03-04-2005, 02:19 PM
TPJ,Mar 3 2005, 10:17 PM Wrote:I was lucky enough to catch Nine Inch Nails on their (his?) first tour. I saw them in Miami in the summer of 1990. They played with Meat Beat Manifesto and MC900 Ft. Jesus. I missed both opening acts (sorry to say), but made it in before Trent hit the stage. I don't know if I'll ever see another show like that. Outstanding.
I caught this same tour when they hit Charm City, summer 1990. MC900 Ft. Jesus was not with them, but I DID catch the Meat Beat Manifesto. By the time Trent hit the stage, I was already worn out. Meat Beat Manifesto just put on an incredible show for a band whose content was not primarily instrument driven.
I also had the good fortune of working as a security guard at a concert venue in Maryland while in highschool. Highlights from that include Robert Plant's solo tour (vintage 88 or so), and carrying David Lee Roth on a surfboard as he sang "California Girls". Neither of those two had the greatest of solo content, musically speaking, but their live performances were something special. They knew how to work a crowd. I remember John Cougar Mellencamp (at least that what he was using at the time), also putting on an extended show. I think his show was at least an hour or and hour and a half longer than any other headliner from that summer. Folks sure got their money's worth that evening.
One thing I learned from that stint: I got to see many artists that were not part of my normal listening set, whose live performances were not to be missed. Of course, there were also bands I like who should have stayed in the studio, if you know what I mean. <_<