Nine Inch Nails - 2014 Tour Discussion/Speculation

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

Out of 20 songs, only four predate With Teeth. So basically this is designed to piss off anybody who hates everything he’s done since 1999.

[Volband]

Ooookay, 3 shows done, time to get (physical) critical.

The setlists from my subjective standpoint: It's OK, I guess. Wave Goodbye was pretty crazy, so a standardish setlist would be new for me, plus throw in some YZ stuff and there we go, probably half of the songs I'd see would be new ones. Still, I'm sad Disappointed is a go-to track from HM, and the lack of TF songs sadden me. I'd be fine with night 3's setlist though. TGD \o/

The setlists from my objective standpoint: Well, no Wish and MOTP could only mean some good stuff for the future dates, YZ is there after a long time, and we'll probably see MYM and Capital G too eventually. The lack of variety in the HM song selection is my main concern here, it'd be a pity if all the dates would get FMW/CBH/Copy of a/Disappointed +1. People should get the chance to have more variety from the new stuff. Again, if things we'll look like night 3, then everyone would get something cool, while Trent playing it rather safe.

The setlits from my godknowswhat-tive standpoint considering Trent's promises: LOL. I love how some say it's a warm-up tour. Sure, Trent and co. warms up at the very end of February, and 6 days later they will blast out tons of new songs. No way. Also, why would he need warm-up? The vast majority of the songs played have been played during the festival leg or Tension (or both); I doubt BYIT, Vessel and 31 Ghosts needed 3 days of warm-up. And don't even start with the "poor NIN, they probably did not have time to rehearse", when the started it after Tension, and it was an interview in FEBRUARY when Trent said this tour will be a blast with tons of TF stuff. Yeyeyeye, we could make up excuses fo him all day long, like he meant the other leg of the tour, or when he said this tour will be heavier, he meant the band members will gain weight, etc., but snap out of it. I don't doubt that the Fragile songs will eventually come (well, on second thought, I actually do), but something must be terribly wrong if that's all they could/wanted to squeeze out of TF. And where is the stuff they can finally do, being a 4-piece band? They returned The Becoming, that's cool, especially if it's not the still version they used to do, but it's really not much. Would it cause physical pain for Trent to just simply say "there'll be a lot of stuff from YZ" and end the sentence there? Because it's not heavy, and at night 3 there were more stuff from The Slip, than from TF. Like wtf.

There'll be more songs for sure, when they won't be limited by time (except when they'll lose the coinflip to QOTSA haha, man, I'd be so fucking mad then. wait, nevermind, our show got cancelled, so yeah.), but if Trent wanted to play/try out something really badly, he could. A random AATCHB or Love Is Not Enough might surface eventually for a show or two, but overall it's like Perf. 2007 but worse. We could always come up with something though. Now it's wait for the QOTSa tour, then it will be wait for the European tour, then it will be wait for the NA tour (which will be announced by then I guess), and then another year passed, while the wildest NIN-shit was the return of BYIT.

I like the involvment of MQ, and here I don't care that Trent went against his word. It gives me a fuzzy feeling that he can do a NIN show with his wife, and hell, if we won't get what we were promised (once again), at least throw in stuff like this. I guess playing HTDA songs is easier, than rehearsing some NIN songs, lol. I hope she'll sing on a NIN song as well. As fucking awesome and sexy it would be, I'm pretty convinced that Trent wouldn't drag her out for stuff like Sin/Deep/GDML (maybe ATL, it's HTDA-ish), because they could come off as jackasses in some people eyes (and they sing these songs at home anyway ), but how fucking cool would it be to hear them on WITT or in LITS. These are the songs I could think of where it could work.

And yes yes, I should be grateful he even tours, and I want too much, and who cares what he promised, yesyes, save these please.

[icklekitty]

Trent's promises: LOL.

Now that is going on a t-shirt.

