On September 9th, we are losing one of the great live bands from the past 20 years. Nine Inch Nails are going out on top according to their website after their last show at the Echoplex in L.A. According to his posts, Trent Reznor (the man solely responsible for writing and recording all their music) promises to still be involved in music producing, writing, and recording, but Nine Inch Nails as a live show will sorely be missed.

As a studio band, Nine Inch Nails is Trent Reznor. He writes, records, produces it by himself. The music itself sounds like it could only come from one singular mind. The drums are mechanical, the programmed keys provide most of the harmony, guitars are only used for texturing, and Reznor’s vocals fit right in with the gear grinding sound. As a live band, Nine Inch Nails is a circus. The members come from unconventional backgrounds: Robin Finck (Guns n’ Roses), Josh Freese (Devo), Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson), and Justin Meldal Johnson (Beck… wait. Beck?) have all been included in recent years. It’s a bizarre cast to a powerful show.Even for the non-fans, there has to be some sort of appreciation for the overwhelming force of one of their shows. The current lineup has performed behind, in front, around, and in between giant LCD screens, lights, hanging incandescent bulbs, and enough smoke to film a Truth Campaign commercial. And even these conditions appear tame to the iterations of the band in the past. Speak with a survivor of the ’94 Woodstock show and it will inevitably prompt an hour-long Google session. It’s mesmerizing to watch a band self-destruct as it performs. Each member tears apart the instruments and stage, stomping on keyboards and smears mud over equipment. All this while the crowd collapses onto itself.Such sights were foreign to me during my two trips to see Trent and Co. I was alone both times. Some friends of mine chose Kanye over NIN at the 2008 Lollapalooza festival and no one from UVA seemed to want to show up at the John Paul Jones arena show. Despite not having a companion, there was a collective community to be a part of. You could never feel lonely at a show. Vets lead everyone in the renditions of “Head Like a Whole” and “Wish” while the younger fans seemed to be the ones screaming “THERE IS NO FUCKING YOU” the loudest during “Only.” Everyone gets representation, throughout the entire show. Make no mistake, this is a “show.” The sound comes loud and clear as instruments are torn to shreds and flashbulbs burn retinas. No one is leaving without permanent damage being done to their ears, and a few bruised elbows from being jostled around.Then everything eventually stops, and there’s a sing along. A fucking sing along at a metal show. Everyone in the crowd knows “Hurt.” Everyone. There are people who sing it beautifully, and some who are too hoarse from screaming to get it out of their throats, but everyone is singing. More importantly, everyone means it. How could you acquire the sounds of broken guitars and suicidal lyrics without trauma to back it up? Some people cry. Then everyone leaves slightly sore and damaged, but more energetic and alive for the sake of it.You don’t need to tell me it’s emo. It is. But it’s real too. Nine Inch Nails are a band that represent a lot of different stages to many different people. People who identify with the words, people who enjoy the energy, people who are mesmerized by such a spectacle. There are going to be people in the months and years to come who stumble on a copy of “The Downward Spiral” or “The Fragile” and wonder what the music of Nine Inch Nails looks like onstage. I’m glad I know firsthand.-Zak KroneFollow us on Twitter or Friend us on Facebook! Leave a Comment -