MylesBecker.com

Concert Review: Nine Inch Nails and Bauhaus at Red Rocks

I feel I must start off by telling folks that if you have not seen a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, it is well worth your money to make a trip to Morrison, Colorado (just outside of Denver) to see someone...anyone...but better yet, see someone like Nine Inch Nails and Bauhaus.

The first opening act was TV on the Radio, and I was actually looking forward to them. I had done a small amount of research and found out that they are on the 4AD label, which also produces a lot of other music I enjoy. I liked their use of distortion as an instrument, without it being overpowering or muddy. It was different than I thought it would be, but it was listenable and a decent choice to kick off the evening.

Next up, of course, was Bauhaus. This was something I had been looking forward to for a long time. I'm a fan of Bauhaus from back in the late 80s, a few years after they all decided to go their separate ways for a while. I have never seen them, nor Love and Rockets, nor any of the other off-shoots of the band, so this was going to be a treat.

Here's the set list:
Double Dare
In The Flat Field
A God In An Alcove
She'S In Parties/Riders On The Storm
Adrenalin
Severance
Silent Hedges
Kick In The Eye
In Fear Of Fear
Endless Summer Of The Damned
Rosegarden Funeral Of Sores
Dark Entries
Stigmata Martyr

The first thing I noticed was Peter Murphy's command of the stage. Very tiger-like, prowling around, striking a pose, pawing Daniel Ash, and singing his butt off. His vocals are still spot-on and beautifully haunting.

I was at the concert with 5 people who hadn’t ever heard of Bauhaus, which really saddened me, as this was a group that paved the road for acts like NIN, Manson, Front242, Sisters of Mercy, and even groups like Depeche Mode, Interpol and Jane's Addiction were heavily influenced by the goth sounds that Bauhaus was laying down back in the very early 80s.

As much fun as it was to watch Peter, Daniel Ash was even more fun. He had a feather boa on his shoulders while he killed on the guitar. He is an incredible showman, as well, so watching him strut around the stage was great. Add on top of that his sax playing abilities, and playing his guitar with a drumstick, and that should help set the stage for you.

David J was brilliant on bass guitar, and while he doesn’t move around that much, he definitely holds his own as the straight man to Ash and Murphy.

The other interesting thing to watch was what appeared to be a small tiff between Peter and Daniel during one of the songs when Peter accidently (or was it?) hit Daniel across the face with a bouquet of roses. The two exchanged some wine and water, and at one point Peter put the mic behind his back and chatted with Daniel. It made for an interesting remainder of the set, but entertaining, nonetheless.

Their set wasn’t nearly as long as I’d have liked, but it will have to do for now. Many, MANY thanks to Trent and NIN for bringing Bauhaus back to the masses, and on behalf of some folks, thanks for the much-too-late introduction to the godfathers of Goth.

NIN didn’t take TOO long to set up, thankfully, as the crowd was starting to get a little anxious. I do want to stop here and thank the fans at Red Rocks for being…well, not NICE, but certainly cordial. The way that the amphitheatre is set up, it could have made for a lot of injuries had someone started a mosh pit or pushing from above, but I think most everyone was just amped up to see NIN at Red Rocks, arguably one of the best outdoor places to see a concert. And yes, I am biased, having grown up just a stone’s throw from there, but it’s true.

Let's start with the set list...
Somewhat Damaged
You Know What You Are?
Sin
Terrible Lie
March of the Pigs
Something I Can Never Have
Closer
Burn
Gave Up
Help Me I'm in Hell
Non-Entity
Only
Wish
La Mer / Into the Void
The Big Come Down
Suck
Hurt
The Hand That Feeds
Head Like a Hole

First off, the clarity of the music was incredible. I saw them at the Pepsi Center and at the Fillmore in Denver earlier in the different legs of the tour, and while the Fillmore was incredible, being able to see them so close up, this even blew that concert away.

Trent, once again, came up with a way to "wow" me with his lighting layout, using what looked like security gates from mall storefronts, and turning them into a usable screen in the front of the stage for LED lights. Add the back LED panels (think a shorter version of the Fragile screens), and it made for some killer effects.

The setlist was great, adding in some songs that haven’t been heard live in a while (hopefully this will quiet some of the folks who have been disappointed in the last two set lists), and "Something I Can Never Have" was so perfectly haunting with hardly anyone singing along, perhaps in awe, or perhaps just to experience it like I was.

Trent stopped after "Hurt" to let everyone know the origins of the song, and to thank the fans for being there to support him in his music. It was kind of poignant, hearing this typically angry, rock of a man show the side we don’t get to see much. Some people may harp on him for being "soft", but personally, I like a musician with a few facets to them.

There was no encore, which I didn’t like, but to each artist their own...being a huge NIN fan, I could have stayed there all night and listened to his entire catalog...(well, maybe not the WHOLE thing…have you listened to "Purest Feeling" lately? [shudder]...)

I liked the re-hashed versions of some of the older songs, and even though it felt like Aaron phoned in a couple of songs ("Closer" being the one I noticed it most on), the band was pretty tight, VERY aggressive, and outstanding.

For me, this was the second best NIN concert that I have been fortunate enough to be a part of. The first being the NIN and David Bowie tour, but this is a VERY close second. And the Fillmore concert last year is a close third.

