Nine Inch Nails / Jane's Addiction

Having never been to the 02 Arena before, save it's shockingly small club Matter, I didn't know quite what to expect. I knew it was going to be big, but the word big doesn't really describe how, um, big the venue is. Nonetheless, the extra space came in handy, given the massive turnout for this particular event on a wet summer's evening to see the likes of rock bigwigs Jane's Addiction backing up the mighty Nine Inch Nails, both long time heavyweight acts who put all their efforts into an awesome live show.



Braving tube delays, a momentary flash flood that caught most of the people queuing for tickets and airport-stringent security, we actually got to our seats and landed in the start of the Jane's Addiction set, who had started up quite early into the evening, providing a good hour long selection of their back catalogue, including 'Been Caught Stealing', 'Stop!' and 'Jane Says' but more recent single 'Just Because' being notably absent from the set list. Dave Navarro was in fine form, clearly demonstrating why he IS the Guitar Hero with extremely tight guitar solos that showed off his trademark dexterous fingerwork, as Perry Farrel played up to the crowd with lewd dancing and bouncing over the stage. Even drummer Stephen Perkins got in on the front stage action with a mini kit and steel drum just to add that little extra something to their already enjoyable set.



After a short break to grab beer and an impromptu plate of something resembling fish and chips, Nine Inch Nails wandered onto the stage in a fully lit arena and started singing. What I thought was a mere sound check caught me off guard as the whole stadium suddenly plunged into darkness as the first break on 'Terrible Lie' rattled off the rafters, bathing the stage in strobe lighting, guitar riffs and a sea of smiling, shouting fans. A fantastic entry that really got the crowd going, moving quickly in to '1,000,000' and a stomping rendition of 'Heresy', hitting the stage with style and force.

And hit the stage they did. Taking a leaf out of The Who's book of rock and roll, Trent took no time in sending a synthesiser crashing into the pit (narrowly missing a stage guard) and caber tossing his guitar into the back of the stage - after all, nothing quite says Nine Inch Nails like a big mosh to tracks like 'Wish'. It was soon becoming clear why the photographers weren't able to get in to take their snaps until the bank got settled into the stage and moved on to some of the quieter tracks, swapping guitars for double basses and keyboards as Nine Inch Nails show their versatility and skill as live performers. Tracks like 'La Mer' offered a chance to break up the rock and metal, so that tracks 'Downward Spiral' and 'Survivalism' kicked the concert back into gear without sounding repetitive.



Perhaps one of the best moments of the night featured Nine Inch Nails' inspiration Gary Numan as he joined them on stage for a fantastic couple of tracks. Needless to say, a pleasant surprise to everyone - I don't think I've ever seen so many cameras pointed in one direction as we rocked out to 'Metal' and 'Cars'. It definitely seemed to be a night of older acts and judging by the energy of his performance, Numan certainly still has it.

One thing I have to add is kudos to the sound engineering. I've always had problems with rock and roll gigs with levels and hearing vocals over guitars; even given the huge size of the 02, everything was impressively crystal clear, even sat on the sides of the arena. Whether loud or quiet, you could hear everything from the driving chorus riffs to the frantic guitar solos, leading up to the two popular classics 'Head Like a Hole' and a stirring rendition of 'Hurt' to play out the gig, prompting a fantastic response from the crowd, the likes of which you can only get from a packed out stadium venue singing tearfully along.

So after the dust settled and the last goths had stumbled out to the Jubilee line, there's only one thing I can say about the night: absolutely awesome. Jane's Addiction provided a fantastic start to the gig and in retrospect seemed a natural choice as support band to Nine Inch Nails' excellent array of heavy rock tracks. Both bands may be 20 years (or older!) but both show that they can put on a cracking live act and live up to the hype.

FUTURE GIGS

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