It may not be a paranormal event, but it’s cool and unusual: Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor has teamed up with Fringe for a new promo spot, EW.com has learned. The spot, which debuts Thursday during Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, features a reworking of the Nine Inch Nails song “Zero-Sum” by Reznor, who recites lines of dialogue from Fringe’s William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) over the music. So, how did the freaky drama series secure the services of Reznor? After Fox’s marketing department showed the Fringe producers a version of the promo that used “Zero-Sum,” series exec producer Jeff Pinkner simply asked a nearby Reznor acquaintance—that’d be co-creator J.J. Abrams—if the NIN musician might be interested in a collaboration. One email later, Reznor was on the case. “We offered him compensation, and he said, ‘No, no, I just want to have fun and be part of something cool,’” says Pinkner, adding: “How often do you get the chance to work with somebody like that?” Reznor wound up revamping the song in his mobile studio while on tour, and he even came up with the idea of “embedding” one of the show’s glyphs in the music. (Hint: Examine the song’s sound waves on a computer.) Now for the big question: Might Reznor pop up in an episode of Fringe? “If he wants to come act on the show, that’s not tit for tat—that’s an open invitation, and we made that known to him,” says Pinkner. Any ideas on what he may play? “Well, his head would probably end up exploding,” deadpans Pinkner. “There’d be some uncomfortable biology in there one way or another.”

Looooove this!! Fringe is deffo one of the coolest shows on TV right now and I love that TR wanted to lend his voice and music to help promote the series. I would DIE if Trent decided to make a cameo on the show … even if they made his head explode, I think it’d be really effing cool. After the jump, check out this new Fringe promo vid featuring Zero Sum with the added vocals for yourselves …

Today is the 10th anniversary of the release of the Nine Inch Nails album The Fragile and fans have taken to Twitter to get #thefragile into the trending topics in celebration:

It’s really insane to realize that such an epic album is already 10 years old … and that Nine Inch Nails has come to an end. As should be clearly evident by now, I’ve been a huge NIN fan for years … The Fragile was such a landmark album in the band’s history … listening to it today is just as powerful as listening to it for the first time back in 1999. If you have never listened to The Fragile or just want to hear it again, you can do so online HERE. It’s a stunning album … one that will live much longer than it’s first 10 years of existence.

UPDATE: Trent Reznor posted a couple of tweets on the official Nine Inch Nails Twitter profile about the 10th anniversary of The Fragile … he even confirmed that a reissue of the album will be coming our way in 2010:

10 years ago for #thefragile – wow. Thinking a lot about that time today. (TR) And… we’ve begun work on the ULTIMATE reissue coming 2010. #thefragile

Woot!! Very exciting news! Can’t wait to see what that release will be like. I’ve heard some ideas for the deluxe packaging … we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out.

I have no plans for the coming week … I’m gonna just try and veg out as much as I can. It’s gonna be hot here in SoCal this week … just the way I like it :)

After the jump, check out a few of the photos that I snapped from the show, see the show’s full setlist and watch video of NIN performing The Day the World Went Away for the last time — ever …

Home
Somewhat Damaged (Video)
The Collector
Discipline
March Of The Pigs
Something I Can Never Have
The Frail
The Wretched
Ruiner
Head Down
Burn
Just Like You Imagined (With Mike Garson) (Video)
La Mer (With Mike Garson)
Eraser (With Mike Garson) (Video)
The Becoming (With Mike Garson)
Down In The Park (Instrumental Version) (Mike Garson solo)
Down In The Park (Gary Numan) (With Gary Numan)
Metal (Gary Numan) (With Gary Numan)
I Die: You Die (Gary Numan) (With Gary Numan) (Video)
1,000,000
Letting You
Survivalism
Suck
Down In It (Video)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole

Atmosphere (Joy Division)
Dead Souls (Joy Division)
The Good Soldier
The Day The World Went Away
Hurt
In This Twilight (Video)

