By Anthony Camara
Daily Bruin Contributor
Anaheim came down with what can only be described as bipolar
disorder Tuesday when Nine Inch Nails brought its doom and gloom to
Arrowhead Pond, just up the street from the happiest place on earth
““ Disneyland.
Touring in support of “The Fragile,” auteur Trent
Reznor’s acclaimed art-rock opus, the band mixed both old and
new material, making the show a retrospective of the group’s
influential career as well as a showcase for the stripped-down,
road-tested live renditions of newer fragility tracks.
Drawing from 1989’s “Pretty Hate Machine,”
Nine Inch Nails kicked the show off with fan favorite
“Terrible Lie.” Those who were expecting a
letter-perfect facsimile of the track’s synth and pop punch
were met with industrial crunch. Likewise, “Sin”got a
similar hard-rock facelift, luckily not at the expense of its
dance-floor appeal. Despite the premium Reznor places on
unpredictability, some things about Nine Inch Nails never change;
by mid-track, guitarist Robin Finck was in the audience, fans were
doused with water (then pelted with the bottles) and roadies were
busy righting tossed mic stands.
Reznor didn’t relent after “Sin,” immediately
launching into the frenetic “March of the Pigs.”
Whether they were too self-conscious, or simply emulating their
detached anti-hero in Reznor, the Orange County fans were
surprisingly difficult to move. “March” did the trick,
however, and in typical unapologetic fashion, Nine Inch Nails
slowed things down to a standstill with “Piggy.”
While some critics complained about the lengthier tracks on
“The Fragile,” referring to them as indulgent, they
can’t make the same complaints about the live show. If there
are any vestiges of pretension on the newer tracks, tighter live
musicianship removes them completely. Nine Inch Nails certainly
isn’t a band with an aversion to jamming, but what it does is
better described as experimenting. “Complication,” a
synth-heavy instrumental with droning guitars, took on a markedly
differently sound, but at the same time, it more than captured the
spirit of the original.
For the more fickle fan interested in perfect translations, the
ominous piano intro and grinding guitar chorus of “The
Wretched” was replicated flawlessly without rolling tape.
“Wish,” from the “Broken” album, was also
further proof that this incarnation of Nine Inch Nails is probably
the most versatile group of musicians Reznor has ever
assembled.
In order to maintain the audience’s attention during some
of the more down-tempo tracks, three giant digital video screens
were lowered from the ceiling. The screens flashed tide pool
imagery during “La Mer” and “The Great
Below,” two chilling ocean-themed songs from “The
Fragile”.
The screens were used again intermittently throughout the night,
with maximum effect on “Closer,” when the serene water
was replaced by raging fire. “Closer” was easily the
highlight of the night ““ who wouldn’t relish the
slightly perverse thought of thousands of fans screaming the
infamous chorus, while just up the street at Disneyland the younger
generation could probably hear them loud and clear? The screens
also stayed down for “Head Like Hole,” which concluded
appropriately enough with some requisite guitar and keyboard
smashing.
Despite several sightings, Marilyn Manson didn’t join
Reznor for the encore performance of “Starfuckers,
Inc.” Although it would have been a welcome touch, the crowd
was already consumed by the suspiciously punk-sounding version of
the single anyway.
Staying unconventional to the very last song, Nine Inch Nails
ended the show quietly with “Hurt,” one of the giant
black video screens hanging unnervingly over an exhausted
Reznor’s head. All in a night’s work for the men in
black.