I was three years old when Trent Reznor, the mastermind behind the industrial metal band Nine Inch Nails, released his first CD “Pretty Hate Machine”. Indeed I was a young lass, and probably didn’t know much about music besides what was on Sesame Street, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t grown to admire the brilliance of this band. November 16th, 2005 was my chance to see them live.

The trek to Rexall Place in Edmonton was a hectic one. After a late departure due to some slow guys at the tire shop and a wrong turn or two on the way to the venue, we ended up missing the first opening band, Death From Above 1979. We got there just as they ended their set. I wasn’t too disappointed; I heard they weren’t much of an onstage band being that there are only two members to the group.

We made our way to our seats just in time to inhale a large amount of secondhand pot. Shortly after, the second opening band, Queens of the Stone Age, hit the stage. I was not impressed with them at all. It was as if the band was too stoned to do anything exciting. They were onstage, playing their songs like the same old routine. No excitement, no energy, nothing to keep me satisfyingly entertained. The only thing mildly amusing was when the lead singer, Josh Homme began insulting two male crowd members who were being rowdy and dissing the band. I must say, Josh is pretty good with the insults and comebacks. Otherwise, I felt that the time was off on some of his songs. Overall, not the greatest band I’ve seen live. We could have taken a few more wrong turns and missed that entire set for I cared.

I was only there for the only band that matters, and that’s Nine Inch Nails. The excitement leading up to their performance was almost unbearable. A mysterious white screen surrounded the stage, sheltering us from the going on’s happening within and creating a somber atmosphere. The mood continued as the show began. The band appeared on stage, remaining hidden behind the ominous white sheet, starting the show off with a little mystery. During the opening song ‘Love is Not Enough’ from their latest album, “With Teeth”, all you could see were ghostly silhouettes of Trent Reznor and his band. The band was revealed during the end of the opening song when the curtain was lifted and there before me stood the mighty prince of darkness himself, Trent Reznor. After another newer song, they dipped into the archives and treated us with some older material. They went all the way to their first release, “Pretty Hate Machine” to play ‘Terrible Lie’. The show was absolutely spectacular! The lighting effects used on stage were not only amazing, but mesmerizing as well. Not to mention the shear talent that Trent produces. His essence is identical to the feeling you get listening to his albums, dark, gloomy, mysterious, brooding. I was astonished at the fact that the music produced on stage was as flawless as on disk. Just one indication that this band isn’t some put together metal band that is all over the charts today.

Another indication, it’s not at every rock show that you hear a stadium full of people yelling, ‘I want to fuck you like an animal’. It was during this song, “Closer”, that you knew that Nails isn’t your ordinary band, and that Nails fans aren’t your ordinary concert goers. They rock out harder, they yell louder and they aren’t afraid to yell profanities at the top of their lungs.

A third indication? The onstage lineup. On bass was Jeorgie White, known to some as Twiggy Ramirez, formerly from Marilyn Manson and A Perfect Circle. It was a surprise to hear ‘Burn’ which was featured in the movie Natural Born Killers, released in 1994. They also graced us with the cover of Joy Division’s ‘Dead Souls’ which was featured on The Crow movie soundtrack in 1994. This song was also featured on the Japanese release of “The Downward Spiral”, released that same year.

Midway through the show, the curtain was drawn down and a video of various images of oil wells, money, as well as insects and gross anomalies were projected on it as the band played ‘Eraser’ from “The Downward Spiral”. The images then faded into images portraying evolution while Trent crooned to ‘Right Where It Belongs’, the ending and my personal favorite song from his latest disc. There was a shocking clip of a baboon chasing a flock of birds. It ended up catching the bird (who knew baboons caught birds?) and snapped its neck. It made for some very interesting Discover Channel-worthy footage and a unique onstage effect.

Abruptly following Trent’s praise to Canada, the show was put on hold for a few minutes. It seems that the crowd at the front had broken the barrier and they needed to take a time out to fix it. The crowd was not happy with that idea and erupted into malcontent stomps and roars. After 10 impatient minutes, the show went on.

Nearing the end of the night, the lights dimmed onstage and Trent sang, “I hurt myself today.” And so appeared the mass of flickering lighters amongst the stadium, glowing like tiny stars in the black of night. As Trent sang on and the lighters burned out, the blue light above the stage gradually grew brighter. It was at the climax of the song where the electrifying, bright, white lights flashed violently and the crowd erupted into a fury of applause. The energy at that point and time was so soaring through the roof. In all my days I have never heard a crowd so loud!

Making it tough to follow such an amazing song, the band went on to play a popular single from their new album, ‘Hand That Feeds’. This was a good addition for the new and possibly much younger fans that jumped on the Nine Inch Nail bandwagon after their latest release.

Evident that the crowd is now as hyped up as ever, the band pulls out Starfuckers Inc. from 1999’s “The Fragile”. The whole crowd was on their feet shouting along with the lyrics, with the bright white lights flashing like an epileptic mindfuck. It was honestly not like anything I have ever witnessed at a show before. To end the whole finale was ‘Head Like a Hole’, which was originally released in 1989 on “Pretty Hate Machine”, and then again as a single in 1990. It was a surprise to hear ‘Starfuckers’ and ‘Head Like a Hole’, since ‘Hurt’ is usually the last song played. But had they not have done ‘Head Like a Hole’, there would have been a lot of disappointed fans. It was a high energy song and an amazing end to an amazing concert.

Seeing this epic band play live songs dating back from the times when I was in diapers was pretty much a surreal experience. Not only has Nine Inch Nails created an unmistakable sound, they have evolved the industrial genre into something no one will ever be able to recreate. Their live shows are every bit as elusive as their records, showcasing the pure, raw talent that evolves from the darkness of Sir Reznors mind. Dominating the dark side of music, Trent Reznor continues to take over the world, one song at a time. In the rare occasion that Nails passes through your city, don’t pass down the opportunity to see them play. You will honestly be blown away.