Pilgrimage

It has been over a solid year of touring for Nine Inch Nails, and if you think that the pace would slow down or tire the band you would be mistaken. I was fortunate to catch them for their Washington D.C. performance at the Nissan Pavilion via Bristow Virginia. Of the three times I have seen them perform, this may have been the best performance yet.

The band put the theatrics away for this last leg of their With Teeth Tour, removed the video, added some new lighting schemes and turned up the intensity. The set spanned the entire catalogue, with some songs which seem to have become “staples” for live performances. Since the departure of Jerome Dillon, the touring members remain the same;

• Alessandro Cortini – Keyboards/Guitar


• Josh Freese – Drums


• Aaron North – Guitar


• Jeordie White – Bass guitar / guitar

The show opened with Trent appearing on stage behind a metal grading which was actually a lighting prop, with the members joining him shortly there after. The band wasted no time whipping the crowd into a frenzy, and this seemed to feed Aaron as it provoked him to dive off stage while still playing guitar. This wild antic was followed up with him knocking over his amp and swinging his guitar around like a maniac.

The first bump of the show was reached as Trent “choked” on either the fog machine, or something else which amused him because he kind of chuckled after it happened. There were several other parts which stand out in my mind; the lighting effect during the song “Closer” displayed red lights slowly collecting and filling up the metal grading lighting prop until it had reached capacity. Second was Aaron knocking over the keyboards set, and seeing Alessandro dive down to play on his hands and knees to make sure that element wasn’t missing from the song.

The last part has to be Aaron smashing his Fender guitar at the end of “Head Like a Hole” and then sticking it into the lighting prop. He was determined to go Keith Moon on it and didn’t let up until he was satisfied that the neck and body of the guitar had come apart enough.

Here is an incomplete list of the songs they performed:

• Wish


• The Frail


• Only


• Burn


• Terrible Lie


• March of the Pigs


• Closer


• Hurt


• The Hand That Feeds


• Only


• Dead Souls


• Into the Void


• Sin


• Somewhat Damaged


• Head Like a Hole

*There was also a brand new track which was performed, but I don’t remember the name of it.