NIN/Jane's Addiction/Street Sweeper Social Club-5/10/09 Atlanta, GA May 11 '09 (Updated Mar 14 '10)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 Mai by Eri Sugai From $4 The Bottom Line NIN, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper Social Club is One Hell of a Combo of What is The Best Summer Tour Package of the Year. In the summer of 1991, one of alternative rock's premier bands was set to go on their farewell tour in the first show for the inaugural Lollapalooza festival. The band was Jane's Addiction as the would go on a wild tour with several other bands. One of those bands that was part of the first Lollapalooza festival was an obscure industrial act on the rise named Nine Inch Nails. The tour saw NIN steal the show from its fellow touring acts while Jane's Addiction would end on a high note as it would be the last time the band would play for 17 years. 18 years later, with NIN and its leader Trent Reznor having already becoming widely successful with several acclaimed hit albums, line-up changes, hit tours, and being crusaders against the music industry. Jane's Addiction went through various reunions without original bassist Eric Avery, while making an album that disappointed fans. Then in 2008, the original line-up of Jane's Addiction that included Avery, vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, and drummer Stephen Perkins reunited to accept a prestigious award from the British music publication New Musical Express. The reunion re-sparked interest for all four members to consider do more than a tour. With Trent Reznor announcing that NIN would embark on a hiatus with one more tour before he gives NIN a long vacation. He announced that the band will tour with the original Jane's Addiction while producing a couple of their old songs for a free EP. The NINJA 2009 Tour is a double-bill tour with NIN and Jane's Addiction with Jane's Addiction closing the show and NIN in the middle. Opening for both bands is a new project from Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello called Street Sweeper Social Club featuring the Coup MC Boots Riley. The tour is said to be NIN's last tour but it's only for a while after touring four years straight and releasing four studio albums during that period. Even with a new live line-up as its stripped down to a four-piece with Reznor, guitarist Robin Finck, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and new drummer Ilan Rubin from Lostprophets. For Jane's Addiction, it's a chance to show those who missed them in 1991 to see how good they are. In Atlanta, GA on Mother's Day at the Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater, it's the third show of the tour though there's been some controversy over the tickets that fans had to wait at the show. Some ended up missing Street Sweeper Social Club as well as some of NIN while not getting a chance to buy some merchandise. It's something that is expected in the world of concert promotion and that is truly problematic. Audiences wanted a chance to see a show and be forced to wait to get their tickets is not cool. The first band Street Sweeper Social Club with Boots Riley and Tom Morello along with live members in guitarist Carl Restivo, bassist Dave Gibbs, and drummer Eric Gardner. The band finally arrives wearing some army uniform coats as they play the first song, their first single Fight! Smash! Win! An upbeat song with Morello's trademark, rocking, scratchy guitar work and Riley's intense, political-driven rhymes that are frenetic and works to the energy of the song. The band is excellent live with Riley moving like a madman with dance moves that are just intense. The second song, which is a new one from their upcoming debut album, is just as bruising in its performance with its sonic, metal groove and Riley's intense rapping. Next is a cover of the M.I.A. song Paper Planes in which Morello recreates the shimmering riff of the Clash's Straight To Hell as it's a loud, rocking version that is intense and definitely got the crowd going. Next is The Oath from the sampler EP which is just as intense with Morello blaring a whistle before the song goes into the chorus. It's another song that audience recognizes as it won the crowd over. Then comes a Morello solo that becomes an intro for a new song called 100 Little Curses that is an upbeat, intense song that has Riley's fast-paced rapping filled with political raps that just works. Then comes another new song that features Riley's fast, frenetic rapping but the scene stealer is Tom Morello who is by far, the last great guitarist to ever play the instrument. Morello's guitar playing in which puts his left hand up and down on the neck and then playing it with his teeth really won the crowd over. Even as Riley and