Nine Inch Nails & Soundgarden @ PNC Pavilion

Great line up, but I still am not completely cured of my dislike of seeing shows in a big venue.  This outdoor amphitheater north of Charlotte would be a test.

Unfortunately Mike and I arrived too late to see Dillinger Escape Plan - which is a shame because their angular rock would have been a great compliment to the 2 headliners.  We could hear Searching With My Good Eye Closed as we were entering the grounds and got to our seats halfway through Spoonman.  From there Soundgarden continued to pump out a ton of their classics.  My Wave was great.  The first notes of Jesus Christ Pose sent shivers up the spine and Rusty Cage was phenomenal.  Overall a fantastic set.  Nine Inch Nails would have there work cut out for them to outdo their opener.  The only downside was how far back we were.  My eyes kept wandering to the big screen instead of the stage.

 

Between sets, Mike and I went and got a beer and checked out the merchandise.  We were back in our seats 10 minutes before NIN were due on stage and nothing but a single keyboard was on the stage.  What was going on?  We were so far back that we didn't realize that the lone guy running towards the keyboard was Trent Reznor - I just thought the crowd were over-reacting to a roadie.  However he burst into Copy Of A and instantly the crowd came rushing back to their spots to see what was to be a spectacular set.  Band members were rolled around an elaborate pre-programmed light show as the group tore shreds off song after song.  March Of The Pigs, an all time fave, was colossal.  Closer was intense and the closing Head Like A Hole was amazing.  The 1 song encore was the haunting Hurt, which while mind-blowing, didn't quite fit the pace of the rest of the show.

A few years ago Nine Inch Nails opened for Jane's Addiction in Vegas during the NINJA tour.  NIN put on a great show that night and Jane's pulled out all the stops to equal them.  Tonight Soundgarden did the same thing.  After wondering how they could match Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails blew them off the stage.  Easily one of the great shows of the year.

 

The Crap Facts:

This is my 378th concert.
PNC Pavilion is the 104th venue I've seen a concert.
This is my 28th concert in Charlotte.
This is my 30th concert in North Carolina.
This is my 186th concert in the USA.
This is my 5th Soundgarden show.
This is my 4th Nine Inch Nails show.
Nine Inch Nails is the 50th time I've seen a band in North Carolina.