THE COMEDOWN

What did I make it? Three days? Four?

Four days before I fell off. It wasn't intentional, but I just kind of forgot.

Saturday night, I went to see my friends band play at Urban Lounge, which isn't the best place for a small show. Bar shows are weird in general, because most people are there for the bar first and the band second, and that's not a concept that I ever dealt with in all my years of playing shows.

It made me (kind of) miss playing shows on a regular basis, but not enough to deal with all the other stuff that goes into being in a band full time. And by that I mean, finding a place to practice, coming to a compromise on what kind of stuff to play, figuring out and working around the schedules of three to four other people in their 30's with wives, families, full time jobs, etc.

Probably the biggest thing though is that I never really got as much out of being in a band compared to how much effort I put into them. The music should have just been enough, but there was so much other stuff that went with it, that I kind of soured on the whole thing. Maybe that will change.

I watched Dan, Matt, Chase and Drew play the other night and had a little urge to come out of retirement, but not a lot. Especially not to play at 10:30 at not even half-full bar. And the size of the crowd wasn't because of them. They've only played one other show, and it just seems that not as many people are interested in hardcore/punk anymore. All the kids are into EDM and DJ's and stuff like that. Probably because they're all on drugs.

But aside from that, Run Into The Sun is really good and you should listen to them. I'll make it easy for you.

With that, I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with more things to ramble about.

TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO.

I had three bands on my "bucket list" and I checked the second one off last week.

Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden and Bruce Springsteen (I once made noise about wanting to see the rumored Slayer/Anthrax/Megadeth/Metallica tour, but I don't actually care about any of those bands anymore) were the three bands I'd never seen live but always wanted to. I kind of figured that it would never happen, since Springsteen never comes anywhere near Salt Lake and neither Soundgarden or Nine Inch Nails were actually bands anymore.

Never say never, I guess.

I got the chance to see Nine Inch Nails last fall for the first time, and I got to see them again last week. They put on an amazing show last time I saw them, so I was looking forward to what they'd do this time. What they did this time was bring Soundgarden as their opening act.

Casey, Oz and I drove out to Denver last weekend to catch the show at Red Rocks Ampitheater, which is about half an hour outside of town. It's built into the side of the mountain and one of the coolest venues I've ever been to. The views are amazing and the sound is incredible (though it's a little bit of a hike to get to, and getting out afterwards takes far longer than I would have liked).

Before the show started, I had no idea what to expect from it. I'd never gotten confirmation on just whose tour it was: was NIN opening for Soundgarden? Was it the other way around? Were they co-headlining and trading off each night? I was a little stressed, because while I love Soundgarden, I wanted NIN to play for as long as possible. Turned out to be a Nine Inch Nails tour, with Soundgarden as support.

Casey, Oz and I hit up the cafe to eat French fries during the ambient DJ that was opening the show and we got back to our seats just as Soundgarden dropped the curtain in front of the stage and launched into "Searching with My Good Eye Closed" and didn't let up for over an hour. They didn't have as much time as they would have liked, so they stuck mostly to the hits, but threw in a few of the less popular tracks, which was awesome. They played "Like Suicide" and "The Day I Tried to Live" and closed their set with "Slaves & Bulldozers" which just left a huge smile on my face.

Soundgarden sounded perfect, but they're kind of boring to watch. It didn't lessen my enjoyment, but it was a little bit of a letdown. Kind of looked like they were just going through the motions at times, but at least I got to see them.

The beginning of NIN's set caught me by surprise because there was literally nothing on the stage until Trent Reznor walked out, stood next to a single light and hit a few buttons on a sequencer. "Copy of A" started, and one by one, the rest of his band joined him across the front of the stage. Huge, LED screens moved behind each of them and the show got underway.

The setlist was very similar to what they played last year when I saw them (with a few exceptions, like taking out "Reptile" which was a bummer, but adding in "Closer" and "1,000,000" so it was okay), but the stage show this time was much more involved and intricate. There was also a smaller band this time, which made it easier for the seven (!) screens to be moved around while everyone was playing their instruments.

Totally worth the trip out there (and I'd never been to Denver before, which is an awesome city that we'll talk about a little bit more), I've hit two out of three and now I'm just waiting on The Boss. Let's get to it, Bruce.

THE DAY I TRIED TO LIVE

Last fall I drove to Las Vegas to see Nine Inch Nails and it was amazing. You probably remember me writing about it for two months before and after the show. I bet you were also pretty sick of hearing about it.

Well guess what? I'm seeing them again this summer!