Morello feel that this is the best audience they played to so far while Morello wanted to make some awareness about helping the homeless through music. After that little speech, the band played one more number in Nobody Moves (Til We Say Go) as Morello asked the audience to stand the f*ck up for the song. An upbeat, rocking song that definitely got the crowd going as Street Sweeper Social Club proved to be a strong opening act. After the band played, there was a 30-40 minute break for a set-up as audience awaited the next act which turned to be NIN. After a noise intro with smoke coming along, NIN arrives to play the first song 1,000,000 with its loud, growling sound filled with new live drummer Ilan Rubin's intense drumming, Justin Meldal-Johnsen's pounding bass lines, and Robin Finck's growling guitar. Reznor meanwhile, appears in the shiny, brown-red pants of The Downward Spiral days. Then comes the blazing, industrial-metal assault of Wish that just rocks with strobes lights on the side and back helping the band as it's a stripped-down production from the last tour. Next is Heresy, a song they hadn't played for some years from The Downward Spiral as it is a pounding song with background noises as Reznor sings with a growling intensity to Finck's blazing guitar. March Of The Pigs, the fast, industrial-punk rocker is just as intensity with its growling guitars and Ilan Rubin even going to do the piano for the song and then move back to the drum kit. Next is the ballad Something I Can Never Have that has Rubin on keyboards, Meldal-Johnsen on standing bass playing to a bow, and Finck on a sliding guitar stand. It's one of the highlights in its performance as it leads to a cover of Gary Numan's Metal from the Things Falling Apart remix EP. With Reznor on keyboards and singing, it's definitely a great cover that features an extended outro of guitars and keyboards with Rubin playing to the keyboards as well. The Becoming is another surprise that is being played live recently on tour with Reznor on the keyboards to play the piano and even a digital noise maker for the noise parts as it's an intense performance. Head Down is another winning performance with growling guitars, hard-hitting drums, and heavy bass lines. Another surprise that is just added to the tour set list is Mr. Self Destruct which is just intense due to Rubin's hard-hitting performance on the drums along with Finck's growling guitars as it's another highlight with lights in the back, side, and above flashing along to its intensity. The lights in the back turn green to play to the sounds of Reptile with its growling guitars and industrial-chugging rhythms. The Big Come Down from The Fragile has the back lights moving rhythmically as it's another song that just growls with intensity with Finck's amazing guitar work. The fast, hard-rocking Gave Up arrives as it's displayed with intense guitar, bass, and drum work with Reznor definitely giving the audience their money's worth. Things quiet down with blue lights in the background for the instrumental Gone, Still with Rubin on keyboards, Meldal-Johnsen on standing bass, and Finck on a sliding guitar as it leads to Survivalism. The song is played with intensity as it's supported by strobe lights and smoke. During the song, filming all of this is NIN visual director Rob Sheridan who captures all of this as late in the song. A surprise appearance from Saul Williams come in as he sings along to the song with some of his own raps. Then comes Banged And Blown Through from Williams' The Inevitable Rise & Liberation of NiggyTardust! that is a highlight with Reznor on keyboards, Finck on a standing guitar slide and digital noise-maker with Williams singing the song as it's one of the show's highlights. Another surprise comes in the form of the rare NIN B-side Home with its simple, mid-tempo groove as it's a track that is rarely played live. After the song, Reznor does a speech introducing the band while announcing that this will be the last time people will see NIN for a while. The reaction was mixed as some knew that NIN isn't exactly going away but they're just taking a break. Even as Reznor reveals that the band is just touring for themselves and not for anything from the music industry or anyone as it got a rousing applause. Then comes a cover of Adam Ant's Physical (You're So) with its growling, metal guitars as it's a phenomenal track as is a surprise in Down In It as it got people moving along. Then comes the anti-Bush classic The Hand That Feeds with its rhythmic presentation as people clapped along to the song. The final song from the band is the classic industrial rocker Head Like A Hole as it's a fitting closer to the band's last performance in Atlanta, for a while. With its charging drums and