Call it an Insomniac night or call it what you will, but at this point in time I get the feeling like I never really sleep anymore. Or at least I'm soo lost in my thoughts that I snap back into reality at random places and times.
In the last 48 hours, Ive spent about 12 of them in my car traveling from points of interests in North and South Jersey and Pennsylvania. My circadian clock continues to be thrown out of whack with the hope of normality of a sleep schedule slowly fading away.
Was on vacation from the night job this week so that was a bit of stress gone for a week. And although being on vacation from one job and not the other is a complete vacation, I saw Nine Inch nails twice this week and that right there was more so of a vacation. It had been 3 yrs since I've last seen them so I was crippled with anxiety and anticipation the weeks, days, hours and minutes until the fog rolled in and the house lights went off.
BOOM!!
Blitzkrieg of strobe lights fill the arena and the band kicks in with the crowd becoming louder with every beat of the drums and crashing of the symbols. Finally, the explosion takes place and Mr. Trent Reznor comes out of nowhere and lunges right toward the mic and jumps right into the first verse of 1,000,000 with perfect timing and delivery that only someone who has been doing this for so long can do. The first night I was lucky enough to have bought pre-sale tickets so I landed 110 section seats stage side to the left. It was fuckin great, although the only disadvantage was the fact that all the visuals which would be meant to be seen right directly in front of you I was only able to see a portion of it. (I would later redeem myself being in the pit on Friday night in Philly.)
As always Trent outdid himself from last tour and stepped up the production for this tour. It was perfect mix of songs from The Slip, Ghosts, The Fragile, Downward Spiral and lastly but not least Pretty Hate Machine.
Fighting my way to the front is always the worst part but being up there on the rail and being able to see these guys create this music live and see the connectivity they have is always my favorite part. I think one of the great moments for me was finally see Robin on stage yet again with Trent and play the songs that he is credited for on the albums. After all these years , you could see everything that he went through on his face. The angst and animation that he once carried wasn't completely there anymore but it didn't matter.
The visuals as per norm were in-fuckin-credible. I really hope they come out with a DVD for this album as they have done with the previous tours. I'm pretty sure they are because I saw Rob Sheridan with a Mini DV camera running around and filming the performance. One that will always stick out for me was the visuals for "In this Twilight". It was the backdrop of the urban wasteland used in the Year Zero remix album only animated with smoke stacks and fire balls exploding at various points.
As the song comes to an end and the climax is to the breaking point the camera pans upward to the sky forcing the backdrop to evolve into a blinding white light and consuming the band leaving only their silhouettes left on stage. Classic tracks were played ie. Reptile, The Frail/The Wretched, March of the Pigs, Wish, and even Down in it...which was played in Philly but not Jersey. There were variations in the set lists but Philly's set was by far the better of the two.
The last few times I've seen NIN there's a moment when he stops and talks to the crowd (which of course he says he's going to stop doing and never does) At the Jersey show, he stated that he was very excited to play for the NJ/NY crowd and had looked forward to tat date. He put alot of work into the show and thanked everyone for coming. He proceeded to say that when he first started playing music the main reason he started playing was for the fame and the women. Then eventually he saw the number of people who were into the music and felt like he did grow and it all changed for him.
At the Philly show, he started off by saying that he spent 18 yrs trying to get the fuck out of PA and there he was again back in the beginning. He told a quick story about doing an interview one time and the reporter had asked him if looking out into the crowd at this point has changed from looking out in the beginning. His response was that in the beginning he would look out and see a sea of vampire guys and he wondered where the women were. Then he basically gave a shout out to all the ladies and of course they [ladies] went bat shit.
I've been front row in the pit about 4 times now and I see age and time catching up to him . And there are times when I think to myself that I missed out on the Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral era Trent and it saddens me but having nothing to do about it I just let the thought go. All in all amazing shows. I have some vid and a shit load of pics I have to edit and resize for this fuckin sight so soon enough I will get around ot it for those that give a fuck. But I don't think anyone will read up to this point so it doesn't matter.
