1.7.09: your gift!
The internet is full of surprises these days.
I was contacted by a mysterious, shadowy group of subversives who SOMEHOW managed to film a substantial amount (over 400 GB!) of raw, unedited HD footage from three separate complete shows of our Lights in the Sky tour. Security must have been lacking at these shows because the quality of the footage is excellent.

Oh yeah, you didn’t hear this from me.

The link points to THIS thread in the NIN.com forums that explains in more detail what footage is available. The post suggests that “Novice users might not want to download this just yet” which means that I will not be downloading this 400Gb of raw footage at all. I suspect the more technically inclined NIN fans out there will work their magic and offer up a final product (or products) soon. This is pretty freakin’ amazing … because TR wasn’t allowed by his former record company to release a proper DVD of the Lights in the Sky Tour (which was supposed to be filmed in 3D!!!), this seems like a nice Plan B. I can’t wait to see what will come of this gift to fans.

[Source]

The LIGHTS IN THE SKY era has come to a close, and I’d like to once again thank you for your support. I am very proud of what we pulled off – it was an immense amount of work and worth it all. I’d like to thank Josh and Alessandro for being an integral part of this for the last few years and I wish them all the best. No rest for the wicked here, though. We start rehearsing the new band/format first thing next year and as I mentioned, we’ll be announcing some final waves of dates. North America, UK/Europe, Pacific Rim and elsewhere. Oh yeah – we may have a small holiday gift for you soon. Check back.

As excited as I STILL am over being fortunate enough to have a one-on-one backstage conversation with TR in Las Vegas, NV last weekend I am REALLY excited at the prospect of a “holiday gift” from the man himself. With Trent Reznor you never know what you’re gonna get … it could be a new song, it could be a new album — it could be a You Tube clip of the band doing the dance routine from Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) … er, but it most likely will not be the latter (I think). I will make sure to update news of this “holiday gift” as soon as it is announced.

Additionally, TR and NIN keyboardist Alessandro Cortini are featured in a new Apple promo video for their software program called MainStage:

As far as I can tell, the program was used extensively on the Lights in the Sky Tour and comes highly recommended by the NIN men themselves. After the jump, watch the video clip in full …

TR was so gracious to give me some time to chat with him … he was so warm and inviting, offering us stuff from his craft services pile (he even had a Power Juicer, like the one that Shar Jackson is spokesperson for) and invited us to make ourselves comfortable. That was impossible for me but I think I did a good job keeping myself together. After the jump, check out my full interview with Trent Reznor where we talked about tour plans for 2009, non-music-related projects in the works — and band camp …

Here are a few pics that Darion and I snapped of the show last night. NIN ended their Lights in the Sky Over North America Tour here in LV last night and they put on a show that was, as usual, pretty effing unbelievable. Additionally, I’m posting the setlist, courtesy of the Echoing the Sound messageboard:

01. 999,999 [Intro]
02. 1,000,000
03. Letting You
04. Discipline
05. March Of The Pigs
06. Head Down
07. The Frail
08. Closer [The Only Time Breakdown]
09. Gave Up
10. Corona Radiata [Interlude]
11. The Warning
12. The Great Destroyer
13. Ghosts 21
14. Ghosts 28
15. Ghosts 19
16. Piggy [Ghosts]
17. The Greater Good
18. Pinion [Interlude]
19. Wish
20. Terrible Lie
21. Survivalism
22. The Big Come Down
23. Ghosts 31
24. Only
25. The Hand That Feeds
26. Head Like A Hole
—
27. Echoplex
28. Reptile
29. The Good Soldier
30. Hurt
31. In This Twilight [Zero-Sum Outro]

David tends to hate concerts as he usually is never impressed with live productions but he was very impressed with last night’s show. He kept oohing and ahhing and was so taken with the LCD light-show that he jumped online to find out how the whole thing came together in the first place. Needless to say, I loved every minute of this show. Drummer Josh Freese and keyboardist Alessandro Cortini played their last show as members of NIN and Trent Reznor revealed to me in my interview and to the audience from the stage that NIN will carry on as a paired down 4-piece in the coming year — this is awesome news. TR also announced that NIN will RETURN to the US to do more dates starting in April (he mentioned amphitheaters). It was just a fun night, I can’t even begin to describe. I have to give a shout-out to Pink readers Roxanne and Vivianne who I got to run into at the show last night, it was so nice meeting you both. After the jump, check out video of Trent Reznor saying his goodbyes from the stage on the last night of the tour …

