Broken (Nine Inch Nails)

Broken is my latest buy in my quest to go through and slowly pick up stuff from the Nine Inch Nails catalogue. The EP was released in 1992, and is the first thing I've bought that contains something I heard performed live: "Pinion" leading into "Wish," the first two tracks. Also on the EP are "Last," the instrumental "Help Me I Am in Hell," the excellent "Happiness in Slavery," and the high-adrenaline "Gave Up." At the end (and I mean the end - tracks 98 and 99) are two further tracks, "Physical (You're So)" and "Suck" which are slightly more accessible. The former is a remake of an Adam Ant track, though the sound has changed pretty radically. Basically, everything on here is cool. I think my two faves are "Wish" and "Happiness in Slavery." Hard to choose, though. Very cool EP.

Tracks:
1. Pinion
2. Wish
3. Last
4. Help Me I Am in Hell
5. Happiness in Slavery
6. Gave Up
7-97. A second of silence
98. Physical (You're So)
99. Suck

"Every Day Is Exactly the Same" single (Nine Inch Nails)

Still on a bit of a Nine Inch Nails kick, I used a nice Borders coupon to pick up a copy of the single for "Every Day Is Exactly the Same." Like "The Perfect Drug" remix single, my second acquisition has an a-side that I didn't actually hear performed live. Go figure. Still, it's a strong song. The b-sides are remixes, one of the a-side plus a pair each for "The Hand That Feeds" and "Only." I really like the two "The Hand That Feed" mixes, plus the Richard X Mix of "Only." Overall, this is a strong single release and worth having. Maybe at some point I'll even get the actual album, haha.

Tracks:
1. Every Day Is Exactly the Same
2. The Hand That Feeds (DFA Mix)
3. The Hand That Feeds (Photek Straight Mix)
4. Only (EL-P mix)
5. Only (Richard X mix)
6. Every Day Is Exactly the Same (Sam Fog. vs. Carlos D Mix)

"The Perfect Drug" versions (Nine Inch Nails)

After my NIN concert experience, I was left feeling a bit of a void in my collection, owning none of their music. I rectified that quickly by picking up a copy of the single of remixes of "The Perfect Drug." This is a strange first purchase for many reasons. For one, I didn't actually hear it live. For a second, the hit version of "The Perfect Drug" isn't actually included. Still, it was there and I wanted it, so buy it I did. While some of the remixes are decent, I wouldn't say this single is stunning in any way. My favorite is probably Spacetime Continuum, with The Orb a close second. While it's likely a non-essential for those who aren't Nine Inch Nails completists, it isn't without its merits. Overall, this is a purchase to consider if you happen to see it around, but by no means a must-have, move-it-to-the-top-of-your-wish-list type thing.

Tracks:
1. The Perfect Drug (Meat Beat Manifesto)
2. The Perfect Drug (Plug)
3. The Perfect Drug (Nine Inch Nails)
4. The Perfect Drug (Spacetime Continuum)
5. The Perfect Drug (The Orb)

Set list: Nine Inch Nails

So, yeah, I was counting on somebody posting this set list. It seemed like NIN fans had a big enough Internet presence that I could count on doing that kind of thing. Wrong! Nobody kept a very good set list for this show. The ones before and after? Yep. Nashville? Nope! Suck-ass crowd (for this and other reasons).

So yeah, I went to Nine Inch Nails' Hallowe'en show, and despite some crowd problems and my lack of set list, it was awesome. They rocked hard and really had great effects to complement the performance. I particularly enjoyed hearing "The Hand That Feeds," which was followed up by "Head Like a Hole" as the last two songs before the encore. Great stuff. "Discipline" was also amazing live, as was "Hurt" during the encore. "Survivalism" was cooler than I expected and "March of the Pigs" was insaaaaane. However, maybe the best part was the Ghosts tracks. I hadn't heard them before, but the segments of the show when they were played were absolutely amazing. I may need to invest in that album.

The opening act, Health, was pretty cool. Not really my thing, but some nice modern progressive rock stuff. I felt bad for them, because the audience assholes were giving them a rough time. I cheered, anyway. I swear, some concertgoers are retarded and should be banned. Go home and listen to your albums if you want to have control over who's playing and what they're playing. Otherwise, buy your ticket and enjoy the show you're given, 'cause it ain't your set list to frickin' decide.

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UPDATE: I see now that one of the NIN forums has updated its set list to look much more like what I remember. I'm gonna go ahead and post it here as it seems likely to be accurate.
1. 999,999/1,000,000
2. Letting You
3. Discipline
4. March of the Pigs
5. Head Down
6. The Frail
7. Closer
8. Gave Up
9. The Warning
10. The Great Destroyer
11. 5 Ghosts I
12. 25 Ghosts III
13. 19 Ghosts III
14. Ghosts Piggy
15. The Greater Good
16. Pinion/Wish
17. Terrible Lie
18. Survivalism
19. The Big Comedown
20. 31 Ghosts IV
21. Only
22. The Hand That Feeds
23. Head Like a Hole
--encore--
24. Echoplex
25. God Given
26. The Good Soldier
27. Hurt
28. In This Twilight