Nine Inch Nails at Arco Arena

In case you haven't be following the intriguing "Lights In The Sky Tour" saga, Nine Inch Nails was supposed to film one of their shows with director James Cameron in 3D for a Blu-ray release. Unfortunately, this fell through and Nine Inch Nails encouraged fans to bring their cameras and camcorders to the shows to document the tour. Sacramento was the last stop on the tour where cameras and camcorders were encouraged. I couldn't pass up this golden opportunity.

Nine Inch Nails


Josh Freese (Drums) will be sorely missed in the new formulation of Nine Inch Nails. It was announced earlier that Josh would be focusing on his studio work as the demands of the road were taking away from his family life. Josh's pounding drums on the opening of "1,000,000" is a fiery way to start a show with the synchronized lights flickering in the background.



"March Of The Pigs" is one of my favorite tracks from Downward Spiral and I never tire of hearing the song live with its blistering guitars and fat bass keyboards. The transition to "Head Down" keeps up the quick pace of the show and the energy levels remain high. I unfortunately missed the shot of Trent Reznor throwing his Novation keyboard at the ending of "Head Down"



The deadly combination of "The Frail" to the "The Wretched" is a favorite amongst Nine Inch Nails fans as it appeases fans from the Fragility tour era. I was surprised by the new visuals from "Closer" as Trent had a camera that digitized his face on the large screen behind him which was reminiscent of the "Only" video. It is amazing that Nine Inch Nails continually tweaks and refines elements of this tour making no two shows alike. This is rarely seen in such a large scale production tour and should be commended.



A large LCD screen dropped for the mini-electronic set featuring "The Warning" and "Vessel". The screen would simulate an explosion with every beat from "The Warning" for a striking visual element. Trent would use a hand-held microphone to distort his voice for a glitchy version "Vessel".



The Ghosts section of the set is breathtaking and strategically gives the band some time to recoup the amount of energy they will need to finish the marathon of their set. "The Greater Good" features another digitization of Trent as he appears at the end of large LCD screen. One of the other adjustments during the tour was the removal of the swinging lights between the LCD screens for "The Big Come Down". The lights are now projected on the three screens and swing back and forth for a similar effect.



The red NIN logo at the ending of "Head Like A Hole" comes way too quick and signaled the close of the regular concert. I was hoping to hear "Meet Your Master" but "The Good Soldier" was a fine substitute with streaks of lights blasting behind the band. The unsubtle image of a gun combined with a cross during "God Given" blends very well with the politically charged lyrics of the song.



Closing the show with "In This Twilight" perfectly ties up the show as a lone spotlight is shone on each member gives the audience a chance to show some appreciation for an awe inspiring performance. It isn't difficult for me to declare this tour the best of 2008.

Nine Inch Nails Setlist at Arco Arena (12/12/2008)
"999,999"
"1,000,000"
"Letting You"
"Discipline"
"March Of The Pigs"
"Head Down"
"The Frail"
"The Wretched"
"Closer"
"Gave Up"
"The Warning"
"Vessel"
"Ghosts 21"
"Ghosts 28"
"Ghosts 19"
"Ghosts Piggy"
"The Greater Good"
"Wish"
"Terrible Lie"
"Survivalism"
"The Big Come Down"
"Ghosts 31"
"Only"
"The Hand That Feeds"
"Head Like A Hole"
Encore:
"Echoplex"
"The Good Soldier"
"God Given"
"Hurt"
"In This Twilight"

Ticket Giveaway: Darker My Love at the Echoplex

Darker My Love is dropping by the Echoplex with the band formerly known as the Muslims now renamed as The Soft Pack. Darker My Love's new album 2 should end on many best of lists as their album is all killer with no filler.

Email me at amateurchemist(at)yahoo.com to be entered in a raffle for a pair of tickets to see Darker My Love this Friday December 19th. Contest Closed. Thanks to all who entered.

Bloc Party at the Grove of Anaheim

Check out my review of Bloc Party over at OC Weekly.

KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Night 2 at the Gibson Amphitheatre

It was the hottest ticket in town. KROQ constructed an alternative rock fan's wish list on night number two of their annual Almost Acoustic Christmas show.

