Weekend Highlights: NIN/JA edition

This weekend did not let us breathe for one minute, but where that would usually kind of annoy me, this weekend was so sprinkled with awesome that I did not mind a bit! My weekend started a day early: I took Friday off to attend one of the biggest concert events of this summer: the NIN/JA tour.

Nine Inch Nails is one of my favorite bands. I would not label myself as a “super fan” or anything like that, but I absolutely adore everything Trent Reznor lays his hands on. He is someone I consider to be a creative genius. Not only that, but he also constantly keeps his fans in mind and has only increased his interaction with them by being ever present on Twitter and even creating an iPhone application specifically aimed at creating an environment where fans can interact with each other as well as with the band. Now who doesn’t love a band with that much love and dedication for their craft and those that admire it?

Unfortunately, I have never been able to see NIN live because something always came up or we could not afford it at the time. The most painful being when we had to get our tickets refunded due to Hurricane Wilma. That one really hurt. So I lived my life being a NIN-virgin, but I am proud to announce that I am no longer!

First off, this tour was instantly off-the-charts-amazing when Trent announced that there was a lax camera policy. This meant that anyone could bring their SLR’s as well as video equipment to document the entire experience. Do you see why I love this man? I packed up my father-in-law’s Canon XTI as well as our Flip HD camcorder and was on my way! I had the pleasure of attending with 3 of my closest friends (& “super fan” level NIN lovers). We drove up to West Palm Beach together and decided that we needed to celebrate this occasion with a trip to Sonic (we don’t have any in South Florida). Afterwards, we headed to the venue and began our tailgating experience…and it was an experience. Let’s just say that NIN and Jane’s fans are an interesting lot. I’ll leave it at that.

Then it was time for the show! Street Sweeper Social Club, Tom Morello’s newest project, opened the event and I was really impressed. I thought they sounded great. Their album will be released in June so definitely look out for that one. Their set was short, but seemed to really get everyone pumped. Before we knew it, their equipment had been broken down, packed up and we were waiting in anticipation for NIN to take the stage. And did they ever!

Nine Inch Nails definitely did not disappoint. They were a-ma-zing. I could not believe how close they sounded to the record and how much more powerful and raw Trent was live. It was just an experience. They chose to go with newer material for the majority of their set, but did do some crowd-pleasing oldies such as March of the Pigs and Head Like a Hole. I especially loved the inclusion of I’m Afraid of Americans – definitely didn’t expect that one, but it was a pleasant surprise for sure! Although I believe they played for almost an hour & a half, it felt like it was over in an instant and unfortunately, we didn’t receive an encore. Why? Well, apparently the venue pulled the plug on the PA system a little premature causing Trent to have an all-out hissy fit. I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say that that guy doesn’t have a job right now. Did I mention that our encore was Hurt? Ouch.

Either way, it was a great set that had me screaming, dancing like an idiot and grinning like a 12 year old. I was very happy with what I saw and very sad that this will most likely be my last time ever seeing NIN (as we know them) live again. Shortly after NIN left the stage, my friend sent me a text letting me know that everyone sitting around her had left and she wanted to try to get us in to join her in the 7th row! How do you deny that? Thankfully, our little plan worked and we were in like Flynn! We were able to enjoy Jane’s Addiction’s entire set from the 7th row, which was so much fun! Jane’s was, of course, full of a ridiculous amount of energy that was beyond contagious. The crowd was out of hand! It was during that set that all my friends (excluding me) caught a glimpse of Mr. Reznor himself watching from the sidelines. Why am I so oblivious!

Overall, the show was amazing, but you really couldn’t expect any less from these two super-groups. They really put on a show and did not  hold back in any way. So if this tour is passing by your neck of the woods, I would definitely try to attend! For all my pictures from the show, click here.