guitars, it's a song that definitely stands the test of time. Another 30-40 minutes go by as a screen is displayed on the front with a background featuring two naked women and such along with lights in the back shows that Jane's Addiction is coming. Then the house lights go out for the show as the screen displays images of old films showing topless women dancing and a clip from Curtis Hanson's The River Wild where Kevin Bacon is asked by Joseph Mazzello about his Lollapalooza cap as Mazzello's wished he saw the band before they broke up. Then images from the film Gift comes in with some spoken word arriving leading up to the epic-classic Three Days. With the screen being lifted up, the song is played with Perry Farrell arriving in a red suit as he sings in a lower, vocal register than his high-pitch, screeching vocal style. Yet, it still works in its power and elegance while Farrell continues to be an amazing performer with the song itself living up to its brilliant, epic status due to Eric Avery's pounding bass, Dave Navarro's heroic guitar, and the crazy beats of Stephen Perkins. Next is Wh*res with its charging performance and Avery's bass leading the track along with Navarro's blazing guitar work. Ain't No Right arrives with its fast, frenetic performance while video screens on the side of the stage show the band rocking out including Navarro's guitar work. Then comes Pigs In Zen that plays up to its intensity as Farrell is truly one of rock's greatest frontmen though during the song, he is on some speakers which he fell off and seemed to hurt himself. Yet, he played through while it's been revealed that he tore a calf muscle earlier during the performance of Three Days. Farrell did some talking as he challenges the Devil in Georgia to challenge Dave Navarro to play-off. Then comes the dreamy ballad Then She Did... with its sweeping images and swirling lights in the background as it's one of the finest performances that is played throughout the record. Then comes Mountain Song led by Avery's melodic bass lines as it pummels through with its swirling lights while it features Navarro's heroic solo. Farrell asks the crowd if Little Five Points is still there as we all said yes as he is glad because he loved the place because of the clothes he stole there. It leads to the shimming Been Caught Stealing as it featured Farrell shaking his butt and Avery moving around a bit to the bass groove he is doing. Then comes a brief break for the screen to go down half-way to play images from the Oliver Stone film Natural Born Killers to the song Ted, Just Admit It... as it has a nice groove that becomes intense due to Navarro's blazing guitar work. Farrell then goes through a talk about dads and such that leads to the song Had A Dad that shows the band and their great chemistry. With Farrell talking about all the people he's seeing, it reminds him of oceans as it leads to Ocean Size with its pummeling sound of thundering bass and drums along with Navarro's blazing guitar work. Farrell's performance is truly magnificent as he is all over the stage engaging the audience as they all sing along. After a break comes an encore that opens with the swooning Summertime Rolls with Avery sitting on the drum platform as the band leaves the audience in a trance. Especially since Farrell says its summer so it seems like the perfect track for the summertime. After that, comes the frenetic Stop! in all of its chaos with Perkins' pummeling drums, Avery's wobbly bass, Farrell's wailing vocals, and Navarro's fiery guitar work as it definitely got things rocking with fans singing along. The last song of the night is the acoustic-calypso flavored Jane Says with Navarro and Avery on acoustic guitars, Perkins on percussions and steel drums, and Farrell singing. Navarro was sitting on the edge of the stage with the audience very close to him as it serves as a fitting close for the entire night. If its any indication about all the tours that NIN has done in the past, this one certainly will be remembered for years to come. Even though it will be the last tour NIN will do for some time. At least they give fans a good send off before they will return again. After all, a send off means that NIN has to tour with bands that will give audiences something exciting. For Street Sweeper Social Club, they weren't just a great opening band but something to check out. With their debut album coming out in June, this isn't some phony project Tom Morello and Boots Riley create but the real thing. Riley is a great vocalist who can dance and be engaging to the audience. Tom Morello is truly a phenom on the guitar and I will dare to ask this. Who is the last great living guitar player to play the instrument? I can't think of any in this generation since Morello