The whole show was NIN’s 830th show, was over 3 1/2 hours long and, I understand, was the longest set that Nine Inch Nails ever performed. There were a lot of emotional people in the audience, I saw many tears but overall pretty much everyone in the the place was having the time of their lives. In my interview with Trent Reznor, he did clarify that Nine Inch Nails is over … but he is deffo planning to create new music and even mentioned the possibility of staring a new band. I can’t even express how exciting that sounds! I have every confidence that we’ll be hearing amazing new music from TR again. Here is video of TR giving his final thanks to the crowd, the band, his crew and the band’s final performance of The Day the World Went Away:

As you may recall, I was able to interview Reznor on the last night of the Lights in the Sky Tour last December in Las Vegas, NV so I was thrilled he was willing to chat with me again on the last night of the Wave Goodbye Tour, the last for Nine Inch Nails. In our 20 minute chat, TR explained how he goes about crafting a setlist for each performance, which live performance in his 20 year touring history stands out most in his mind, his plans for new music outside of Nine Inch Nails and more. After the jump, you can watch my interview with Trent Reznor in full …

I can honestly say that I have been an ardent NIN fan since 1989 (I distinctly remember hearing about the band who writes their Ns backwards and trying to spell out the NIN logo on the chalkboard in my History class) and have had the extreme fortune to see the band live 27 times over the years (in various US States and countries). Tonight’s show will be my 28th show … I am both excited and a bit sad about tonight’s show. I am even more excited and totally nervous about my interview with Trent Reznor later on this afternoon (scheduled to take place between sound check and showtime). I’m planning to video record the whole thing for sharing here on the blog ON SATURDAY since I do NOT POST on September 11 (which is tomorrow). The interview will be similar to the interview I conducted with TR last December on the last night of the Lights in the Sky Tour.

I haven’t yet decided but since I had such a great time in the NIN mosh pit at the last show at The Henry Fonda Theater, I may enjoy the show from the pit again tonight. If so, I’ll be off the grid and I will not be tweeting from the show. It’s a bit surreal to think that the live incarnation of Nine Inch Nails will come to an end tonight but I cannot express how thrilled I am to be able to be in attendance at tonight’s performance.

The theme of the show was Guest Stars because not only did Gary Numan come out to perform with NIN again but so, too, did David Bowie’s pianist Mike Garson, Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato, Jane’s Addiction bandmember Eric Avery and former Nine Inch Nails bandmember Danny Lohner … AND, the show opening band Health even came out to perform on one of the songs (making it seem like there were 45 people on stage) — it was a truly fantastic sight to behold. After the jump, check out a bunch of photos that I took at last night’s show (my best yet), see the full 32 song (!!!) setlist and watch video of Gary Numan performing his song Down in the Park with NIN on stage …

Head like a Hole
Terrible Lie
Sin
March of the Pigs
Piggy
Echoplex
Reptile
I’m Afraid of Americans (David Bowie)
Survivalism
Head Down
1,000,000
Letting You
Burn
Gave Up
Eraser
Just Like You Imagined (with Mike Garson)
The Becoming (with Mike Garson)
I Do Not Want This (with Mike Garson)
Down In The Park (Piano Instrumental) (Gary Numan) (Mike Garson solo)
Down In the Park (Gary Numan) (with Gary Numan & Mike Garson)
Metal (Gary Numan) (with Gary Numan & Mike Garson)
Cars (Gary Numan) (with Gary Numan, Eric Avery & Mike Garson)
Anthrax (Gang of Four) (with Gary Numan, Eric Avery & Health)

Atmosphere (Joy Division)
Dead Souls (Joy Division)
The Day the World Went Away
Hurt

I was crushed and compacted for more than 4 hours and I loved every second of it. Altho I sweated off 10 gallons of sweat, I prolly absorbed 20 gallons of other people’s sweat … OY! It’s been many, many years since I’ve lasted in a NIN pit … I know for sure I did it on the Further Down the Spiral Tour and then when NIN toured with David Bowie on the Outside Tour but I think I did it at least once, on the rail, during the Fragility 2.0 Tour. To be completely honest, it is the ONLY way to see a NIN show. I was able to take amazing photos but, more importantly, I really felt like part of the show … just a fantastic time. Here is video I shot of NIN performing with Gary Numan on his song Down in the Park:

