- July 8, 2006 - Shoreline Amphitheater - Mt. View, CA
- The psychotronic madness that is Nine Inch Nails - known singularly as resident creative genius, Trent Reznor - finished it’s successful tour at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mt. View, CA this evening. What a show it was. Trent, who is the main name in dark, emotional music, paired up on a bill with Bauhaus - arguably the originators of goth rock. This was a show not to be missed. It was unfortunate that so many of the newer fans of the darker genres actually did not seem to know who Bauhaus was, but they certainly got a good introduction to their roots. Bauhaus themselves are named after the German Bauhaus art movement in the early 1900s, while Peaches (born Merrill Beth Nisker) is a Canadian electroclash musician who lives in Berlin, Germany.
- Peaches -
Opening the show was Peaches. Born in Canada as Merrill Beth Nisker, and now living in Berlin, Germany, Peaches is an anomaly. She is not the most attractive nor fit woman (not that she’s necessarily unattractive or badly out of shape), but she is out to make a point that a woman can defuse the sexual energies usually reserved for men. She wants to show, through her performances, that a mid-30s woman who is not tall, slender, and hot can be a sexual dynamo. Well, that might be true, but it somehow just doesn’t come off right with Peaches. To begin with, she really doesn’t sing well at all. Her stage performance, although attempting to be audience interactive, isn’t captivating, nor all that interesting. Appearing in short shorts, and finishing in a bra and panties (boy short panties), she comes off more as a horny housewife looking for an escape from a boring life. The last thing she conveys is a motivation for women to be empowered. Somewhere along the line she forgot about the word “self-respect.” Women aren’t looking to be strong by shoving their crotches - through thickened thighs - into the faces of men. They would rather be respected. As it was, there was no lust to be had for Peaches in the least. Her music is forgettable at best. What is sad is that she gave some interesting twists to her versions of Electric Six songs on that band’s website, but that excitement was not to be heard this evening. Mounting speakers, while assisted, and running through the audience in the stands - while screaming “touch my tits like you wanted to” - just didn’t sum up a show that anyone wanted to see. This became obvious by the lackluster reception that she got. Thankfully, the show was over before too long, ending with a mediocre version of “Rock Show,” another song done by Electric Six. Perhaps she should stick to just doing one-off covers of that band.
- Bauhaus -
Up next were the godfathers of Goth. Bauhaus hit the stage, with all original members in tow, including the seminal Peter Murphy. Peter could be the original vampire with his pomp and posture, along with the dark, thick sideburns and piercing eyes. If anything was obvious from the start, it was his ego. But, he deserves it. This is the band that defined all that is dark when punk rock failed to hold its first roots in the late 1970s. It was a bit unnerving and odd to hear how many people in attendance had no idea who Bauhaus were, although a few had heard of the spin-off band, Love & Rockets (which formed upon the first leaving of singer Murphy). As it is, Trent Reznor has often claimed that Bauhaus had been one of his primary musical influences.
The band arrived onstage to an anticipatory crowd, hoping to hear something interesting. Murphy came onstage wearing an animal print hat, and black suit, while guitarist Daniel Ash appeared in a more avant-80s white fur vest bottomed off with black lifter boots, still furnishing longish black hair. The two brothers, bassist David J, and drummer Kevin Haskins, were clean-cut but ready to rock. And that they did. As it was an open-air amphitheater, and was still before 8 pm, the sky was not dark, which offset any lighting arrangement onstage. The smoke machine wafted throughout the set without issue though. I never realized before that what those machines spew forth smells, and not nicely. Murphy, in his grandeur, motioned and beckoned to the audience as he smiled with a subtle British cockiness, that was perhaps a bit smug, but fun none the less. For what this band has offered to music in general, it all seemed a bit amusing, but fitting. Murphy definitely has a dry, almost banal humoristic approach to his live performance - best to be put simply as very British.
I had wanted to see this band perform live for many years, so it was an exciting opportunity. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and although it was a bit different than what I may have been expecting, I definitely walked away satisfied. The sound of the band was booming, but almost a bit more metal than I expected, even with Ash’s effects-laden guitar, layering notes upon notes. The bass and drums were steady throughout. I personally did not know enough of their material to convene a set-list mention, but can say that every tune hit its mark. By the third song, Murphy had doffed a few items of clothing, namely the hat, coat, and ascot (at least he has his fashion sense). Although this may begin to sound a bit like more of a fashion show mention, it’s important to note that style was as much of importance as musical sound and boundaries during the formation of Goth. Thus, the image was all-important. In this case, the late 1970s to early 1980s were being brought up to date with Bauhaus’ performance, short of the strobe-lights that used to put the band in a vision of a 1920s projected film. Bauhaus’ music has withstood the test of time, as the band seemed to wow the crowd with song after song. And by the end of the set, the teachers were ready to give the stage over to the students - being NIN - who were by now quite ample at their own devices. During the set Murphy announced that this was the final show of the tour, and gave proper thanks to NIN for a wonderful, if “exhausting” tour.
