Photos by: Brendan Sean O'Cullane
Prick
The sun was setting just over the trees behind the stage, as a cold front dropped temperatures into the high fifties. The smell of fajitas filled the air as concession stands prepared for the 18,000 people expected for the performances of Prick, Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie.
Quietly, Prick walked on stage and put on their instruments. Most of the crowd was either sitting on the grass or still coming through the gate when Kevin McMahon (vocals and guitar) started strumming his guitar, checking the sound. “I don’t mind telling you, I don’t mind,” and with that the band jumped into “I Got It Bad.” The stage was dark and dimly lit, but that seemed to add to the drama of prick. Prick is McMahon, Sebastien Monney (bass), Chris Schleyer (guitar), Gary Hammond (drums), and Dave Ogilvie from Skinny Puppy (soundboard).
After a very receptive crowd sent their approval, Prick sneaked into “Other People.” The song, once performed by McMahon with the band Lucky Pierre, almost did not make Prick’s self titled CD. Kevin told us “… some of the things we (McMahon and Trent Reznor) did at Trent’s studio, like “Other People,” for instance, we thought that was going to be just demos, but it was good enough the way it was.” Some things are better left undisturbed, it seems.
The upbeat performance continued with “Riverhead.” The slower song eased the audience a bit and gave way for some stage light experimentation with the vocals. Every time McMahon said, “Red,” the stage lights turned off, except the red ones. “Communique” led a few Prick fans in a sing-a-long. “Yes, this is it. This will be the night…” “A sign of a good night (performance),” McMahon mentioned, “is when the audience sings and knows the lyrics….”
The haunting and hypnotic “No Fair Fights” stopped the crowd from moshing and crowd surfing. Time stood still for a moment, as McMahon captured and delivered the heart and soul of Prick. “Hello, frantic frauds of verse….” The low was quickly disturbed with “Tough.” This song also appeared in an earlier Lucky Pierre EP from 1988. When asked if any other early material would appear in any future releases, McMahon simply said, “I don’t know. I will know when I get back into the studio.” And when asked when Prick will go back into the studio, McMahon replied again with “I don’t know.”
The set concluded with Prick’s new single “Animal,” the video of which can be seen on MTV. The performance featured a multi-colored array of lights, mainly green. At the end of the song, McMahon thanked the crowd and left. Austin was pumped, and they wanted more.
After Prick’s performance, McMahon said that he “would like to find some of his earlier work (albums) with Lucky Pierre, if it were possible.” If anybody could help, I’m sure McMahon would appreciate it.
Nine Inch Nails
The last time Austin saw Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails was about one year ago on the popular Self Destruct Tour. The savage Reznor looked as if he were on a one-way mission that would send him into seclusion for at least two years. But Reznor’s fans around the States would not have to wait that long.
After seven months of rest and relaxation, NIN joined David Bowie as a special guest on the Outside Tour. What was supposed to be a support effort has become a series of show-stealing performances. Reznor’s fans have been filling up every venue since the tour started on September 14 in Hartford, CT, and each time after NIN leaves the stage, about half of the crowd exits at the same time.
Austin would prove the opposite.
The stage was dark and smoke spilled from the corners of the ceiling and the floor of the stage. With the blink of an eye, NIN was there: no intro, announcements, or frills. The Austin crowd started to push and urge forward, as “Terrible Lie” drew the audience to their feet. In two seconds the calm turned into a tidal wave of people wanting NIN.
NIN are Trent Reznor (vocals, guitar, bass, sax, and keyboards), Corpus Christi’s own Danny Lohner (Guitar, bass, and keyboards), Robin Finck (guitar and keyboards), Chris Vrenna (drums), Charlie Clouser (keyboards), and Sean Beavan (soundboard). The madness continued with “March of the Pigs.” Reznor marched, pointed, and yelled. The power could be seen in his face, as Lohner and Finck strummed their now famous guitar parts.