As you might expect, Trent Reznor brought not only a blistering set of songs but also brought out a special guest to perform with NIN on stage … providing a rock solid, raucous show for the audience. After the jump, check out a few of the photos I took at last night’s concert, see the full show setlist and watch video of NIN performing I Die: You Die with Gary Numan on vocals …

Somewhat Damaged
The Beginning Of The End
The Collector
Discipline
March Of The Pigs
Something I Can Never Have
The Frail
The Wretched
Terrible Lie
Ruiner
Head Down
Burn
Gave Up
La Mer
Non-Entity
Gone, Still
The Big Come Down
The Way Out Is Through
Wish
Survivalism
Down In It
Metal (Gary Numan) (With Gary Numan)
I Die: You Die (Gary Numan) (With Gary Numan)
Physical (You’re So) (Adam Ant)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like A Hole

Dead Souls (Joy Division)
Hurt

As amazing as last night’s intimate show was, I’m very glad that it was not the site of the last NIN show ever. The place is small, yes, but it offers terrible sightlines for most of the people in the venue. I was standing next to the soundboard, maybe 20 feet from the stage and I really couldn’t see much of TR, Robin Finck, Justin Meldal-Johnsen or Ilan Rubin. I’m really looking forward to seeing NIN in the other two upcoming venues (The Henry Fonda Theater on Tuesday, The Wiltern on Thursday) to enjoy a better view of the final two performances.

Here is video that I shot of NIN performing with Gary Numan on his 1980 single I Die: You Die:

In 1988, a twenty-three-year-old Cleveland resident named Trent Reznor decided to record several demos of his songs. He’d been playing in local bands since 1984, and had learned a fair amount about recording at a local studio named Right Track, where he’d started as a janitor and eventually become an engineer. Reznor was hoping to be signed to the independent Chicago label Wax Trax and to put out records alongside the aggressive electronic-music bands he admired, like Front 242 and Ministry. Instead, Reznor’s demos became the bulk of an album called “Pretty Hate Machine,” which was released on the TVT label under the band name Nine Inch Nails and went on to sell more than three million copies. Over the past twenty years, Reznor has produced seven Nine Inch Nails albums, and has written, played, and engineered almost all of the music himself. (Additional drummers have appeared on some of the albums, along with a smattering of guest instrumentalists and singers) … Nine Inch Nails and bands in their loose cohort have not traditionally been given much room on the radio; aside from a few hits on MTV, this is music that for the past two decades has lived in the headphones of angry teens. The typical Reznor topics are loathing and self-loathing. “Meet Your Master,” from “Year Zero” (2007), sounds like the cry of a downtrodden nation, or, at least, a downtrodden high-school basketball team: “You’ll do as you’re told, used to be the leader, now comes the time to serve. Maybe we’ll show some mercy, maybe you’ll get what you deserve.” It’s a direct echo of lines from a song on “Pretty Hate Machine”: “Head like a hole, black as your soul, I’d rather die than give you control. Bow down before the one you serve, you’re going to get what you deserve.” Reznor doesn’t have a particularly grim backstory—he grew up with his grandparents, liked to pole fish with his grandfather, took piano lessons, and played Judas Iscariot in his high school’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar”—but he has written some very durable “Fuck you, Man!” songs … Reznor is completing a brief tour, which he has dubbed the “Wave Goodbye” tour; he claims that these will be the last Nine Inch Nails live shows for a long time. Sick of “repeating the same day over and over again,” he will concentrate on writing music and on developing a futuristic TV series based on “Year Zero.” Because his songs rely so heavily on looped samples and relentless, machine-made rhythms, Reznor has had to find musicians skillful enough to play along with lockstep noise. For this tour, he has assembled his strongest lineup yet. His current drummer, twenty-one-year-old Ilan Rubin, auditioned for Reznor last year by sending video clips of himself performing Nine Inch Nails songs. At Terminal 5, all I could see of Rubin was a mane of curly brown hair and long arms whipping through the air. (Reznor told the crowd, “I haven’t been able to find a set list yet that can kill him.”) The bassist, Justin Meldal-Johnson, switches easily between various electric and acoustic basses, and also plays keyboards and guitar with the more reserved stage presence of someone raised on indie rock. Robin Finck, who played guitar in one incarnation of Guns N’ Roses, reproduces some of the dozens of harsh guitar tones Reznor has written over the years, and is not averse to swinging his guitar on its strap like a pendulum and skipping across the stage when Reznor isn’t using it. Reznor spends most of each show planted at the front of the stage with his legs in a runner’s stance, gripping the microphone stand with both hands, now and then pogoing with the crowd. He takes phenomenal care in creating his myriad sonic hues, and presents them onstage without pauses or missteps. He’s not big on improvisation—a Nine Inch Nails performance has the smooth continuity of a Broadway show or a well-executed airlift. When the band played “March of the Pigs,” the guitars and screams and strobe lights all fired at the same moment: “Step right up! March! Push! Crawl right up on your knees!” Songs like “March of the Pigs” typify Reznor’s particular talents: lyrics and beats that are simple enough to encourage a visceral response, set against a structured noise that is strange enough to keep things from becoming too predictable.

