Got there about 7:30, said hello to the people I knew on the security staff and milled around before the doors opened. Aaron was watching the Dresden Dolls during their soundcheck. I said "hi" and reminded him not to go TOO nuts onstage. He laughed and said he'd try. Well, evidently he didn't remember! During "Head Like A Hole" when the water bottles were flying all over the place he was hanging upside down from his amp for the longest time. I thought he or it would fall over but he just kept hanging there and then BAM kicked right back into things! What a performer, thanks Aaron!
Really dug the preshow music. "This Wreckage" by Gary Numan was playing just before The Dresden Dolls went on. They got a mixed response: quite a few people (myself included) got into it and others didn't at all. I thought they made a really good opener, bowing to the crowd as the curtain parted to let them on. Standard setlist for this tour ("Good Day", "Bad Habit", "Missed Me", "Coin-Operated Boy", "War Pigs", "Amsterdam", "Half Jack", "Girl Anacronism"), but before "War Pigs" Amanda said it "needs no introduction except to say that whenever we're in Canada, we feel like staying"! For some reason (2 many d00bies) the fire alarm went off during their last song! But everyone ignored that, it was silenced in a few seconds. The Dolls took one last bow, and the pre-show music restarted from the top of the playlist.
Oh yeah, Leo and Rob were wandering around the place before the doors opened, too... I didn't talk to them 'cause they looked busy. After the Dolls played I think the roadies were having problems moving Brian's drumkit offstage, the only house lights they could turn on were behind NIN's curtain so they had to pull it back to see what they were doing. I think we got an early glimpse of the lighting rig before we were supposed to. It was doing this rotating wheel thingy, maybe a test pattern. Leo fooled around with the tambourine a bit while the other guys did some real work.
Anyway they finished testing everything, finally left the stage and we all stared expectantly. There was a bit of a delay, NIN were a few minutes late going on, I think because they weren't sure how to turn off those damn house lights without making it look obvious. The last preshow song was playing ("Final Solution" by Pere Ubu, if I'm not mistaken) when I heard the background noises in "Pinion" slowly fade up over the entire song! It was a really cool effect, like we were crossfading into a new universe. The house lights went down JUST as the first guitar note of "Pinion" hit. Everyone went nuts, of course, and we got the long, drawn-out, timestretched "Pinion" that I remember from Woodstock '94 bootlegs as the band took the stage one by one.
I pushed forward a bit and started jumping around like a madman for "You Know What You Are?" and almost everyone was screaming the chorus at the top of their lungs! "Sin" was another absolute rush, Aaron's guitar solo was fabulous. "The Line Begins to Blur" hit me like a punch in the f[/i]ace/chest/groin; at first I didn't like that song as much as the rest of
With Teeth but now I fuckin' love it. "MotP" was insane of course, I was moshing in 7/8+7/8+7/8+4/4 time and knocking the shit out of anyone who did otherwise (ie everyone). Trent's delayed screams at the end were so fucking intense I thought I would die.
Then we got "Something I Can Never Have." The energy level shifted so swiftly, you'd never notice what happened. There were people around me in tears, because the song was absolutely note-fucking-perfect. Trent made his voice shift behind the beat and catch up with it exactly when he needed to, Jeordie was holding the ostinato piano line down perfectly, Alessandro hit everything at just the right moment, Jerome's drumming took what Chris did on
Closure to another level, even Aaron's "drone guitar" at the end was spellbinding.
But we were back up off our knees in seconds flat. I tried desperately to work myself into a frenzy for "The Hand That Feeds" and I would have if I hadn't been so drained by the previous 5 songs. I was destroyed before the band even got going! But this song was terrific, they really kick the shit out of the studio version. Same with "Terrible Lie," Aaron was actually playing "FUCK, YOU" instead of "E, F" chords. "Reptile/Closer" was heavenly and pleased the crowd to no end. I think I saw my future when Aaron started up the intro to "Home." Jerome really is awesome to behold during that track, he's actually holding down a fucking difficult part with ease.
"Burn" was absolute madness. That intro is such a tease, and the ending with both guitarists wailing away after the drums stop is superb. Same level of energy for "With Teeth," although most people around me were caught a bit flatfooted when it kicked back in after the quiet part. Leo didn't quite catch the tambourine when Trent threw it down to play piano, so it rattled on a bit longer than it was supposed to. It's a highlight of the show, and Alessandro's talkbox/guitar work really is fucking awesome to watch and hear. Take that, Charlie!
I let out a loud and probably unnecessary "HOOOOOLY SHIT!!!1" when Alessandro started the piano intro to "Every Day Is Exactly the Same." Jerome was keeping time on the ride cymbal, so for a split second I thought it was "Just Like You Imagined." Silly Botley, don't you know that instrumentals are for weenies?
The tambourine was offered to the crowd as a sacrifice, and there was a bit of a struggle for it where it landed! I didn't see Jeordie lose his bass... I'm sure they recovered it afterwards though. Tambourines are a dime a dozen but there were some expensive axes up there!
As I said before: "No, You Don't" blew the goddamn roof off. I've never seen people that worked up at a Toronto show, there were little circles forming with guys thrashing each other shitless. All in good fun though! Where would rock'n'roll be without the occasional riot? "Suck/Gave Up" ramped it up even more, the whole place was absolutely stoked and FUMING! Jeordie's gated guitar outro got fucked up and he kept playing much longer than expected... Trent had to start "Hurt" twice to get people's attention after such a moshfest. It was wicked, I just love the new piano-based arrangement. Fuck everyone who's bored with this song. "Wish" and "Head Like A Hole" left us bloody, sweaty, brutalized... and wanting more.
"NINE INCH NAILS, NINE INCH NAILS, NINE INCH NAILS!"
we'll just have to wait for the next show...
I'm really sorry Vera and I missed each other, I would have liked to have met her. Don't leave us! We love you!
)
i'm glad i was able to help you out and now i'm even gladder[umm is this a word?] that it was you. your very welcome with that the ride [you forgot to mention i gave you a lift home pfft] lol and the water. hope to see you around. and yea that was long post but a great read.
I asked him for more details but he said "You'll just have to see!". What a tease, but he's a really nice and cool guy.
If the music sounds good to me then that is all I need.
You're making me blush!!! 
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suckysucky