The NIN concert in Boston rocked -- at least, as much as the Garden allowed...

[tenguzero]

I really enjoyed myself at the show, but I've got to say, I don't think I'll ever go to another show at the TD/Banknorth/Fleet Center/whatever-the-hell-you-want-to-call-it Garden. I think it's safe to say they pretty much castrated the audience, and Reznor noted it within the first couple songs: the seats on the floor. As Trent put it: "I'm sorry, I apologize for the fucking seating on the floor. I guess I should have looked at the contract harder before I signed it!"

What kind of venue puts seats down on the floor at a goddamn Nine Inch Nails show!? As a consequence, the audience was noticeably more tranquil than they should have been. But then again, how can you jump around, mosh, or dance when you keep cracking your knees on the seat in front of you? The crowd tried to give energy, but it sort of fell real short. We didn't get an encore, either. There was security all over the damn place, and you couldn't go ten feet without some "Venue Staff" member all up in your grille trying to "help" you find your seat -- even if you were sitting in the very front on the floor. Yeah, that's right, the seats went all the way up to the foot of the stage.

Thank you for choosing the TD/Banknorth Garden. We're glad you gave us $60 of your hard earned money -- plus however much we want to rip you off for concessions -- now please, bend over for our search procedure, no dancing around, moshing, or otherwise getting "rowdy", and be prepared for our house lights to come back up, and advertisement marquee start scrolling, before the band is even fully off stage.

Again, Reznor was awesome, and his visual effects were wicked cool, but I really feel the venue reined in the event way too much, and I can't help but wonder how many of the people there were actually really into NIN (I sensed a noticeable lack of enthusiasm for Dead Souls -- like a bunch of these people didn't know what the hell The Crow was.) How can you expect an artist to perform an amazing show, when all of the blood, sweat, and energy he pours into the thing just comes back from the audience in a trickle? It's sad when the only real physical release by audience members happens after the show ended, when one of the band members threw a keyboard into the first row. Man, I wish this were ten or fifteen years ago -- before gay "anti-terrorism" policies, the ability to spend your concert time Instant Messaging people on your Motorola RAZR, and when the rock scene actually had some talented friggin' nuts. Our society has bred a generation of music tools

Great show, shitty environment.

[goat_launcher]

Oh my god - what a fucking buzzkill! But I still hate your guts cuz your ass got to see NIN this year, so stop your bitching! (j/k)

In most venues like that, the main floor seats are removable for storage somewhere else in the building - I guess the guy who designed that venue was either a retard or liked Yanni - (that's redundant)

BTW, did Trent do "No You DOnt" from The Fragile? I love that song.

Karl

[vinnym86]

NIN is pure energy. I went to a 2000 show in Madison Square Garden here in The City. Trent was joined by Manson mid-song of StarF***ers Inc. and then played Beautiful People.
That totally sux, for NIN, too. The crowd is usually the artist's energy, too. prob why they didn't do an encore.

[BP2K2Max]

wow, at least you got to see NIN, i'm jealous. did they play any good songs?

[tenguzero]

http://www.echoingthesound.org/phpbb...b4c9a748a5bd70

Others described it better than I did. But the show itself was indeed awesome. There was some classic stuff done (Hurt, Head Like a Hole, Terrible Lie, Closer, even some stuff off Broken) a couple selections REALLY kicked ass -- for instance, Trent dropped Starfuckers from the lineup and instead went with Dead Souls, which was incredible live. The visuals were indeed awesome, utilizing both an LED background and the translucent projection screen -- complete with ants fighting, animals decaying, hungry monkeys chasing (and catching) birds in mid flight, and all sorts of war and devastation juxtaposed against quaint images of classic Americana, happy people dancing at a fancy ball, and Bush and his wife dancing (which didn't fail to provoke a thorough chorus of boos and middle fingers from just about all of us.)

As far as Trent's comments about the seating, he said some stuff to the tune of "I'm sorry, and I just want to say that this is a historic event tonight -- it's the last time I'll ever play in a fucking arena that has seats on the floor!" followed by some muttering on his part and a bunch of cursing and hollering from the audience. I've read that the TD Banknorth Garden was supposedly the only venue on the tour that did this.

At any rate, I'd still pay another $60 to see it again, in a heartbeat -- even if I had to put up with the Garden's bullshit. It's hard to describe just how much ass this show kicked -- I really think I've been spoiled for any other show now (at least a show that isn't NIN.)

Talk about a musical high. I wish I could turn the clock back to Tuesday evening at 9:30pm. I really do.

[tenguzero]

Oh yeah, the set list (so you can see how much awesomness we had to contend with)

Pinion
Love is not enough
You know what you are
Terrible Lie
The Line Begins to blur
March of the Pigs
Something I can never have
The Wretched
Closer
March of the pigs
Gave up
Eraser
Right where it belongs
Beside you in time.
The Collector
Wish
Only
Even Deeper
Dead Souls
Suck
Hurt
The hand that feeds
Head like a hole

[Steel]

the gahhhden sucks. IT was still the fleet center when i went to see metallica/godsmack last year, and yes... there were seats on the floor. But you know the crowd did their best to kick sully and jaymz and the boys' asses as hard as they were kickin ours.

But yeah, down with the gahden. fucking lame. Now foxboro staduim is another story. Gi-normous, and no retarded seats.

[BleedDodge]

They played in Winnipeg on November 14th, with seats on the floor of the MTS Centre.