This superbly written piece can be read in full HERE and I urge all NIN fans, whether they are familiar with The New Yorker or not, to check out this piece. While many feel that Trent Reznor and NIN speak to the disenfranchised and angry, I think it’s important to clarify that that aggressive clarity comes from a place of intelligence … which The New Yorker highlights adeptly. It’s a great read and I am so happy that The New Yorker decided to review the Terminal 5 show and enlighten on NIN as a whole. Having my favorite magazine publish a favorable article on my favorite band is quite a treat!!

[Source]

This afternoon, I’m having all of my hair cut off … I tried to grow it out but I just can’t do it. It’s been driving me crazy for weeks now so I’ve decided to cut it all off.

I’m happy to pass along that Trent Reznor has messaged fans on Twitter that he is “still alive” and will be updating show info soon (click HERE to read the latest message posted to the official Nine Inch Nails Twitter profile) so it looks like the shows at The Wiltern and The EchoPlex on Saturday and Sunday (respectively) are still on. I’m not sure the status of my interview with TR considering his health issues but I’m gonna try and still make it happen if he’s game. Let the weekend commence!!

UPDATE: Trent Reznor just posted the rescheduled dates for the remaining Nine Inch Nails shows in LA:

9.4.09: NEW FAREWELL SCHEDULE
** The Wiltern show scheduled for Saturday Sept 5th is now happening on Thursday Sept 10th – this is now the final show **

Trent

Sounds good to me … TR gets a couple extra days of rest and will bring the awesomeness on these new dates. Woot!!

Last night’s show was, IMHO, superior to the Webster Hall performance primarily because not only did we get TDS in full but we also got a guest performance by Gary Numan, who TR brought on stage for a couple of songs. After the jump, check out a few of my photos from last night’s show, see the full setlist, watch video of some of the songs performed last night (including A Warm Place, which was performed live for only the second time ever) and find out which celeb were in the hiz to see NIN perform at the Hollywood Palladium last night …

I wasn’t entirely sure that NIN was going to perform The Downward Spiral in full again but by the time they got to March of the Pigs, I was certain that history was repeating itself. Here are a few of my photos and the full setlist:

The Downward Spiral

1,000,000
Terrible Lie
Lights in the Sky
Burn
Gave Up
Suck
Metal (Gary Numan) (with Gary Numan)
Cars (Gary Numan) (with Gary Numan)
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole

As an extra added treat, we were given limited edition NIN buttons with our tickets to commemorate last night’s show at the Hollywood Palladium:

Yes, pretty much everything was PERFECT about last night’s concert … A show like this needed no encore so none was performed … midway thru the show, Trent Reznor confessed to the audience that he was not feeling well. It turns out that TR was more ill than he lead us to believe … shortly after last night’s performance was finished, it was announced on NIN.com that tonight’s performance at the Henry Fonda Theater has been canceled due to doctor’s orders. There is no word on the status of the last two NIN shows this weekend (at The Wiltern and The EchoPlex) but I do hope that TR is able to recuperate and feel better. I understand the show tonight is not being rescheduled and refunds will be given instead *may* be rescheduled (according to the marquee at the Henry Fonda Theater, the show will be rescheduled — see photo below). Still … last night’s performance was just … stellar. Here is some video I shot of some of my fave songs performed last night — first up …

The Becoming: