It’s strange to think Nine Inch Nails emerged at the end of the eighties and are still with us. However, the strength and diversity of their ideas comes through, though it probably helps that they are playing in the early evening on an overcast day in Scotland – watching them in blazing sunshine would seem wrong.
While it’s be great to hear some stuff off Pretty Hate Machine, Trent Reznor and his merrier-than-you-might-think men pack a powerful punch, without descending to dreary self-loathing. A final blast of ‘Wish’ and they are gone.
Some bands can do stadiums with style, not so much in terms of an all-singing, all-dancing show but how they can work it. The Foo Fighters know how to work a crowd, and when Dave walks on by himself and launches into a gorgeous solo version of ‘Everlong’ joined by the band for the final chorus, it’s a very good start to the night. Especially when the next songs are ‘Monkey Wrench,’ ‘Times Like These,’ ‘My Hero’ and ‘Break Out’.
One of the most impressive songs in the set is the workout that ‘Stacked Actors’ gets. Solos, meeting the audience – and yet never self-indulgent. Perhaps this is the key to the Foo Fighters deservedly enjoying success for more than a decade – they are a crowd-pleasing band with an expanding back catalogue who still sound like they have not forgotten their roots. The live version of ‘Best Of You’ sounds achingly sad, far more moving than on record. ‘DOA’, ‘Generator’, ‘This Is a Call’, and the final encore of ‘All My Life’- how many aces can one band hold up their collective sleeve?
photos by Sequoia
more Foo Fighters photos on Flickr
and Nine Inch Nails photos on Flickr