They're touring with Soundgarden, too. I used to really, really want to see them but kind of lost interest when they reunited. I figured they'd put on a good show, but I wasn't interested in traveling to see them. But now that they're playing with Nine Inch Nails? Sign me up!

I tried to get tickets in Las Vegas, but I couldn't so no Ronald's, Society Cafe or Twin Peaks for me this time. Instead I'm hitting up Red Rocks in Colorado. Should be fun. This is my way of bragging about it.

NINE INCH NAILS - TENSION 2013

Hi.

Remember how I've spent the last month or so talking about how excited I was to see Nine Inch Nails, then how much fun I had at the show and how amazing it was?

Now I can prove it to you. Last week Vevo released a high-definition video of the band's show in Los Angeles last month. I've watched it a couple of times already and I love everything about it. There's a full-length DVD in the works for next year, which I'm sure I'll buy because why the hell wouldn't I?

There's also a two-part behind the scenes video (part 1 and part 2) that shows Trent Reznor, Rob Sheridan and the rest of the crew putting everything together for the festival shows they did this past summer. Right when that was finished, and before they left for tour, Reznor decided that everything they'd put together was a "cop out" and they should do something different for the U.S. tour. A month before they left, he brought in a bass player and two back-up singers and had Sheridan re-imagine the entire design.

Reznor seems kind of hard to work for, but amazing to work for at the same time. He's constantly pushing everyone to make things better, and I bet it makes things incredibly difficult at times but immensely rewarding after it's all finished.

Like I wrote in my other piece, The Joint (where I saw the show), was basically a theater so there were limits to what they could do with the stage show. They couldn't raise and lower the huge LED screens that you see in the video, which is kind of disappointing, but again, I think I'd rather have seen them in a small theater than an arena. I don't know though. I'm still working through it in my head.

Either way, the video is embedded below. You should watch it. Better yet, you should pull it up on your giant HD flat screen and watch in your living room.

Now that this is finished, I'll probably stop talking about Nine Inch Nails for a while and we'll get back to random other things that make you love me.

 

TENSION

I'm 9 days away from driving to Las Vegas and ten days away from checking one of the few remaining boxes off my "Bands I'd like to see while I still can" list.

I'm seeing Nine Inch Nails next weekend, and I couldn't be more excited.

They're on the list along with Bruce Springsteen... and that's pretty much it. I had to get realistic, and as much as I'd love to see Danzig-era Misfits, I know that's just impossible. Even if Danzig teamed up with Doyle and the rest of the guys for an all-Misfits set, I don't think I'd want to see it. That would just be depressing. That guy has kind of lost his mind. I've documented it a couple of times (like here and here) and he's done a few interviews lately that only reinforce that feeling. Look at this excerpt from his interview with The Village Voice last month:

Glenn also made some waves in the press when he commented to the L.A. Weekly about how he wouldn't have played Wolverine "as gay" as Hugh Jackman did in the X-Men movie. Then, of course, Danzig has revealed what may be interpreted as right wing leanings during his 2011 appearance on the Fox News program Red Eye as well as the "Democrats are fascists disguised as liberals" remark he made to Minneapolis City Pages earlier this year. Oh, and god forbid any journalist ask him about Tom Neely's Henry & Glenn Forever, which features Glenn in a non-explicit, PG-rated relationship with longtime friend Henry Rollins. It's this rigidity in his public persona that makes a photo of him grimacing while carrying kitty litter through a parking lot gain instant internet traction.

Any attempts to clarify his use of the term "gay" for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine performance or to discuss politics were met with outright hostility, a rant against political correctness and the paranoid accusation that the purpose of this interview was to smear his politics under the pretense of the paper's liberal agenda.

"FUCK YOU, FUCK YOUR SPIN, AND FUCK THE VILLAGE VOICE!" he yelled. 

That's a long-winded way of me letting you know that just about any band besides NIN or The Boss would probably be a massive disappointment.  Again, probably. I don't know for sure. Sometimes you take a chance on a reunion and it's great (i.e. The Descendents) and sometimes it's like watching old, out of shape guys trying to reclaim their glory days (i.e. Earth Crisis).

Springsteen is probably never coming to Salt Lake, so I'll have to make a real effort on that front and Vegas is the closest Nine Inch Nails is getting, but I'm not passing it up. From the pictures, videos and reviews I've been seeing it will be one thousand percent worth it.

Plus, it's Las Vegas so I'll get to hit up Ronald's for donuts, Society Cafe for Frosted Flake French Toast and Twin Peaks for comedy and the soul-crushing reminder that most dudes in Las Vegas are exactly what you think they are.

Add all those factors together and I'm really, really excited about it. If you want to check out more pictures of the current tour, go to the Nine Inch Nails Flickr or Tumblr sites. Totally worth it.