On the way home tonight from my brother's house out in Easton, PA. "Stairway to Heaven" by Zeppelin was on the radio and I thought back to when I was 16 and lived in my old house playing zeppelin songs on my drums for hours on end. I miss that...I really do. I miss having the time to just play my drums...or just fuckin write...or walk around and get drunk in the woods and then fuckin go swimming cutting my feet on the glass bottle that I just threw in there only a few mins before. I've been stressing out alot lately, so much to the point where it's effects are no longer simply emotional/mental but also physical now. My body is riddled with knots that ache and cause my body to be sore. It's getting really bad and something's got to give..very soon. Still taking thoughts and suggestions for a trip to anywhere...I'm open for suggestions.
I'm not tired but know physically I need the sleep, I'm running myself into the ground again.....
Going to take something for the pain and hopefully sedate me and get some sleep...if anyone read this...thank you..if not then fuck it. Because...if it's worth doing...
It's worth doing right.
Setlist for Wachiova Center Aug 29th.
1. 999,999 [Intro]
2. 1,000,000
3. Letting You
4. Discipline
5. March Of The Pigs
6. Head Down
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched
9. Closer [The Only Time Breakdown]
10. Gave Up
11. Me, I'm Not
12. The Great Destroyer
13. Ghosts 5
14. Ghosts 17
15. Ghosts 19
16. Piggy [Ghosts]
17. The Greater Good
18. Pinion [Interlude]
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie
21. Survivalism
22. The Big Comedown
23. Ghosts 31
24. Only
25. Down In It
26. Head Like A Hole
---
27. Echoplex
28. Reptile
29. God Given
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight
Setlist for Izod Center Aug 27th
1. 999,999 [Intro]
2. 1,000,000
3. Letting You
4. Discipline
5. March Of The Pigs
6. Head Down
7. The Frail
8. Reptile
9. Closer [The Only Time Breakdown]
10. Gave Up
11. The Warning
12. Vessel
13. Ghosts 5
14. Ghosts 17
15. Ghosts 19
16. Piggy [Ghosts]
17. The Greater Good
18. Pinion [Interlude]
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie
21. Survivalism
22. The Big Comedown
23. Ghosts 31
24. Only
25. The Hand That Feeds
26. Head Like A Hole
---
27. Echoplex
28. God Given
29. The Good Soldier
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight
In the last 48 hours, Ive spent about 12 of them in my car traveling from points of interests in North and South Jersey and Pennsylvania. My circadian clock continues to be thrown out of whack with the hope of normality of a sleep schedule slowly fading away.
Was on vacation from the night job this week so that was a bit of stress gone for a week. And although being on vacation from one job and not the other is a complete vacation, I saw Nine Inch nails twice this week and that right there was more so of a vacation. It had been 3 yrs since I've last seen them so I was crippled with anxiety and anticipation the weeks, days, hours and minutes until the fog rolled in and the house lights went off.
BOOM!!
Blitzkrieg of strobe lights fill the arena and the band kicks in with the crowd becoming louder with every beat of the drums and crashing of the symbols. Finally, the explosion takes place and Mr. Trent Reznor comes out of nowhere and lunges right toward the mic and jumps right into the first verse of 1,000,000 with perfect timing and delivery that only someone who has been doing this for so long can do. The first night I was lucky enough to have bought pre-sale tickets so I landed 110 section seats stage side to the left. It was fuckin great, although the only disadvantage was the fact that all the visuals which would be meant to be seen right directly in front of you I was only able to see a portion of it. (I would later redeem myself being in the pit on Friday night in Philly.)
As always Trent outdid himself from last tour and stepped up the production for this tour. It was perfect mix of songs from The Slip, Ghosts, The Fragile, Downward Spiral and lastly but not least Pretty Hate Machine.
Fighting my way to the front is always the worst part but being up there on the rail and being able to see these guys create this music live and see the connectivity they have is always my favorite part. I think one of the great moments for me was finally see Robin on stage yet again with Trent and play the songs that he is credited for on the albums. After all these years , you could see everything that he went through on his face. The angst and animation that he once carried wasn't completely there anymore but it didn't matter.
The visuals as per norm were in-fuckin-credible. I really hope they come out with a DVD for this album as they have done with the previous tours. I'm pretty sure they are because I saw Rob Sheridan with a Mini DV camera running around and filming the performance. One that will always stick out for me was the visuals for "In this Twilight". It was the backdrop of the urban wasteland used in the Year Zero remix album only animated with smoke stacks and fire balls exploding at various points.