The Cure




The mood turned as The Cure wrapped up the evening with a marathon set for a radio station run show. After five hours of solid music, The Cure still managed to get people out of their seats as they played a career spanning set. "The Perfect Boy" from their new album 4:13 Dream easily blended in with such staples as "Pictures of You", "Lullaby", "Friday, I'm In Love" and "Just Like Heaven". The Cure even came back for an encore filled with classics like "Boy's Don't Cry" and "Jumping Someone Else's Train".

The Killers




The Killers easily had the best set of the evening. From the opening showering guitar notes of "Human" to the final synthesizer swell of "Mr. Brightside". Vocalist Brandon Flowers was in top form gesticulating his vocals across the stage as they ripped through "Somebody Told Me". "Read My Mind" was as glitzy as the Las Vegas illuminated letter "K" in front of Brandon's keyboards.

Death Cab For Cutie

Death Cab For Cutie followed with a tight set, as vocalist Ben Gibbard was a lean mean fighting machine with his Obama stickered guitar. Death Cab played a shortened set but made the most of their time with "The New Year", "Long Division", "Soul Meets Body" and "Cath". I was surprised they played the eight-minute "I Will Possess Your Heart" as that chewed up most of their time.


Kanye West



A slew of WTF? texts lit up my phone as the one and only Kanye West made a surprise appearance. This confirms in my mind, Kanye's bid to crossover into the alternative rock audience. A lot of the folks knew the songs and the audience reacted favorably after catching their collective breath. Kanye is quite the showman and seemed to revel in the fact that he could rock an audience that wasn't expecting him. "Stronger" with its incorporation of Daft Punk samples was the highlight of his set.


Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand rocked the house. This was the case back in 2004 when they were only upstaged by a blazing performance from Muse. Franz Ferdinand would get upstaged again later but they had everyone's attention in the building during their way too short set. "Bite Hard" from their forthcoming album Tonight:Franz Ferdinand lived up to its name with its rapid-fire dance fueled guitars and sinewy synthesizers. There was some ironic symbolism when they played "This Fire", as Franz Ferdinand figuratively burned the city of Los Angeles with their performance.

Scott Weiland

Scott Weiland managed to find time to put together another solo album in between his stint in Velvet Revolver and the reformation of Stone Temple Pilots. As much as I like Stone Temple Pilots, I can't say the same thing about his solo work. Scott Weiland's cover of The Smiths "Reel Around The Fountain" was unnervingly uncomfortable. "Paralysis" was another meandering tune that seemed out of place in the context of the evening. The good news is at least Scott isn't collaborating with Timbaland.

Snow Patrol


It was anthem time as Snow Patrol tried to crank out as many hits in their allotted time slot. The moody swell of a Moog Voyager synthesizer signaled "If There Is A Rocket Tie Me To It". Paul Wilson was rattling my teeth with his lefty Rickenbacker bass throughout the set. "Chasing Cars" was a highlight but I was surprised they didn't play "Run".

Vampire Weekend


Does KROQ even play Vampire Weekend? Opening a bill as big as this can be daunting but Vampire Weekend was up to the task by playing a brisk thirty -minute set including the bouncy "Oxford Comma" and the delightful "Mansard Roof". "A Punk" garnered the biggest reaction with early attendees dancing in the aisles.

Indie 103.1 Wreck The Halls at Club Nokia

It is that time of year again. Radio stations across the nation throw together holiday gatherings that serve to close out the year. Indie 103.1 had their annual Wreck The Halls show relocated from the Avalon to the swanky new Club Nokia to put together an eclectic line up that had a bit of something for everyone.

Black Kids






A can of opened Red Bull at the feet of Ali Youngblood (Keyboards/Vocals) symbolically represented the youthful vigor of Black Kids. Her brother, Reggie Youngblood (Vocals/Guitars) was clad in a vintage yellow Descendents t-shirt as the former Pitchfork darlings shook things up to kick off the show.