“The becoming” started and was a pleasant surprise. The song featured Finck playing the acoustic guitar pieces that appear on The Downward Spiral. With a spotlight on him, Reznor grabbed his guitar and started to strum chords and play a couple of leads with an echo effect. The stage was set for “Sanctified.” The audience witnessed as NIN was hit with a series of long strobes that looked as if lightning was lighting up the stage. Every time the guitars would strum a blast would hit.
NIN’s next number featured Reznor playing bass. The song “Piggy (nothing can stop me now)” from their latest release, Further Down the Spiral provided a refreshing sound to an old favorite. The maniac guitar playing of Lohner and Finck highlighted this performance. A sinister Reznor slipped Austin into “Burn.” This song was featured on the Natural Born Killers soundtrack and was seldom played on the Self Destruct Tour, but is definitely a highlight on this tour. The multi-colored lighting on this song inspired the feeling of a weird trip to Crayola land.
The original “Closer,” instead of “Closer to God,” was showcased in Austin. Reznor, who before the tour said he would not play the old number, has now sneaked it back into the set. Oh well, maybe Austin will get a chance later this year to hear the remix. After “Closer,” Reznor stopped the show to thank the Austin crowd’s enthusiasm: “Thank you! You all have been the best fucking crowd on this tour!” And with that the crowd roared, and NIN answered back with more fiery music.
The audience reactions were mixed for fan favorites from the EP Broken.The pit was in chaos. A person passed out from exhaustion during “Wish,” and in the midst of “Gave Up,” a male audience member threw his girlfriend onto the grass in anger. Despite a few episodes of violence, the majority of the crowd remained semi-civilized. Nine Inch Nails’ first single “Down in It,” from Pretty Hate Machine,wrapped up their set. The performance was just a spring board for a deeper level of entertainment yet to be witnessed. The stage lights shut off.
Enter Bowie
A movie projector started and the images of bees filled the stage. The projection was reminiscent of the Self Destruct Tour, but not as long and time-consuming. All the members of NIN remained on stage, except for Reznor. “Eraser” thundered from the Reznor-less band. The song blended smoothly with “Subterraneans,” which is featured on David Bowie’s Low album. The song set a subdued mood that was very entrancing.
Slowly from the right of the stage, Reznor reappeared playing sax. Almost simultaneously from the left, David Bowie walked to the center of the stage speaking the words of “Scary Monsters.” The haunting sounds left the crowd speechless. Slowly and noisily, a few diehard Nine Inch Nails fans made their way towards the exits – but tonight, as quoted from a Bowie representative: “This was the largest crowd to ever stay for the Bowie part of the show.” To all who stayed, the performances will never be forgotten.
The stage changed. All the lights came on, and Nine Inch Nails featuring Bowie jumped into “Scary Monsters.” Reznor karate-chopped his keyboard as Bowie smoothly stood there singing. Lohner played an acoustic guitar and Finck, off to the right, strummed an electric guitar. Longtime Bowie guitarist Carlos Alomar joined the group of musicians on stage, and the crowd was thrown into a frenzy.
As a few more diehards escaped into the night, the musicians played “Reptile.” Bowie cackled: “She spreads herself wide open…,” and the Austin crowd could not help but be amused, but entertained, by what they were witnessing. Never did this audience imagine they would hear anyone other than Trent Reznor utter those familiar words. A mesmerizing spectacle occurred as Bowie and Reznor traded vocal duties. “Hallo Spaceboy” Featured an amalgamation of the bands: Three drummers, three guitar players, two keyboard players, Bowie, and Reznor.
The drums sent the crowd into a brief high, but as the song finished, the mood was set by Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Gabrels’ echo-effect guitar leads rang through the Meadows. With a solo spotlight on him, the crowd was briefly detoured as the stage changed again. Gone were Lohner, Finck and Clouser. Reznor and drummer Vrenna were now the only NIN members with Bowie’s band. The spotlight was on Bowie: “I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel…” and with that, started a series of traded vocals that left the Austin crowd quiet. A touching moment in a very disturbing song about self-destruction.
As the song finished, Vrenna’s drum set moved off the stage and Reznor raised his hand to say farewell. The crowd showed its appreciation with a thunderous ovation. Austin had witnessed history.
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