Nine Inch Nails - Poznan 2009

“Why have we waited so long to come here?” - that was the question Trent Reznor asked the audience at some point during the concert of NINE INCH NAILS that took place on the 23rd June in Poznan. Yes, plenty of people gathered to see the legends of the industrial scene were surely asking the same question, but the most important thing was they finally managed to appear and play the best concert ever!

Music & Performance
Those who came up to listen to ALEC EMPIRE’s gig could be briefly divided into two groups: those who were familiar with ATARI TEENAGE RIOT and those who weren’t; in other words into those who knew what to expect (and - if sensitive - brought ear plugs / anti-laser glasses / tranquilizers) and those who didn’t. It’s definitely a specific kind of music that not every soul will stand, but it’s hard to deny it a powerful force of influencing a listener (even if the only feeling it evoked was shock or the irresistible urge to run away). A combination of noisy, irregular, uncontrollable, highly distorted passages overwhelming with intensity, loudness, dynamism and smashing energy were as impressive as scary: after all not everyone is able to stand a face to face (or, should I say, sound-to-ear) meeting with a rampant sonic tank that attacks all senses in a merciless and relentless manner.

Mad, anxious, ear-hurting welter, scream-like vocal, abundance of samples and a mixture of various sounds creating  an impression of a hard class war film soundtrack  were shocking, but at the same catchy, danceable and captivating - just like the best aggressive and yet addictive melodic prison. What I’d most like to say would be “woah, that was a tough ride, let’s take it again” and I’m sure many of those who participated in the music feast Alec and Nic Endo prepared reacted the same way. The charisma and energy of the vocalist were stunning indeed: he didn’t stop for even a moment and encouraged the audience to follow him in his show frenzy (I think his words “c’mon, don’t give up” were more than appropriate at some point so exhausting the dances in the crowd were). Though the show began during the day, after some time it became darker so the lights could prove the validity of the warning we had been given before the concerts started (“the lights may be dangerous for the people suffering from epilepsy”).

Alec’s contact with the audience was fine as well: throughout the whole concert he encouraged the fans to make noise (as if it hadn’t been loud already) and to participate in the show to the fullest. Additionally, just before the last song (‘Revolution Action’) he told a story of his grandfather (Polish nationality) who got killed by the Nazis during the World War II. That was quite a serious closing accent of the overly marvellous and energetic performance. All in all it was a great sonic destruction and I’m sure the fans enjoyed both the show and the music presented.

Setlist
01. Intro
02. The Ride
03. If You Live or Die
04. New Man / Everything starts with a fuck
05. On Fire
06. Control Drug
07. Addicted To You
08. No Remorse
09. Destroy 2000 Years of Culture
10. Revolution Action

Rating
Music: 10
Performance: 10
Sound: 10
Light - (daylight)
Total: 10


Nine Inch Nails

The headliner was NINE INCH NAILS, an American industrial music group, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of NIN and remains solely responsible for its direction. NIN's music straddles a wide range of genres, while retaining a characteristic sound using electronic instruments and processing. After recording a new album, Reznor usually assembles a live band to perform with him. The touring band features a revolving line-up that often rearranges songs to fit a live setting. On stage, NIN often employs spectacular visual elements to accompany performances, which frequently include mesmerizing light shows. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/) http://www.myspace.com/nin / http://www.nin.com/