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03/09/2006 Nine Inch Nails, Saul Williams (Rochester, NY @ Blue Cross Arena)
By Eric | March 9, 2006 11:59 pm
Sara was kind enough to get me a Spiral (NIN fan club) ticket for this show, thus letting me get in line with said fan club members, thus letting us get in a half hour earlier than the rest of the general public (through a different entrance!). I got to the arena at about 2pm (after having worked the whole night before, love those game changes!), and met up with Sara, Adrienne, and the rest of Sara’s NIN touring partners. We amused ourselves until about 6, when they let us into the lobby/concourse of the arena, and then onto the floor. Most of our crew was lined across the barrier, Sara was dead center, I was about 6 people to her right. Saul Williams came on, and did a half hour set of rap/hip-hop/spoken word, along with his DJ. It was decent, not really my scene, but far better than some openers I’ve seen. Only heightened the anticipation for NIN. So as we’re waiting, the security guards at the front actually ask everyone if they know what they’re in for, and made it a point to tell the guys about pushing back against the bar if they have to pull someone out. That’s the first time I’ve ever had security that was that conscientious about the crowd! Anyway, the lights drop, the curtain is draped across the front of the stage, and we hear the first rumblings of The New Flesh, into Pinion. The band appears, and Love Is Not Enough kicks us off. The curtain is raised, and there is Trent and the band in all their glory, ripping into You Know What You Are. Terrible Lie follows, then The Line Begins To Blur. At this point, the crowd is pretty warmed up, so why not March Of The Pigs? And why not have guitarist Aaron North do a crowd dive, with guitar, right over my head? Freakin awesome. He totally cleared me by about 6 people! After he gets back, they finish, and right into Piggy. Trent comes down into the security pit, and practically right into the arms of Adrienne and Sara. As if they weren’t having a good time before. A bit of a cool down period with The Frail, which leads into The Wretched. The crowd pleaser, Closer (with a nifty “The Only Time” insert!) was next, followed by a personal favorite, Burn, and Gave Up. They slowed it down again, with Eraser, Right Where It Belongs, and Beside You In Time, all of which were behind the curtain, using said curtain as a projector screen. The curtain was back up for The Day The World Went Away, and the place got nuts again with Wish. At this point, Trent makes a small speech about how he met someone backstage that he hasn’t seen since the last time NIN played in Rochester, back in 1994, and how grateful they were that they were both still alive, and that NIN can still pack arenas, and how Trent was thankful for that. Only was next, so the crowd was all literally dancing! This was followed by Every Day Is Exactly The Same, in which Trent plays Mr. Tambourine Man, and when he;s done with it, tosses it right to Sara! Now that’s a souvenir if I’ve ever seen one! Next up was Suck, Hurt, The Hand That Feeds, and the last one of the night was Head Like A Hole. It was a hell of a show, and everything, from the show itself, to the fans around me, to the security, to the logistics of getting us in, was top notch. I don’t think I’ve been to this well organized of a show in a good long time. Trent and Co. did not fail to impress in any fashion, and I had a most excellent time!
A quick YouTube Search will yield a bunch of clips from this show.
Topics: Concerts | Tags: 2006, Blue Cross Arena, Nine Inch Nails, rochester, Saul Williams | 3 Comments »
March 16th, 2006 at 11:28 pm
YAY!
March 17th, 2006 at 8:16 am
Never seen grown men cry after a show after hearing there would be no encore.
March 18th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
gaaaah!! i still cant stop gushing if anyone asks me about it!! hehe (it was nice to get to see you too eric :O)hhaha)