Thanks for listening!
-m-

So, I mostly agree with everything here, except for one thing: Daniel Ash was terrible. He couldn't lock with the drummer or bassist, which is essential for the groove. Peter was getting increasingly angry over this, plus the sound engineer didn't mix his matrix right, so most of the audience couldn't even hear the snare drum or the vocals! On the last song of the Bauhaus set, Daniel was so off-beat everyone around me was laughing - and these were people wearing Bauhaus shirts. I can't say I didn't enjoy them. I found it interesting that Peter told Daniel to eff off at the end of the set (this was after the dumping of liquids). In Daniel's defense, it's possible he was having trouble hearing them, but I couldn't tell if he was wearing in-ear monitors, and he definitely wasn't sending typical signals to the monitor mix engineer.

Tom - you make good points about the mix. It's probably why I didn't even mention Kevin...he's typically great, and probably was that night, but got overshadowed by the overmix of Ash and the undermix of the vocals. I definitely noticed that, but thought that perhaps it was just how they wanted it...though I couldn't fathom why.

Thanks for your comments!
-m-

Thanks for the awesome review and set lists!
I saw the NIN/Bauhaus show in D.C. and then in Detroit this month, in June.
I'm a Bauhaus newbie and your song list was very helpful. Seeing them live has really gotten my interest.
I loved Daniel Ash, actually.
Am I missing out on something?
I went to the concert twice in the month of June and I saw no negative chemistry between Murphy and Ash.
The action of Murphy dropping rose petals on Ash seemed a little odd to me.
But you were right on in saying Peter Murphy has an amazing command of the stage.
But what's with the big staff he carries around?

As for NIN, I haven't seen them since the 90's, but it all came back when I woke up and went to the concert a few weeks ago.
At first I was like WTF? when the cage-like structure came down. But the lighting special effects were awesome.

I also saw TV on the Radio for the first concert and thought they were good.
The second show, in Detroit, was opened up by some chick named "Peaches" and she sucked.
She used cheap innuendo and slutty lyrics to compensate for her lack of talent.
It seemed everyone around me found her equally as annoying.

This bullcrap of no water bottles being allowed in the venue sucks, especially when the band just throws their own water bottles into the audience anyway.
And the first concert I went to, the one in D.C. early this month didn't allow cameras unless they were disposable. The security chick said it was a policy of the tour, not the venue.
So I brought only a crappy disposable to the second concert I attended, the one in Detroit. They allowed real cameras as well.
WTF?

Raven,

Thanks for taking the time to post a comment. I really appreciate it. And you are definitely welcome for the set lists. I had some help on that from the Bauhaus message board, but had a mental list going that was confirmed by them.

I'm glad you enjoyed the concerts...I wish I could have gone to more this year, because I really enjoy the outdoor venues, and they are hitting a LOT of them it seems. You really gotta get to Red Rocks one of these days. It's truly one of the best places on the planet to see a concert.

Cheers,
-Myles-

So what is this about some kind of tension between Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash?
I didn't pick up on anything and I know very little of the band as it is.
I'd be interesting in learning more though.
I just got my PATHETIC pictures back today. Digital cameras take awful pictures, but ones better than nothing.
Were you allowed to bring a camera and/or bottle water?

Raven,

The night at Red Rocks, there was definitely some tension...not sure if a thorn from the roses was the cause, or if it had just been building, with the two magnetic points pulling each other, but for whatever reason, they just snapped that night and kind of had this on-going cat fight during the show.

Peter likes to control the stage, and so does Ash, so it's probably just that this particular night they clashed. They don't really have a history of that kind of thing, but who knows, maybe in their older age, they are getting more sensitive to the power plays...

No bottles at all at Red Rocks, and no cameras, either, unless you snuck them in.

There are some great shots of our concert and venue here: http://www.ptah.us/nin/ that will give you an idea of what Red Rocks is all about.

Cheers!
-m-

Those pictures are GREAT!
Can I take and use them?
For my scrapbook... message board and whatnot?

I saw on the official bauhaus message board that it appears they are breaking up.
There have been some crappy shows in Europe, and one thing repeatedly speculated about is tension between Peter Murphy and Daniel Ash.
The first I'd heard of such a thing was here, so I thought you may be interested in seeing what happened in the concerts in Europe this week.

Their message board is:
http://www.bauhausmusik.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1678&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Raven,

Thanks for the follow-up...that kind of sucks, but if you're not having fun, there's really no reason to be on stage together (apart from the cash, I guess).

I'll have to check out their message boards to read all the gory details.

Cheers!
-Myles-

I've read extensively at the Bauhaus message board.
It basically seems to be fan speculation based on what has gone on in recent Bauhaus shows in Europe.

I'm a newbie there, but I'm learning alot.

The Dark Rooms message board is more broadly themed, but super cool.
If anything, check out the amazing pictures on the Bauhaus message board. There are even some videos that fans took.

Awesome!

That was a fkn great show! There is something that that band does to me, and man is it close to my heart. Thanks NIN!

Dude, thank you SO much for posting the setlist for both Bauhaus and Nine Inch Nails! I've been looking forever for the Bauhaus setlist and am glad I finally have found it! This concert was my first and it was amazing. I went into it being a Bauhaus newbie (knew a few songs, but only like three and they were their most popular songs), and was hoping to find this setlist so I can download those songs and get more into them. Thanks again! I can't believe that I witnessed something like that, it's not everyday you see Bauhaus!!!! It still feels like it was yesterday almost!

Matt, my pleasure and glad it was helpful. Yeah, it was a killer concert and I'm VERY glad to have been able to see them, too.

For more Bauhaus stuff, definitely check out http://www.bauhausmusik.com/forum/, which is the official forum for Bauhaus. They've got a lot of past tour info, reviews, etc. Definitely a great wealth of info for any fan.

Cheers!
-Myles-