So. friggin'. good. This is the standard to which rock concerts should be held. Soundgarden illustrated why Chris Cornell still has one of the most powerful, rafter shaking rock voices. Nine Inch Nails however, brought it. Reznor is a man of few words, but searing intensity. He and his band did not disappoint. So much electronica/alt based fury. The lightning storm that began and continued throughout both shows simply added to the intensity. So damn good.
First and foremost, however, the set lists: SOUNDGARDEN SET LIST: Searching With My Good Eye Closed Spoonman Flower Outshined Black Hole Sun Jesus Christ Pose The Day I Tried to Live My Wave Superunknown Blow Up The Outside World Fell on Black Days A Thousand Days Before Rusty Cage Beyond the Wheel
NIN SET LIST: Copy of A Sanctified Came Back Haunted 1,000,000 March of the Pigs Piggy Terrible Lie Closer Gave Up Me, I’m Not Find My Way The Great Destroyer Eraser Wish Only The Hand That Feeds Head Like a Hole ENCORE: Hurt Soundgarden opened around 7:40 and played a sonic assault for 70 minutes afterward. Starting off with 'Searching With My Good Eye Closed' Cornell set the stage for a 90s trip down memory lane. As they were celebrating the 20th anniversary of "Superunknown", their biggest selling and arguably best album, they played no new material. This really wasn't an issue as the older material is more a bit more challenging in some respects, requiring more of a vocal work out. Cornell now 47, proved he could easily attain the vocal heights he once effortlessly hit in his 20s. Spoonman was delivered with Kim Thayil's pounding guitar vibrato and stiff drum work from Matt Cameron. "Outshined" was preceded by Cornell decrying the current state of music, namely the profligation of disco style music and the world's state of affairs not really improving in the past 20 years, before dropping into a grindy rendition of "Outshined". It is with "Jesus Christ Pose" and "Beyond the Wheel" that Cornell showered (pun intended) the audience with a true vocal onslaught that easily have come from 1994. "Black Hole Sun", "My Wave" and "Superunknown" got fans moving and singing in unison. "Rusty Cage" covered beautifully by the great American country music outlaw/icon Johnny Cash, was perfectly executed, with throbbing bass, warbling alt guitar styling and of course, stellar vocal work. I would have liked to hear a little more as really these guys have been around over two decades now, but I am also aware that it is a double bill and allowances for both acts had to be made. Overall, however, Soundgarden came, saw and conquered.
NIN was something else. Trent Reznor came out pounding on key boards with the fury of armaggdeon. He might has well have had his fists taped up as he came in fighting. As I stated earlier, the man is intense and it literally permeates through his music. Now happily married and seemingly in a good place overall, his energy while performing is undiminished. Starting off with a furious version of "Copy of A" from the fantastic, revitalizing "Hesitation Marks", Reznor showed he came to play. Smoothly flowing into "Sanctified" the fury began building. By "March of Pigs" with thunder and lightning and heavy rains bashing the place, Reznor lit the place up with "March of Pigs". Throughout his 90 minutes plus performance no one was sitting. There was just too much energy flowing.
Playing like a manic, sinister maestro, Reznor's NIN shook the stadium with a collecton of classics and newer material. "Closer" was magnificent. It is a little bit hilarious that a song with such an angry emotional core, featuring such lyrics as "I want to @#$% you like an animal" is so intensenly "singable". It is dark, scathing, intimate and amazingly danceable with its pounding beat, and "oop, oop" backing vocal tracks. "Only", "Hand That Feeds", from arguably his best album 2006's "With Teeth, rounded off the concert with powerful, energetic vibration. Everyone was up as if they had no choice in the matter. Trent Reznor is a man of few words as I have already stated, so when he thanked everyone for sticking around throughout the stormy show and for their support of over the years, it was a genuine moment.
"Head Like a Hole", one of NIN's trademark finishers closed out the show and kept everyone moving. The encore and final capper unquestionably was...and had to be... the classic "Hurt", from "Downward Spiral", covered so evocatively and beautifully by Johnny Cash. Reznor just brought so much with this final song, pouring out all he had left. That a thunder clap should strike at the end of his performance was just perfect. Simply outstanding and well, well worth one's time.
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