As the song comes to an end and the climax is to the breaking point the camera pans upward to the sky forcing the backdrop to evolve into a blinding white light and consuming the band leaving only their silhouettes left on stage. Classic tracks were played ie. Reptile, The Frail/The Wretched, March of the Pigs, Wish, and even Down in it...which was played in Philly but not Jersey. There were variations in the set lists but Philly's set was by far the better of the two.
The last few times I've seen NIN there's a moment when he stops and talks to the crowd (which of course he says he's going to stop doing and never does) At the Jersey show, he stated that he was very excited to play for the NJ/NY crowd and had looked forward to tat date. He put alot of work into the show and thanked everyone for coming. He proceeded to say that when he first started playing music the main reason he started playing was for the fame and the women. Then eventually he saw the number of people who were into the music and felt like he did grow and it all changed for him.
At the Philly show, he started off by saying that he spent 18 yrs trying to get the fuck out of PA and there he was again back in the beginning. He told a quick story about doing an interview one time and the reporter had asked him if looking out into the crowd at this point has changed from looking out in the beginning. His response was that in the beginning he would look out and see a sea of vampire guys and he wondered where the women were. Then he basically gave a shout out to all the ladies and of course they [ladies] went bat shit.
I've been front row in the pit about 4 times now and I see age and time catching up to him . And there are times when I think to myself that I missed out on the Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral era Trent and it saddens me but having nothing to do about it I just let the thought go. All in all amazing shows. I have some vid and a shit load of pics I have to edit and resize for this fuckin sight so soon enough I will get around ot it for those that give a fuck. But I don't think anyone will read up to this point so it doesn't matter.
On the way home tonight from my brother's house out in Easton, PA. "Stairway to Heaven" by Zeppelin was on the radio and I thought back to when I was 16 and lived in my old house playing zeppelin songs on my drums for hours on end. I miss that...I really do. I miss having the time to just play my drums...or just fuckin write...or walk around and get drunk in the woods and then fuckin go swimming cutting my feet on the glass bottle that I just threw in there only a few mins before. I've been stressing out alot lately, so much to the point where it's effects are no longer simply emotional/mental but also physical now. My body is riddled with knots that ache and cause my body to be sore. It's getting really bad and something's got to give..very soon. Still taking thoughts and suggestions for a trip to anywhere...I'm open for suggestions.
I'm not tired but know physically I need the sleep, I'm running myself into the ground again.....
Going to take something for the pain and hopefully sedate me and get some sleep...if anyone read this...thank you..if not then fuck it. Because...if it's worth doing...
It's worth doing right.
Setlist for Wachiova Center Aug 29th.
1. 999,999 [Intro]
2. 1,000,000
3. Letting You
4. Discipline
5. March Of The Pigs
6. Head Down
7. The Frail
8. The Wretched
9. Closer [The Only Time Breakdown]
10. Gave Up
11. Me, I'm Not
12. The Great Destroyer
13. Ghosts 5
14. Ghosts 17
15. Ghosts 19
16. Piggy [Ghosts]
17. The Greater Good
18. Pinion [Interlude]
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie
21. Survivalism
22. The Big Comedown
23. Ghosts 31
24. Only
25. Down In It
26. Head Like A Hole
---
27. Echoplex
28. Reptile
29. God Given
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight
Setlist for Izod Center Aug 27th
1. 999,999 [Intro]
2. 1,000,000
3. Letting You
4. Discipline
5. March Of The Pigs
6. Head Down
7. The Frail
8. Reptile
9. Closer [The Only Time Breakdown]
10. Gave Up
11. The Warning
12. Vessel
13. Ghosts 5
14. Ghosts 17
15. Ghosts 19
16. Piggy [Ghosts]
17. The Greater Good
18. Pinion [Interlude]
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie
21. Survivalism
22. The Big Comedown
23. Ghosts 31
24. Only
25. The Hand That Feeds
26. Head Like A Hole
---
27. Echoplex
28. God Given
29. The Good Soldier
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight
no really.
my best friend just moved to berkeley last week on a greyhound and thats probably the soonest i'll be able to afford the trip out there (financially and legally hahaha)
and sacramento is only an hour ish away.
and they are playing.
and we should go.
i mean i'm going to be making millions as the nesquik bunny so i will totally pay for everything
p.s. GO TO SLEEP.