Quote Originally Posted by Leviathant View Post
Given the Sphere, do you go "gritty industrial" or "sci-fi"? Concert length, I think that would be incredibly difficult to navigate without quickly devolving into self-serious parody. I think the choice I'd prefer is to go 100% artfuck. Bold colors, abstract video, optical illusions, tech trickery. But what partner do you entrust with a project that expensive, that limited in scope? It's a tall fucking order. I think I'd finally visit Vegas if it happened.
Like just about everyone, when I discovered the existence of The Sphere, I fantasized about what it would be like to see my favorite bands there (Mostly NIN and Tool), but after seeing the topic discussed several times online (here, Reddit, Facebook groups, Discord) and realizing that this isn't the type of venue they'd hit up once or twice during the course of an average tour, but rather they'd have to commit to a residency to make it worthwhile, I've mostly written off the likelihood of it ever happening. However, after reading your comment, it occurred to me that it could be the perfect time and place to hire Moment Factory again (and get Rob back, while they're at it.) and make a Year Zero-themed show. They could play Year Zero in full, along with a 2nd set (after a 15-minute intermission) of hits and deep cuts from the rest of the catalog. They could take some of the story & ideas they had for the TV series and film video segments to be played between songs. The presence could actually appear in the sky. The glitch breakdown in The Great Destroyer would be absolutely epic. Hell, get 42 Entertainment back to work on a brand new ARG since the EP trilogy showed just how hungry some of us are for more of that. Maybe it could even inspire Trent to write a new song (or maybe an EP?) in that world as a kind of sequel or epilogue to the original album. Imagine if they did something akin to Maynard's Sessanta shows where they have special guests. Mariqueen and Rob could show up for a couple of How to Destroy Angels songs since the visual aesthetic of Welcome Oblivion would fit in flawlessly. Maybe Saul Williams stops by for a song or two (Gunshots by Computer?). There I go fantasizing again...

ANYWAY, I couldn't agree more about NIN bouncing between extremes in presentation – in both music videos and stage production for live shows. But like you pointed out, The Sphere is the kind of venue that demands the innovative and immersive "visual technical demo" experience. If it were to happen and if there were to be a theme, I think Year Zero would be a perfect fit – especially in the wake of the previous presidency and with another important election looming on the horizon. Realistically, I doubt any of this will happen. It probably sounds too gimmicky for Trent, though I bet he'd be tempted by the possibilities (and challenges) of performing in such a technologically advanced space.