2009.06.12 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC

Post by **hydro** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:30 am

The Last American NINJA.

http://www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/405968

Doors: 6:00 pm
SSSC: 7:00 pm
NIN: 7:45 pm
Jane's: 9:30 pm

Post by **hydro** » Fri Jun 12, 2009 11:17 pm

ettyfarrellNIN/JA says goodnight...
8 minutes ago from mobile web

kind of sad to think the tour is over for the states and that the guys will be so far away very soon.I wish them all well on the rest of the tour in europe!

Post by **hydro** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:18 am

Post by **hydro** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 6:27 pm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8459320@N0 ... 610008899/

Christina · Post by **Christina** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:27 pm

It is rly sad that the tour is over. I wish I had gone to more shows, I just didn't have the opportunity w/ school being crazy this last quarter. /me sighs...

Post by **hydro** » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:50 pm

NIN, Jane's end tour with a bang
By Courtney Devores (Special to the Observer)
Posted: Saturday, Jun. 13, 2009

Almost 20 years after their first pairing at 1991's inaugural Lollapalooza Festival, Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction ended their "NINJA" tour at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Friday night.

After an opening set by Street Sweeper Social Club (featuring Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello), NIN took the stage while it was still daylight -- ironic considering how dark the band is. "Next time we say we'll go on first, remind me to look at an almanac to see what time sunset is," Nine Inch Nails ringleader Trent Reznor said.

Reznor has said the 2009 tour will be the band's last, and he appeased longtime fans with a set heavy on older material (aside from a handful of newer tracks like "Head Down," from its latest album "The Slip). Wearing black shorts, a T-shirt, and boots, the sweat-soaked frontman opened with "Home" then steered fans through "Wish," "March of the Pigs" and David Bowie's "I'm Afraid of Americans."

Its set crescendoed in intensity through an encore of "Hurt," "The Hand That Feeds," and "Head Like a Hole." Jane's Addiction's bassist Eric Avery, who only recently rejoined the band, guested on the latter. At times, the combination of sludgy metallic riffs, hazy smoke, and pulsing strobe lights gave NIN's set an epic feel as it wound to a close.

After the sun had settled below the horizon, it was Jane's Addiction's turn. They opened with "Three Days," which features a forceful bassline by Avery. His return -- after an absence that spanned almost two decades -- is a big deal; while a bassist may be considered a utility player in some bands, his sound is a focal point of many of Jane's most well-known songs.

Avery, who is thicker now, behaved as he did on stage 18 years ago, pacing in a circle and planting himself on Stephen Perkins' drum riser. The band highlighted Avery's contributions on "Mountain Song" and "Ain't No Right," where his bass was rivaled only by Perry Farrell's remarkably still-muscular voice (he's 50 now) as the group's strongest instrument.

Loose arrangements of "Three Days" and "Then She Did" served as reminders of how Jane's Addiction originally existed at the crossroads of glam and jam. Farrell prowled the stage doing goofy dances during "Ain't No Right," "Been Caught Stealing" and "Ocean Size" (during which he did The Swim). For his part, Navarro didn't play the ham he's often been criticized for since becoming a reality TV star. The usually shirtless wonder didn't even remove his vest. Farrell, on the other hand, proved himself the king of bad pun introductions ("We won't stop" for "Stop" for instance).

The pre-encore set ended with the surprisingly relevant "Ted, Just Admit It," the longest song on Jane's Addiction's breakthrough album, "Nothing's Shocking." "The news is just another show," wailed Farrell. Twenty years after he wrote that line, it's even more resonant.

The crowd didn't exactly roar for an encore, maybe because the set seemed rather short. They were likely glad to get one, though, as Avery lit into the romantic, meandering notes of "Summertime Rolls." It was followed by "Had a Dad," "Stop," and "Jane Says."

Jane's Addiction may not have offered the same thrill as seeing the original lineup in its brief heyday (which I did at age 15), when its drug-addled debauchery was the stuff of fables. But it still delivered -- and if this is the last time NIN ever plays together live, I'm certainly glad I was there.