This Halloween Valerie and i went to see NIN/Queens Of Stoneage in Nashville. A lot of people have asked why we didn’t just see them at the voodoofest they had in Memphis. Basically, we’re real fans of them and didn’t want to see a chopped up set, in a baseball stadium, with 2 stages back to bed. I want to see NIN with a real sound system, real lights in a real venue. < /rant>
After a uneventful but alcohol filled drive to Nashville, we get to our hotel, drink the rest of the beer and pass out. We wake up, head to the venue and grab some BBQ. I don’t know why we decided to try out nashville bbq, i dunno, thought there might be something. Getting BBQ in another city after living in Memphis is like a weed smoker from Amsterdam scoring a dime bag on Southern Ave. Sure, you guys might love it but it’s probably not shit.
We have floor seats, so we get there 2 hours early. It’s cold as fuck, i’m sporting the hoody, 2 layers of clothes, completely warm. Valerie has on basically the opposite. We sit down the ground and talk about how we can’t believe we’re about to see NIN.
When in line at concerts, it’s like a darwinian rule that you’ll meet someone cool. You’re already at a NIN concert, everyone already has a level of okayness since they are there. We finally strike up a conversation with the group next to us. This really sucks that i can’t remember the names of the 2 other guys with them, and they have stickers so they’ll read this and feel bad. Then again they watched me drink so they know i have the short term memory of a fucking doorstop.
Anyway, the couple with them, Katie and Foster(my sister’s name is katy and foster is beer, name tricks ftw). In every conversation i have with people, i usually have a timer counting down to “okay, save to give them crackhore.com stickers.” I say “well, let me get this out of the way” and reach for them when Katie screams “omg you have stickers, i have stickers too!” and hands me 2 black stickers for her site.
Squeeky-Chan.com
We both exchange stickers, several hours of conversation with them ranging from the homeless olympics and timing each other when one group would rule to bathroom, etc. We are accepted into their herd and follow them throughout the evening. I hope they are reading this.
I want to also give a paragraph to Katie for her site. Donate some money to her. This is what the internet is all about. Hot girls and their cameras. I feel so lame giving her a crackhore sticker after looking at her site. “yeah my site is um, about hangovers and drinking…oh wow you got naked pics, nice…*sigh*”
We get into the show, take our seats about 6 feet from the stage. This is going to own. A band called Death From 1979 opened for queens of the stoneage. Drummer and bassist, drummer singing. Had potential but ugh.
Queens of the stoneage roll out on stage. They play a good mix of their old stuff and new stuff, but most importantly they played Someone’s In The Wolf.
Hearing that song live has completed my existance. I really am glad i went to nashville to hear a full set of queens of the stoneage simply for the reason that they would add “extra shit” for a live set that would go on for like 45 seconds – 1 minute. You’re following them down this crazy guitar solo they dropped in the middle of this track, a minute later your like “oh lol thats right, it’s that song, i forgot, wtf”.
It’s going to be hard to sum up the NIN experience without the track list. It started out pretty rough on the floor during March Of The Pigs. Was slightly worried that my girlfriend was going to be maimed or killed during anything from Broken. The crowd kinda sorted itself out in regular mosh fashion. When someone got out of control, everyone would put the karma elbow into the guy’s kidneys and go on. What really made my night was Reptile, Burn and Suck. All that was missing was The Perfect Drug and it would have been it.
I really have to respect Reznor for dropping in Eraser then Right Where It Belongs after 2 Broken tracks, complete with the Iraq war/Bush dancing, ants and insects stock photography.
They played well over a hour, song after song until the end where he drags out the little keyboard and plays Hurt. Everyone thinks the concert is over after this.
Head like a Hole comes screaming on. Guitars smashed on the stage and thrown into the crowd. Our crowd. A huge angry chunk of Trent’s guitar flys to the left of the stage. Katy and Foster grab it, along with one other guy who wrestles it away. They were that close. Fucking sucks. I should have taken a picture of their cut up hands and the splinters Foster got.
After the show as we’re shuffling out, Valerie finds a guitar pick and i found a Salvation Army watch that will probably be someone’s christmas present. Nashville cops hassle us out of the venue.
I’d like to take a paragraph to say something, even tho anyone this could possibly effect doesn’t read this site. Pushing around kids in black now that you are a adult and have a yellow security shirt still makes your cock the same size. Measure it. If we move from a certain spot where we agreed to meet our friends, you make us liars. We also won’t be able to find them, since they will come back to the spot we’re not at anymore. Do i need to draw you stick figures? It seems so simple to me. Sure, you gotta close the building down but do we need to give you the same excuse over and over?
Wow back in memphis after a tall boy and a few cigarettes. Feels so good to be back on computers.
Word to Katy and Foster’s crew. You guys ever want to come slum it up in Memphis, msg/call.
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