11.16.08

Echoplex
The Beginning of the End
The Good Soldier
Hurt
In This Twilight

The show was pretty phenomenal, as usual, but was also plagued with a few technical difficulties and musical errors. Honestly, the mistakes weren’t that noticeable … well, except to me ;) To be honest, I was too preoccupied by a tragic-looking lady who was standing near us and was wearing a red leather outfit from heat to toe (seriously) OH and a scary guy with a creepy mask standing right behind us. Fun times! Trent Reznor, altho not in a very talkative mood, was totally on point and put on an amazing performance. After the show, I managed to snag one of bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen’s guitar picks. Woot!

On the ride home, we got a little bit lost and had to brave the falling snow but it was a very fun night and I’m glad we got to go together. I’m seeing NIN one more time on this second leg of the tour with Darion, Kirsten and Josh in Las Vegas, NV next month.

I believe Tracey and Zakiya are coming over to Sarah and Mark’s so that we can all hang out. It’ll be great to see the little princess again. Oh and the snow keeps falling … I kinda hate it.

I’d like to thank all of you who attended the first leg of the Lights In The Sky tour. If you missed it, check the schedule – we’ll be playing through the rest of this year. If you’ve seen it, come back – we’ll have some new tricks up our sleeve on this next leg. We’re very proud of this show and it’s been exciting (and quite the challenge) for us to present it to you.

His full message continues behind the cut. After the jump, read the rest of what Trent Reznor has to say to his political-minded fans. As TR says himself, “Nobody wants anyone preaching their opinions at them” so fans of the current Republican administration who are supporting the Republican ticket in the current presidential campaign might not be interested in reading any further …

Here is the full text of Trent Reznor’s latest message:

I’d like to thank all of you who attended the first leg of the Lights In The Sky tour. If you missed it, check the schedule – we’ll be playing through the rest of this year. If you’ve seen it, come back – we’ll have some new tricks up our sleeve on this next leg. We’re very proud of this show and it’s been exciting (and quite the challenge) for us to present it to you.

OK – I got it out of my system. Thanks for reading.

I think it’s pretty clear that I agree with TR absolutely on this but, again, it’s just what I believe. In all fairness, he is absolutely right to urge EVERYONE to “get involved and pay attention to what’s happening during this election”. I, too, urge all y’all to FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CANDIDATE stands for. Do you want to hold on to your reproductive rights? Do you want the right to marry in this country? There are major issues at stake in this election. Considering the way that last 8 years turned out, you might want to have a say in the outcome of this year’s election. I know I do.

For the record, the photo of Trent above with GWB on the screen behind him is from this past Saturday’s NIN performance at The Forum here in SoCal. As the band performed The Hand That Feeds, this image of GWB appeared on the screen and morphed into an image of John McCain. I think the message is pretty clear there.

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I cannot tell you how awesome it was to be up close to the action like I was last night. It was truly an amazing experience, one that I won’t soon forget. The show itself was just … beautiful. I cannot think of a word that so adequately expresses what I saw last night. Sonically, the show was as hard-hitting as ever but visually … I was stunned into silence. The Ghosts portion of the show was riveting … and seeing Nine Inch Nails put down most of their electronic instruments in lieu of more traditional instruments (a stand-up bass, xylophone, etc.) was just remarkable. I will never fully be able to comprehend the level of talent that Trent Reznor and his band bring to the stage night after night, month after month, year after year. Folks, TR has been doing this stuff for about 20 years now … and he hasn’t lost a damn thing. In fact, having seen many NIN shows thruout the ’90s, I contend that he has only gotten better. Truly, this show is amazing. I have to extend my deepest appreciation and thanks to both Trent and his assistant Brett for taking such amazing care of me last night. A million times, thank you!!

