Nine Inch Nails with Bauhaus
June 9, 2006
Alltel Pavilion
Raleigh, N.C.
Black clothes were out in full force at Raleigh's Alltel Pavilion on Friday, as Nine Inch Nails stormed into town.
Openers TV on the Radio (I'll admit that I missed them) and Bauhaus got things warmed up.
Bauhaus could be considered the "O.G.'s" of the night - as in "Original Goth."
Looking like the Vampire Lestat, singer Peter Murphy paced the stage and played with his own imagery as the band performed.
Though they broke up in the 1980s, the band has made sporadic appearances together before their coming together in the fall for a full-fledged tour.
During the hiatus, Murphy had a successful solo career, while the rest of the band formed Love and Rockets.
There was a strange combination of daylight and Bauhaus music - seeing as the band has a gothic following - but those in the crowd who knew the music, loved the sight of the band back together.
They played a number of their fan favorites such as "She's in Parties" and the closer, "Bela Lugosi's Dead."
Murphy stalked the stage, at one point playing with the lights shining up into his face, and at another bending at the waist and flapping his arms like a bird.
The band's hour-long set was quite mellow compared to the aural assualt that would follow.
Nine Inch Nails hit the stage with little warning for their hour-and-a-half set.
The house lights were on, there was crew on stage and suddenly Trent Reznor walks forward and starts singing the first words of "Somewhat Damaged."
The lights dropped and the stage lit up as the band tore into their set.
Surprisingly, they played five songs from their first album, "Pretty Hate Machine," but no one left disappointed. There was something for everyone in the 21-song set, including two songs from the "Broken" EP.
Reznor didn't address the crowd much, other to say "Thanks." At one moment late in the set, he recalled going to see Depeche Mode in Ohio. "I pointed and said, 'That's going to be me one day,'" Reznor told the crowd.
Dressed in a black t-shirt, black shorts and black boots, Reznor was fully charged for the duration - jumping, stomping feet and launching water bottles into the crowd.
There were even a few slow songs that offered as much emotion as the hardcore.
"Something I Can Never Have" and "Hurt" - two of the band's most heart-felt songs - were as powerful as ever.
Reznor stood at a keyboard with a single spotlight shining down as he performed "Hurt." Images of Johnny Cash - who covered the song shortly before his death - shot through my mind.
As energetic as the entire band was, the lighting was nearly as entertaining - spotlights ten feet above the band's heads, a metal screen that sometimes lit up in front of the band, a large video screen in the back echoing lights off the front.
This was the third time I've seen NIN live - once at the first Lollapalooza, once during The Fragile tour and then tonight. This was easily at the top of the list.
The set played like a greatest hits list and had the crowd on its feet for the entire night - a great way to kick off the summer concert season.
Here's the Nine Inch Nails set list from tonight:
1. Somewhat Damaged
2. You Know What You Are
3. Sin
4. Terrible Lie
5. March of the Pigs
6. Something I Can Never Have
7. Closer
8. Burn
9. Gave Up
10. Help Me I Am In Hell
11. Non Entity
12. Only
13. Wish
14. La Mer
15. Into the Void
16. Suck
17. Get Down Make Love
18. Down In It
19. Hurt
20. Hand that Feeds
21. Head Like A Hole
Posted by jeffhahnedisabled at June 10, 2006 12:38 AM
Comments
I don't recall "Get Down Make Love" at all.
It would be hard to miss that song.
Since all I drank was one Pepsi I don't think memory loss is at issue here.
ALSO: Missing from your list is the ONE cover song they did perform which was Joy Division's DEAD SOULS (refrain is: "They keep calling me").
NIN did that song for the sound track to The CROW.
Posted by: Alan at June 16, 2006 9:23 AM
Apparently someone slipped something into Alan's Pepsi.
They most definately played Get Down Make Love (it was sandwiched between 'Suck' and 'Down In It'), they most positively did NOT play Dead Souls.
Maybe you were the guy that was giving everyone else a contact buzz?
Posted by: Brandon at June 16, 2006 10:25 PM
I just saw NIN in Saratoga NY last night, they definately played "Get Down Make Love" and not "Dead Souls", which was one song I hoped they would play but did not, either was the show was fantastic.
Perhaps short-term memory loss is an issue here, Jeff?
Posted by: Megan at June 19, 2006 10:58 AM
I was at the Saratoga show - they didn't do Get Down, but did do Dead Souls. Not sure if we all saw the same shows....?
Posted by: Joe at June 20, 2006 8:13 PM
I was at the SPAC show, they most def did not play Dead Souls. That is my favorite NIN song and was praying they would play it, but was saddened when they didn't. anyone know why they don't do perfect drug live?
Posted by: Jeffrey at June 23, 2006 7:05 AM
I just saw the Saratoga show too. No Dead Souls (one of my favorite tunes), and no Get Down....(I'm also a big Queen fan, the writers of that tune). Pay closer attention I guess.
Posted by: Aaron at June 23, 2006 9:59 PM
OK - All I know is that I reviewed the Raleigh show. Alan emailed me and said he didn't realize my review was for Raleigh - he was at a show in Virginia. So, that clears up that mixup. The Saratoga confusion, you'll have to clear up on your own.
Posted by: Jeff at June 24, 2006 2:44 PM
i am 100% certain "dead souls" was played at the boston 2006 show.
Posted by: errtttqq at June 28, 2006 4:25 PM