is someone who reinvented in the instrument with such passion and skill. In NIN, I've seen them in three different line-ups. This incarnation of Trent Reznor, Robin Finck, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and Ilan Rubin certainly is powerful. Rubin, who replaces Josh Freese from the last tour definitely lives up to the stature of great drummers. While he's not as technically brilliant or can hit the drums as hard as Freese did. Rubin is a phenom on the drums not missing a beat and just pounding it like a little drummer gone crazy. The fact that he also does keyboards and plays along to the songs show that he is very talented. Meldal-Johnsen and Finck certainly do a lot with their respective instruments while can certainly rock out. The surprising appearance of Saul Williams made it extremely different as the overall performance is top-notch solid. Then there's Jane's Addiction, who are truly legends in the world of rock. Perry Farrell is truly a rock star. Coming in wearing red and shaking his but, doing some shimmies, and getting the crowd going while taking the time to smoke some grass. He is a pro and doing it while sporting a torn calf injury and falling off from a speaker earlier. He's one of the few rock stars that is f*cking cool. He's the man. Dave Navarro was also cool, looking sexy for the ladies, acting very laid back, and just playing the guitar while being very up close to the audience. Eric Avery's return to the band just adds some spiciness as he lays down a solid groove while proving to be an awesome presence. Stephen Perkins on drums is just truly mesmerizing as he really is one of rock's great drummers though I'm not sure about those short-shorts he was wearing throughout the performance. I'm just glad I got to see a band like Jane's Addiction though I was afraid if they were going to be blown off the stage by NIN. That didn't happen, NIN did their thing and rocked but Jane's completely stole the show. In fact, they were a bit better than NIN by putting audiences into a trance, showing their kooky side, and getting everyone to go nuts and such. I just wished they played a little bit longer and did more songs. Overall, this is probably the best concert experience I went to. The audience had a great time, it was all cool. It is a rock show at its finest. Bottom line, this is the tour to go see. Three awesome bands, one incredible show. Whether it's the political rap-rock of Street Sweeper Social Club, the industrial onslaught of NIN, or the hypnotic art-rock of Jane's Addiction. It's all rock n' roll at its finest. Though NIN will be going away for a while, at least they're going out with a band. For Jane's Addiction, let's hope it's the beginning of something new. In the end, the NINJA 2009 Tour is the best summer package tour ever! Go f*cking see it! Now!!!! Street Sweeper Social Club (5/5): Fight! Smash! Win!/Somewhere In the World It's Midnight/Paper Planes/The Oath/Morello solo intro/100 Little Curses/Promenade/Nobody Moves (Til We Say Go) NIN (5/5): Noise intro/1,000,000/Wish/Heresy/March Of The Pigs/Something I Can Never Have/Metal/The Becoming/Head Down/Mr. Self Destruct/Reptile/The Big Come Down/Gave Up/Gone, Still/Survivalism (w/ Saul Williams)/Banged And Blown Through (w/ Saul Williams)/Home/speech/Physical (You're So)/Down In It/The Hand That Feeds/Head Like A Hole Jane's Addiction (5/5): Three Days/Wh*res/Ain't No Right/Pigs In Zen/Then She Did.../Mountain Song/Been Caught Stealing/Ted, Just Admit It.../Had A Dad/Ocean Size/(encore break)/Summertime Rolls/Stop!/Jane Says Jane's Addiction Reviews: Jane's Addiction (live) - Nothing's Shocking - Ritual de lo Habitual - Kettle Whistle - Strays - A Cabinet of Curiosities Related Reviews: Street Sweeper Social Club-S/T - Saul Williams-The Inevitible Rise & Liberation of NiggyTardust! NIN Reviews: Pretty Hate Machine/Broken Era (1989-1992): halo 1 - halo 2 - halo 3 - halo 4 - halo 5 - halo 6 The Downward Spiral Era (1994-1997): halo 7 - halo 8 - halo 8 DE - halo 9 - halo 10 - halo 11 - halo 12 The Fragile Era (1999-2002): halo 13 - halo 14 - halo 15.1 - halo 15.2 - halo 15.3 - halo 16 - halo 17 DE - halo 17 DVD With Teeth/Year Zero Era: halo 18 - halo 19 - halo 20 - halo 21 - halo 22 - halo 23 - halo 24 - halo 25 Ghosts I-IV/The Slip Era (2008): halo 26 - halo 27 Soundtracks/Miscellaneous: (The Crow) - (Natural Born Killers) - (Lost Highway) - (Tomb Raider) - (The Limitless Potential) - (Strobe Light) Promos: seed 1 - (seed 2) - (seed 3) - (seed 4) - seed 5 - seed 6 Live Shows: NIN/Bauhaus/TV on the Radio-6/7/06 Atlanta, GA Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater - NIN/Deerhunter-8/13/08 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Arena

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