideal Nine Inch Nails set list for what will be their final, no-seriously-this-is-the-last-time-no-takebacks set of shows. Obviously there’s plenty of room for variation, but it shouldn’t deviate far from this group of songs. And seriously: Nothing from Ghosts I-IV.
“Somewhat Damaged”
“Gave Up”
“1,000,000″
“Discipline”
“The Hand That Feeds”
“The Perfect Drug”
“Survivalism”
“Last”
“You Know What You Are?”
“Piggy”
“The Collector”
“Reptile”
“Head Like a Hole”
“Terrible Lie”
“March of the Pigs”
“Heresy”
“Burn”
“Closer”
“Happiness in Slavery”
“Hurt”
“That’s What I Get”
“Wish”
What favorites have were left off? Drop your dream setlist into the comments!
Photograph by Joshua Prezant for RollingStone.com
It turns out Nine Inch Nails’ Bonnaroo ‘09 set won’t be Trent Reznor’s final U.S. show ever — today the NIN leader announced on the band’s Website new plans to perform a handful of small venue shows in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Nine Inch Nails’ joint tour with Jane’s Addiction and their massive set at Bonnaroo were supposed to be the final curtain calls for Reznor and Co. in the States before the band would “disappear for a while,” but as Reznor writes, “Upon reflection, the NIN/JA tour felt like we had to rush through sets due to a limited allotted set length and many shows were in daylight — it just didn’t feel right to end NIN that way.”
So far, Reznor said Nine Inch Nails will perform at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall and Terminal Five; Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom; and Los Angeles’ Wiltern, the Henry Fonda, Palladium and the Echoplex. “These should be cool, unusual and unique shows and I hope you come out — this is it,” Reznor writes of the final shows, strangely echoing Michael Jackson’s canceled “This Is It!” concerts in London, which were meant to be the King of Pop’s final performances in the U.K.
“They will be informal affairs in medium to small venues with longer set lists, possible special guests, cool openers and other surprises,” Reznor notes of the final shows, adding that they’ll begin around August 22nd, when NIN return from their current European jaunt. Reznor also hinted at a headlining slot at Toronto’s V Fest, saying that the offer to play the Canadian festival “set the idea in motion to play some FUN shows to end this up with. If we can get it together we’ll film these shows, too.”
Full ticket info and concert dates are expected to be announced soon at the band’s official site.
Related Stories:
• NIN’s Reznor Says Farewell at Bonnaroo
• Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction Launch NIN/JA in Florida
• Trent Reznor Plots Tour With Jane’s Addiction Before Nine Inch Nails “Disappear For a While”
