NIN/JA @ PNC Arts Center

For a tour that is supposed to present the last performances for Nine Inch Nails as we know them (him), it seemed awkward for Trent Reznor and company to play a set before Jane’s Addiction (a band that hasn’t been relevant in 15 years). As it turns out, the outdoor venue ended up sucking a lot of the life from their performance, and Jane’s Addiction proved they deserved to headline. Gone were the breathtaking lighting rigs from last year’s “Lights In The Sky” shows and the sporadic small venue shows. Instead, we get $80 seats that practically require binoculars. I avoid the PNC Bank Arts Center at all costs, as there is very little to get excited about. However, an exception needed o be made when NIN is playing their last area show after twenty years. Unfortunately, it was the least memorable performance I’ve seen by the band.

Yes, it’s great that Trent Reznor has sobered up and defeated his inner demons. And I suppose this is why we are now saying “goodbye” to this part of his musical career. Hopefully, he will continue to share his unique abilities with the world in another capacity. With that said, the watered down versions of tracks that served as therapy for all of Trent’s past emotional instability were awkwardly out of context and should have not been included in the set list. I do appreciate the gesture that he is playing the deep and rare tracks that longtime fans want to see performed for the last (first and last in some cases) time. However, ingenuously transforming these tracks from soul searching catharsis into stadium anthems with unscripted “heys,” “woohoos” and handclaps seemed marred by pretense. “Mr. Self-Destruct,” “Last,” “March of the Pigs,” “Reptile,” and “Gave Up” need to be sealed up to serve only as the abrasive, self-loathing, and genre defying classics they are.

In all fairness, twenty years is a long time to share your self-hatred with the world without following the road paved by Ian Curtis or Kurt Cobain. We saw a glimpse of what could happen when Trent’s self-loathing is redirected toward political apocalypse with the impressive Year Zero project. Trent promises there is more to come. We didn’t see much reason to get to the show early enough to see Tom Morello’s new band, Street Sweeper Social Club (Audioslave and The Nightwatchmen were achingly diluted and bland). The “Wave Goodbye” tour had a lax camera policy, and we captured some of the performance. Unfortunately, tripods and additional audio gear were not allowed, so the shaky cam and overmodulation of the sound were unavoidable.

(Mark)

After NIN finished their encore with a whimper by playing “Hurt,” the lights went on and stage change began.  After 15 minutes Jane’s took the stage and immediately went into one of the best songs ever written, “Three Days.”  The last and only time I heard this song live was at the Hammerstein Ballroom for the ”Relapse Tour” in 1997 with Flea replacing Eric Avery on bass.  It was immediately clear just how much Avery’s style and execution is irreplaceable.

I’ve been a hardcore fan of more than 15 years, yet my expectations were not high.  I anticipated to find the show nostalgically entertaining at best.  However, even after an 18 year layoff their sound was unbelievably tight thanks to the return of Avery’s precise bass playing.

As the band continued through classics such as ”Ocean Size” and “Pigs in Zen,” the highlight was a powerful delivery of “Then She Did.”  Avery’s infectious bass lines and Navarro’s shifting guitar rhythms brought chills, and Perry’s voice sounded stronger than it had during the last semi-reunion shows.  Jane’s Addiction put forth a solid live performance and filled a void that was 15 years overdue.  Better late than never.

(Pete)

“Gave Up”

“Mr. Self-Destruct”