I don't own their debut album Partie Traumatic and was only familiar with a couple of songs but should mention I was surprised to see Bernard Butler of Suede produced it. The four on the floor disco beat of "Look At Me" had the kids dancing as Ali was playing her microKorg Keyboard alongside Dawn Watley (Keyboards/Vocals) who was tweaking the knobs on her Roland Juno-G.

The collegiate cheers of "Hit the Heartbrakes" were reminiscent of The Go! Team combined with a hefty dose of sugary synthesizers. "Hurricane Jane" was pure eighties nostalgia with wire like guitars and breathy female background vocals. The collective hipster community counted down for "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance" as I think they lifted the opening keyboard riff from The Cure. Black Kids made a lot of noise but will have to step it up for their second album before the Red Bull wears off.


Bloc Party








Intimacy is definitely a grower. Bloc Party continues to stretch out and explore new sounds on their third album rather than repeat their post-punk anthems on their gem of a debut album, Silent Alarm. I initially wasn't too keen on Intimacy but remembered how much I liked A Weekend In The City after repeated listens.

Launching with the electronically mangled guitars of "Trojan Horse", Kele Okereke (Vocals/Guitars) and Russell Lissack (Guitars) used their Fender Telecasters to lock together in a tension filled musical dialogue. "One Month Off" combined elements of frayed metallic guitars and solid drumming by Matt Tong (Drums). "Hunting For Witches" stirred up the crowd, as people were a bit more familiar with the older material.

Bloc Party really started to hit its stride during "Positive Tension". The seamless transition from "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)" to "Banquet" was genius as various hands in the air waved around. Kele would momentarily put down his guitar for the vocal effect heavy "Mercury" as Gordon Moakes (Bass) hunkered over his keyboard. It was difficult to see them end the set with "Like Eating Glass" as I hoped they would have played "Pioneers". I have one more opportunity as Bloc Party plays the Grove of Anaheim on Monday. I hear it is close to selling out.

The Pretenders






Who knew The Pretenders could rock so hard after all these years? Chrissie Hynde (Vocals/Guitars) looked and sounded marvelous. Break Up The Concrete is the new album from the Pretenders that closed the six year gap since their last album Loose Screw.

Chrissie never put down her trusty Fender Telecaster as provided the steamrolling bluesy chords of "Boots Of Chinese Plastic". The slide guitar shined during "Love's A Mystery" as tumbleweed could have rolled through the stage to help enhance the old western saloon vibe. "Back On The Chain Gang" had my colleague from LosAnjealous boast it was one of the top twenty-five pop songs of all time. I contested maybe in the top fifty?

"Don't Get Me Wrong" was another high point of their set as I still couldn't get over the fact that Chrissie sounded immaculate. The sparse characteristic guitars of "Brass In Pocket" were replicated masterfully as young and old members of the crowd couldn't help but dance along. "Break Up The Concrete" might be a thinly veiled statement that the Pretenders are changing the elements of their sound, but I surmise they won't compromise their musical foundation. The Pretenders will be back at the Grove of Anaheim on March 8th and the Wiltern on March 10th.

CSS





A considerable amount of older fans headed for the exits prior to the start of CSS. CSS has come a long way since I first caught them opening for Ladytron back in October of 2006. CSS still had a large gathering of fervent fans that displayed an inordinate amount of energy. One fan valiantly tried to start a "CSS suxxx!" chant.

CSS has been making the rounds behind their Sub Pop supported second album Donkey. Lovefoxxx (Vocals) was charming as usual as did her video workout routine on stage while singing "Jager Yoga". In the synthesizer department, I spotted a Moog Little Phatty Synthesizer and a Roland Juno. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the bright red keytar that made its debut five songs into their set. Lovefoxxx momentarily reminded me of Bjork with her vocal acrobatics during "Left Behind". This observation could be clouded by the colorful wig and patterned cat suit that Lovefoxxx used to distract fans and reviewers alike.

The dancing didn't stop as the infectious beats of "Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex" stirred up the party machine. The spooky Scooby-Doo synthesizers signaled "Let's Make Love And Listen To Death To Above" as the pit jumped in one mass of humanity. "Alala" sealed the evening's festivities as Indie 103.1 successfully did Wreck The Halls of Club Nokia.