[BRoswell]

I think it's funny that Trent says something and he has to immediately deliver it on the first tour date lest he be called, in a roundabout way, a liar. We're THREE SHOWS into a set of tours that's probably going to last until the end of the year. Some of you need to cool your tits.

Also, you guys need to learn that your ideas and Trent's ideas may not be the same thing. People read that he was going to play more stuff from Year Zero and The Fragile and seemed to flip their shit over it. Did you ever stop to think that maybe he meant he was going to play more stuff from those albums OVERALL and not every single night? Besides, given how the setlists have varied just on these three dates, I don't see why people feel so betrayed.

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

…

* * * * ½
Needs more words.

[WorzelG]

@Volband sorry I can't quote as the wall of text would be too annoying. It's not the setlist that bothers me so much as the production. I wish they would do something slightly less extravagant in the US and take it internationally, as with YouTube it feels like this amazing footage like Tension or LITS is in your face but then it's oh sorry rest of world, here's some white strobe lights!

I'm just bitter because we didn't even get the festival production in mainland UK!

[Volband]

I don't want to comment on the production just yet. Haven't seen footage of all the songs (I'm really curious about TGD), and that might change with the venue.

If we don't get shit though, then fuck me for not being an American I guess, but let's just wait with that for a bit.

[FernandoDante]

I like the involvment of MQ, and here I don't care that Trent went against his word.

Wait, I'm curious about this. Did he ever promise Mariqueen would never go onstage with NIN?

[TheBang]

So I was procrastinating had some extra time today, and looked at all the setlists since 1994, when MotP was first played. Austin City Limits and last night's show were the only two full shows ever where both MotP and Wish were not played.

[sick among the pure]

why would he need warm-up? The vast majority of the songs played have been played during the festival leg or Tension (or both)

Not disagreeing with the over all message behind your post, just want to point out that while these songs have been played last year, the band setup was COMPLETELY different. I mean, really, we now have a drummer playing guitar. Don't act like this is the same band setup as it has been.

Also, I second the idea of "Trent promises: LOL" shirts.

[Kyle]

Also, I second the idea of "Trent promises: LOL" shirts.

The back of the shirt will just say "soon"

[billpulsipher]

If he plays all YZ and Slip songs during the festivals in Europe, the shows are going to go down like an anchor in the fucking ocean....

[sheepdean]

If he plays all YZ and Slip songs during the festivals in Europe, the shows are going to go down like an anchor in the fucking ocean....

So, very useful for their purpose and widely accepted as an essential?

[m15a]

The back of the shirt will just say "soon"

that's actually not a bad idea for a shirt by itself, just "soon." in one of the well-known NIN font. (anyone done it before?) would make sense for the NIN hotline, actually.

[Lerxto]

that's actually not a bad idea for a shirt by itself, just "soon." in one of the well-known NIN font. (anyone done it before?) would make sense for the NIN hotline, actually.

here's your prototype.

[pukkelpop]

^^I wouldve give a million dollars for it if you didn't put the "god damn im cool" there . too bad

[Cecil]

I can understand people being annoyed at the lack of TF material, because TR explicitly said that there would be a bit, but I don't get any complaints about not varying the setlist up enough. After 3 shows there have been 35 different songs performed. A lot of people are comparing it to the 2007/09 tours, but it's really not that different.

After 3 shows:
2007: 36 unique songs
2009: 31 unique songs
2014: 35 unique songs

Yeah, we are all big fans and would love every show to be different, but we are the minority in the audience. There will probably end up being 45-50 unique songs played for the tour and I'd say that's a pretty good amount.

[icklekitty]

If he plays all YZ and Slip songs during the festivals in Europe, the shows are going to go down like an anchor in the fucking ocean....

Sonisphere.

[nooneimportant]

It's not Tension production but the lights are still damn good. Also lol at The Great Destroyer mess up.

[Joy Prevention Hotline]

billpulsipher … anchor … ocean.

[SM Rollinger]

I say this at the start of every tour...

There is only one deep cut that I want to hear live...

