Concert Report: Nine Inch Nails/Jane's Addiction at PNC

Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell live at
PNC Bank Arts Center on June 6, 2009.
(Photo by Lorraine Schwartz)

When I tried to snag a ticket for the Jane's Addiction/Nine Inch Nails tour (cleverly nicknamed the "NIN/JA" tour) at PNC Bank Arts Center a few weeks back, I was not satisfied with the seats LiveNation offered to me so I nixed the idea. But due to constant tweets from Trent Reznor regarding the tour, I found myself wanting to go more and more as the day loomed closer. Obviously self promotion is at least one of the reasons he and other musicians are on Twitter. Well, mission accomplished Mr. Reznor!

I have had luck getting awesome seats on the day of a show before, so on Saturday afternoon I thought I'd give LiveNation's site one more chance to come up with a decent seat before I gave up. It spit back 12th row center. Awesome! I purchased it immediately.

Opening the show was Tom Morello's new band Street Sweeper Social Club. Due to the time it took to get through the insane traffic at exit 116, find a parking spot and catch the school bus parking shuttle to the front entrance, I was only able to see their last song. From what I did see though, the hip-hop/funk/rock band's leader Boots Riley showed a lot of charisma and it looked like they were having a great time playing for everyone. I'm sorry I missed them.

Playing second was Nine Inch Nails. Reznor and company took the stage just as the sun was starting to set. It was a beautiful day (FINALLY) to be at an outdoors show. Even Trent commented that this kind of evening was perfection as far as what he had in mind when he pictured this summer tour.

The set never lost its intensity from the first note of the furious "Wish" to the last note of the heartwrenching "Hurt." Reznor and company attacked each song with the same physical aggression and ferocity NIN is known for lyrically. My favorite move is when Trent sings a verse then suddenly backs off the mic and throws both hands in the air as if to say to the audience "There! Deal with THAT awesomeness I just sang!" Besides the fantastic performance it should be noted that the light shows that accompany a typical NIN show are always impressive. The choreographed frenzy of colors and strobes was near-blinding. One time I had to look away for a moment just to give my eyes a break!

The highlights of the set for me were "Wish", "March of the Pigs", "Last" and "The Hand That Feeds." Also amazing was hearing thousands of people sing along to "Hurt." I have to say that the setlist is not for the casual fan. I'm going to be honest and admit that I didn't know the bulk of the material. But that didn't take away from enjoying the show at all. And as someone who gets bored easily if I don't know the music, that's saying something. It's saying, even if you don't know more than what you've heard from them on MTV or the radio, you should still give a Nine Inch Nails show a shot because they are one of the best live acts around.

By the time the fully reunited Jane's Addiction took the stage, it was completely dark out. A giant screen showing a vintage movie of some beehived topless dancers raised up as lead singer Perry Farrell sang the first verse of the opening song, the sultry "Three Days." An interesting choice as an opener. I've gotten used to bands coming out to high energy heavy songs, so when I heard the dark, slow, twisted bass intro to "Three Days" I was pleasantly surprised.

Perry looked fabulous, as per usual. He strutted about the stage with what I can only describe as a playful arrogance, while the stunning Dave Navarro wailed on guitar, mohawked Stephen Perkins pounded fiercely on drums and Eric Avery solidly did his duty on bass. The set was full of Jane's classics including the awesome "Oceansize", "Mountain Song", "Pigs in Zen", and the song that introduced me to the band via constant MTV airplay, "Stop." My favorite moments of the show were "Summertime Rolls" and the beautiful "Up the Beach." They both have a "Just relax and enjoy beauty for a minute" vibe about them. An unexpected favorite moment for me was "Been Caught Stealing." That song has never been anywhere near the top of my favorite Jane's Addiction songs list, but it came off great live. Much more rumbling and intimidating than it sounds on the radio. For the show's finale, Perry roamed the stage pouring wine to fans down front, as the amphitheater shouted along "1, 2, 3, 4!" to help kick off the classic "Jane Says." I don't think I could ever get sick of that song. It's just so simple and pretty.

Overall this was a perfect night. You couldn't ask for better weather, all the bands delivered, and I had a great seat to boot. It made me feel like finally summer had arrived, and this was a great start to my season.

For a review of Sunday night's show at Jones Beach, check out my fellow Examiner Elliot Levin's report.