Another little known fact to add (for those not in the know) - When singer Peter Murphy left Bauhaus, the remainding three members formed Love & Rockets, who went on to marginal success. Two of the members also formed the short-lived Tones On Tail.
- Nine Inch Nails -
After a wait, it was time for the main course to perform “with teeth” (so to speak). Trent Reznor and his newest incarnation of Nine Inch Nails hit the stage with fury. Trent appeared truly energized and ready to roll. Trent Reznor was sporting a very closely cropped ‘do, and wearing an all-black outfit of vest, pants, and boots, gave the impression of a modern punk Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver.” I have never seen NIN, but always wanted to. I have heard only great things about this band, and after the show I believe every comment I have heard. NIN is truly one amazing live band. They did not disappoint for one moment. The fire and fury that this band brings to the stage is unequaled. Trent comes off as a possessed madman - angered, hurt, vengeful, sensitive, and... at certain points of the show, very heartfelt. After the third song, “Terrible Lies,” the band launched into “March Of The Pigs,” with the line “Doesn’t it make you feel better.” At the end, Trent quietly addressed the crowd with “Welcome to the last night of our tour. You know what to do. Now, if you please...” and the fans went wild as NIN went into “Something I Can Never Have.” All very fitting.
It has to be said that the sound was great, especially for an amphitheater with fluctuating hot days and cool nights bringing on breezes. The low ends carried through, and everything else was crisp and clean. This was one well put together performance. Also, the stage setting was placed close to the edge, without utilizing much of the back staging area. This gave the impression that everyone at the show was attending a private party at NIN’s rehearsal studio or something of that sort. Very intimate.
Just before “Closer,” a cage-like rigging came down in front of the stage which contained thousands of small multicolored lights (which would be noticed soon). While the panels in the back showed either solid colors, or liquid-like graphics, the rigging in front mimicked what a graphics format backdrop would have projected upon it, only it was done with the lights. At this point, many Matrix-like red dots were dropping down into a central area, eventually filling it up. At a later time, the whole stage seemed to bloom with blue plant like tentacles - all done with tiny light bulbs, while the backdrop would create a complimentary addition to it. The end result was a 3-D projection show effect - as they would all interact.
The band played through with many hits (including “Suck” which apparently was missed during several other performances), several newer numbers, and one or two brand new songs that do not appear on any releases - as in the song “Not So Pretty Now.” It appeared as though NIN ended the show only to come back for a seemingly five encore songs, the first of which was “Hurt,” an emotional song made famous again in recent years by the late Johnny Cash (who reworked the song slightly). Trent came out to play piano and sing solo, as the audience sang along thunderously. After this, Bauhaus’ singer Peter Murphy came out to join Trent and the rest of Nine Inch Nails. They launched into a classic Joy Division song, “Dead Souls” - which was made infamous again in the mid-1990s on the film “The Crow” soundtrack (reworked by Nine Inch Nails on that release). Joy Division arguably shares the notoriety of being the forefathers of goth rock along with Bauhaus, so it was all very fitting. Following that song, NIN and Murphy performed a classic Pere Ubu song, “Final Solution” - which had been a single released by Murphy from his first solo release “Should The World Fail To Fall Apart.” (Contrary to other noted NIN performance reviews, it should be reiterated that “Final Solution” is NOT a Bauhaus song at all, but was in fact a Peter Murphy solo project release as a cover of the Pere Ubu song, as just mentioned.) During “Final Solution,” Murphy began a bit of an impromptu chant of “Bow down before the one you serve / You’re going to get what you deserve,” from a song that would be the closer a few minutes later. Murphy then thanked Trent and walked off as NIN continued with “The Hand That Feeds” off of the new release “With Teeth,” finally closing the show with “Head Like A Hole,” in a most fierce manner.
At a point about two-thirds of the way into the show, Trent stopped to express a genuinely heartfelt thanks to the audience for being so supportive. It’s nice to hear artists be sincere when thanking their fans, but maybe more surprising to hear it from someone associated with lyrics and aural soundscape as dark as Trent’s. He half-joked with a comment of “I’d like to thank especially God, my family, my teachers... wait, I have a list...” as he faux-searched for a note of names. But he did thank all those who attended, and everyone else who had been involved in the Nine Inch Nails escapade so far - and he meant it. A nice touch that really sealed the show.
Again, as I mentioned in the beginning, this was one of those shows I had always heard not to miss. After waiting for several years now, I’m glad that this was the show I did see, as it will stay in the memory for some time to come.
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