In the crowd I got to meet Pink readers Nathan and Stacy, who I got to take a photo with:

As well as some lovely ladies who yelled out to me from the stands. It was really great meeting all of you :)

People, I must urge you to try and see this show when NIN comes back to the US for the second leg of the tour in November, December. It is an experience you don’t want to miss. I know for sure that I will be seeing it at least one more time, maybe two. Click HERE to find out if the boys will be coming your way in the coming months.

This afternoon, I will be at the Paramount Studios Lot for the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards. I’m not sure what to expect when I get there but I know that MTV is going to turn that mother out as they do year after year. Will Britney Spears surprise us all by performing? I guess we’ll find out in just a few short hours …

Because of venue space constraints, I wasn’t able to get the “full” look of the Lights In the Sky show when I saw NIN in Toledo, OH last week so I am very much looking forward to seeing Trent’s vision for the show tonight. To be honest, I’m already planning which shows on the second leg of the tour I’m hoping to attend. Their Western Michigan show coincides with my next trip back home to Detroit so I think I’ll be at the Grand Rapids, MI show and NIN are ending their whole tour in Las Vegas, NV in December … worth a trip to Sin City, I think ;) Folks, I cannot stress enough how much I am looking forward to tonight’s show … I promise to have as many pics as I can snap and a full report tomorrow. Wee!

Will I be running into any of y’all at tonight’s show?

[Source via Source]

Hot damn, now this is an awesome picture … whether you’re a NIN fan or not ;) Sarah and I noted that Trent was letting his facial hair grow back when we saw NIN play Toledo, OH last Monday and it looks like he’s been letting it grow since then — oh yes, me likey. Hopefully he’ll have himself a full-on beard by the time I get to see NIN again in Inglewood, CA next weekend.

In other NIN-related news, Pink reader Kent gave me the heads up that Billboard.com has posted a very cool article on the band called 20 Years of Nine Inch Nails in their ongoing Music Milestones feature. I guess I never really realized that since Pretty Hate Machine, NIN’s debut album, was released in 1988 that this year is the band’s 20th anniversary. Wow. In any event, I think all y’all should read the Billboard feature on NIN HERE … I’m pretty sure that even the most hardcore fans will learn (or be reminded of) a few things about this amazing band.

[Source via Source, thanks Kent]

Again, the show was pretty stunning nonetheless … here are a few of the pics that I snapped last night:

After about the 3rd song or so, Trent announced from the stage, “We’re happy to be playing the homecoming dance” referring to the tiny size of the venue. Man, it was just really great being able to see NIN in such an intimate space. After the jump, see the full show setlist, check out a short video that I shot of Trent Reznor talking to the crowd and a funny-ass video that I stumbled upon this morning that features Trent Reznor, has nothing at all to do with last night’s show but is simply NOT TO BE MISSED …

Here is the setlist from last night’s show:

999,999
1,000,000
Letting You
Discipline
March of the Pigs
Head Down
The Frail
Closer
Gave Up
Corona Radiata

Echoplex
Meet Your Master
God Given
Hurt

I understand that this setlist was much shorter than previous shows, prolly because key equipment was missing for those portions of the show. Also, Trent explained that he was pissy that he couldn’t get all of his equipment in the venue, that his voice is getting wrecked and he was getting tired as the US tour nears its end … oh, why don’t you just hear the man speak for himself:

The show was pretty damn amazing, I’ve been to quite a few NIN shows over the years and this one ranks up there with the best of them. Mebbe it was the intimacy, mebbe it was the tight sound of the band but Sarah and I had an absolute blast. I learned last night, after I got home, that NIN have been playing a little game at their recent shows … an envelope is hidden somewhere in the venue and the lucky finder gets an autograph and the promise of a “surprise” from the band after the tour finishes. This is very much like the USB sticks that were hidden in venues around Europe last year when the band was touring ahead of the release of Year Zero (new songs were found on those USB sticks). I have to state, for the record, that Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor are the effing coolest guys around. They are clearly having fun with their tour, they really appreciate their fans and they work really hard to give the best show they can give. It’s no wonder that I love them so entirely.

I can’t wait to see them again back home in SoCal.

OH … and check out this amazing video of Trent Reznor from his days before he created Nine Inch Nails: