We arrived at the venue about 40 minutes early. Much to my dismay, the overwhelming majority of the crowd seemed to get their fashion sense from Marylin Manson. I like maybe 2 Manson songs but I never really got that whole "ripped fish net and colored contact lenses" look. We got in line to get the obligatory concert t-shirts until I noticed the cost $28.00 for a basic short sleeve shirt. As much as I like A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails I am not willing to pay 28 bux for a t-shirt. With that out of the way we went and stood in line to get some beer. It wasn't until we reached the front of the line that I saw the 'Sorry, there will be no alcohol sales for this event" sign. My evening is not starting off good here.
Finally we made it down to our seats which really weren't too bad at all, about 10 rows up from the pit area. Okay things are looking better now. A Perfect Circle opened the show with a 45 minute set. For those unfamiliar with APC, they are a new side project led by Maynard James Keenan from Tool. Although I really like their debut CD, I was a little disappointed with the show. First off, I have seen Tool before and they put on an incredible show. The last time I saw Tool they had a huge screen behind the band flashing bizarre images which really suited the music. Maynard wore a bra with falsies, hot pants, a big blonde wig, and lipstick all over his face. APC's show was very subdued in comparison. And to top it off the sound was horrible. Whoever was responsible for setting up their sound must be deaf. The vocals were very distorted and the overall feel of the music was lost. No better way to ruin a concert.
After a 45 minute intermission Nine Inch Nails took the stage and opened with Pinion / Wish. I was expecting Trent Reznor to be a little more mellowed out as his new music isn't quite as "edgy" as the older stuff but to my surprise he wasn't at all. NiN put on an incredible 90 minute set that was full of energy. They had 3 huge video screens that dropped down behind the band at various intervals and flashed weird imagery. By my count Trent Reznor threw at least 4 guitars across the stage and knocked one of the other guitarists off the stage once.
One thing that really impressed me is the fact that they played a really good mix of older songs and newer songs. I have been a NiN fan for years and prefer the older music to the latest CD. I hate when bands tour to support a new album and will only play music from the new record. To top the night off, they closed with Hurt which is probably one of my favorite NiN songs ever.
And to that stupid bitch with the red tank top and glasses that was sitting in front of us, your screams sounded like a cat being strangled in a blender. I hope you get herpes.
*note*
Thanks to twistah@datasurge.net for letting me know that Maynard has said due to the success of APC, Tool will now be a side project. That is sort of disappointing to me but oh well....
Comments to punkis[at]attrition.org
More Info on A Perfect Circle
Official APC Homepage
Albums
2000 Mer De Noms [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
2000 Mer De Noms [Edited]
Imports
2000 Judith [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
More Info on Nine Inch Nails
Tons of Nine Inch Nails Links and stuff
Albums
1999 The Fragile [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
1994 The Downward Spiral [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
1992 Broken [EP]
1989 Pretty Hate Machine
Singles
2000 Radiant Decay: A Tribute To Nine Inch Nails
1999 The Day The World Went Away [CD-SINGLE]
1997 The Perfect Drug [CD-SINGLE]
1995 Further Down The Spiral [EP] [CD-SINGLE]
1994 March Of The Pigs [Maxi Single] [CD-SINGLE]
1991 Sin [CD-SINGLE]
1990 Head Like A Hole [CD-SINGLE]
1998 Down In It [CD-SINGLE]
Imports
Into the Void [IMPORT] [EXTRA TRACKS]
Fixed [EP] [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
Closer Pt.1 [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
Damaged [BOX SET] [IMPORT]
We're in This Together #3 [IMPORT]
We're in This Together Pt.1 [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
Further Down The Spiral [IMPORT]
Into the Void/We're in This Together [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
We're in This Together Pt.1 [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
We're in This Together Pt.2 [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
We're in This Together Pt.3 [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
Head Like a Hole (Opal Mix) [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
March of the Pigs [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
March of the Pigs [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
The Downward Spiral (Japan) [+Bonus Track] [IMPORT]
Head Like a Hole (Opal Mix) [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
Sin [IMPORT]
Uncovered Interview [IMPORT]
We're in This Together [CD-SINGLE] [IMPORT]
Maximum [IMPORT]
X-Posed-Interview [IMPORT]