Happiness In Slavery

(and more obscure instrumentals too, like In Motion. Hand Covers Bruise is chilling though, and the transition into BYIT is awesome)

(although i shouldnt complain too much, i did get to hear my all time favorite instrumental live, A Warm Place. Prior to these film pieces and Tension 2013, the deepest of all NIN cuts!)

(well, except for maybe Kinda I Want To and Purest feeling )

[BRoswell]

It's not Tension production but the lights are still damn good. Also lol at The Great Destroyer mess up.

That breakdown was fantastic. Next to the Happiness In Slavery breakdown, that one would have to be my favorite.

[sick among the pure]

"It's a remix!"
2014 catchphrase? Anyone?

[Corona Radiata]

This guy has a lot of videos http://www.youtube.com/user/cocoao19...ow=grid&view=0

[Corona Radiata]

Holy shit that Robin solo on Ghosts 31 is the best thing ever.

[Inkë]

The Great Destroyer is just MASSIVE. Best version i've ever heard.
And I'm so happy seeing Alessandro in front of the stage. He deserves it so much.

[Javra]

Am I the only one being struck by how much of what we hear seems to be coming from Pro Tools / Tape on those videos ?

I'm well aware that on the electronic songs we can expect to have a buch of things on tape but the live challenge is also to produce a reinterpretation of the original sounds with the gear they have on their hands.
When half of the sounds seems to be coming unaltered from the tapes it feels weird to me, and even if the blip-blip produced live are cool (and trust me, I LOVE blips blips) it sometimes feels more like a "not so live version" then a "stripped down" version to me. (Especially on the HTDA songs)

(I know this has always been kind of true with NIN live but for some reasons it seems to be even more true on this tour)

With that said I also have to say this version of Burn is kind of amazing.

[botley]

Am I the only one being struck by how much of what we hear seems to be coming from Pro Tools / Tape on those videos ?

I'm well aware that on the electronic songs we can expect to have a buch of things on tape but the live challenge is also to produce a reinterpretation of the original sounds with the gear they have on their hands.
When half of the sounds seems to be coming unaltered from the tapes it feels weird to me, and even if the blip-blip produced live are cool (and trust me, I LOVE blips blips) it sometimes feels more like a "not so live version" then a "stripped down" version to me. (Especially on the HTDA songs)

(I know this has always been kind of true with NIN live but for some reasons it seems to be even more true on this tour)

It's not tape or Pro Tools. Alessandro triggers individual elements from his Elektron rig: http://elektron.se/talk/744

[Javra]

As much as I love Alessandro, his work and what he brings to the live version of NIN, I highly doubt he "triggers" much in the live perfomance (beside the drum pads)

For what I know having read a few articles and the explanations he gave on muffwiggler concerning his live rig :

A few audio parts are fed to his Octatrack he uses for live tweaking (not even sure if that is still the case on the current tour)
Keyboards are sometimes midi fed and tweaked live or live played (I guess on this tour he uses the OP1, Elektron Analog Keys, I think he got rid of his A4, not sure if the DSI is still here)
I think the Soundplane (midi controller) is also out (can't tell much from the recent videos)
The Tascan tapes are used to bring in / out some ambiance / drones
I'd bet the Verbos Eurorack Modular (That replaced the MakeNoise one for what I know) is synced to an "audio" clock (like the EAR modular was) and is responsible for the recurrent high pitch / glitchy sounds you can here coming up sometimes. (really typical of the Buchla-like sequencing / LPG)

Also in this tour with how much he has to do with the bass or additional guitars I'd guess he has less freedom to bring ambiances / drones in the songs.
Just as an example you can compare those two pics of the tapes he uses on a show (And I'd guess less tapes = less drones played live, more drones on the Pro Tools)
2013, 11 Tapes : http://img15.hostingpics.net/pics/15...cTW0bIcTv3.jpg
2014, 2 Tapes : http://distilleryimage8.ak.instagram...81f9015c_8.jpg

[sick among the pure]

Um, that first link... might wanna fix?