As quite a fan of 1994's “The Downward Spiral” and their debut “Pretty Hate Machine” but having never seen Nine Inch Nails live before, I must say I was quite surprised as to how much they surpassed my expectations as a live show. Consistent unsurmountable energy focused into a performance that was huge, super tight and so enthralling that the one hour and fifty minute performance somehow still felt a little too short.
A more focused than expected Trent Resnor delivered an intense almost flawless performance highly complimented by both animated guitarist Aaron North and new welcome addition Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle / The Vandals) who's pounding drumming undoubtedly shaped Nine Inch Nails as one of the sharpest and most intense acts I have seen for quite a while.Equally impressive were the visuals delivered on five or six huge colour LED panels along with stroboscopic light show creating a parallel abstraction heightening Resnor's take on twisted electro-industrial melancholy.
Highlights of the show would have to include ‘Burn', for Freese's awesome drumming and the not so unexpected stage appearance of Bauhaus front man Peter Murphy for a performance of his track ‘Final Solution'.
Nine Inch Nails have a truly awe-inspiring stage energy which is equally impressive given that this show was the penultimate for the With Teeth world tour which has been roaming solidly around the globe since March 2005.
The setlist from Irvine for Friday, July 7 was:
Somewhat Damaged (from The Fragile, 1999)
You Know What You Are? (from With Teeth, 2005)
Terrible Lie (from Pretty Hate Machine, 1989)
March of the Pigs (from The Downward Spiral, 1994)
Something I Can Never Have (from Pretty Hate Machine, 1989)
Closer (from The Downward Spiral, 1994)
Burn (from Natural Born Killers soundtrack, 1994)
Gave Up (from Broken EP, 1992)
Help Me I'm in Hell (from Broken EP, 1992)
Non-Entity
Even Deeper (from The Fragile, 1999)
Only (from With Teeth, 2005)
Wish (from Broken EP, 1992)
La Mer (from The Fragile, 1999)
Into the Void (from The Fragile, 1999)
The Big Come Down (from The Fragile, 1999)
Suck (from Broken EP, 1992)
Down in It (from Pretty Hate Machine, 1989)
Hurt (from The Downward Spiral, 1994)
Final Solution
The Hand that Feeds (from With Teeth, 2005)
Head Like a Hole (from Pretty Hate Machine, 1989)