NIRVANA REUNITED!

Sub Pop Records still gets legitimate mail.

A mail carrier shows up at their office every day with letters and things that they have to go through. Earlier this week, they got what might have been one of the best letters of all time.

A young woman from Virginia Tech wrote a letter to Sub Pop asking if Nirvana would be interested in recording a video for their homecoming celebration. As she states in her letter, "It presents great publicity for them, and as Virginia Tech loves Nirvana, we'd love to have her in our video."

This is where it gets confusing. Aside from Kurt Cobain having been dead for almost 20(!) years, she thinks Nirvana is a "her." It's also July. But maybe they start planning homecoming really early when you're the mascot. I don't know. Most of my college experience was spent doing anything and everything besides campus-oriented events.

But either way, Sub Pop played along. The young lady left her phone number, so Sub Pop had "Nirvana" make a video and sent it to her via text. She was thrilled.

So hopefully no one at Virginia Tech spoils the joke before the video hits the stadium of wherever it ends up, because there's now a video of Mark Arm from Mudhoney and three Sup Pop employees - one of whom is wearing the hat from the 4 Non Blondes "What's Going On?" video - posing as Nirvana. Hopefully it makes it all the way through and they're featured alongside the Ying Yang Twins, Big N Rich and three NFL players.

If this is real, it's probably a form letter that was sent out to hundreds of people and bands trying to reel in anyone that would take the bait. It's also possible that one of the older people on the board (or whatever it is that puts these things together) got kind of sick of listening to this young lady and just started throwing out the most ridiculous names they could think of to see which she'd fall for. Either way, it's pretty funny.

Good work for playing along, Sub Pop!

TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES

Salt Lake City does some amazing things.

Every year they put on the Twilight Concert Series at Pioneer Park. It's every Thursday night from mid July until late September and it's $5. You hear that? It's $5. Total.

It used to be free, but they began charging money last year - probably to keep out the homeless people, Juggalos and people that didn't want to actually watch the show.

They always have some great bands and this year is no exception. Belle & Sebastian - a band from Glasgow, Scotland that I love - kicked things off last night, so of course I went. Blitzen Trapper opened, and I'm not a huge fan of theirs, so I mostly wandered around the park to take part in favorite pastime - people watching.

Luckily for you, I documented the whole thing via Twitter.

Tonight I start my Twilight Concert tradition of winking and smiling at every cute girl in hopes of becoming a Craigslist Missed Connection.
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 18, 2013

I may have to rethink this "wink and smile" strategy. It looks like 25,000 of these girls are still in high school. #TwilightConcertSeries
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - it's like browsing Instagram hashtags in real life!
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - Another year of blurring the lines between hipster fashion and legitimate homeless people.
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - Where high school kids come to smoke weed and yell their location into their cell phones!
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - Where every single girl stole her mom's jeans from 1987 and cut them into shorts.
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - Where every dude takes fashion tips from Justin Bieber and makes it douchier. #Swaggy
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - Where the guy in front of me AND his wife still own Teva's.
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - Seriously, are we allowed to use those White House petitions for ending twirly mustaches?
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - Where most of these girls seem to think they're auditioning for the remake of ALMOST FAMOUS.
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

Welcome to the 2013 #TwilightConcertSeries - All snark aside, Belle & Sebastian was awesome. Great show, SLC.
— Trevor Hale (@trevorhale) July 19, 2013

THE VAULT

I remember the first punk rock show I ever went to. It was Goldfinger, it was at Bricks and I was 16. I'd only heard a few songs of theirs from a mixtape that my friend Trace had made for me. I didn't really go to shows before that because I didn't have a car and I was kind of on my own for finding music. The only older kids I knew had been way into bands like U2 and INXS.

Bricks was (and still is in a lot of ways) kind of a shit hole. Each time you saw a show there, the stage was in a different place. This was before it was Club Sound and had a roof over the stage or an upstairs, or a separate bar. It's fancy now compared to what it used to be. When I saw Goldfinger, the stage was merely a big concrete slab against the back wall and since it was summer, they could play outside and not worry about it raining. There was also nothing else down there - no Gateway Mall, no tattoo shops, clubs or apartments -  so they didn't have to worry about anyone complaining about the sound. They played with Voo Doo Glow Skulls and a couple of other ska bands that I don't remember because I don't like ska. Goldfinger was kind of a ska band, but mostly a punk band and that's what I was in to. It was a fun show and I enjoyed it a lot.

That started me on a path of going to as many shows as I possibly could and I was back at Bricks the very next weekend to see Lagwagon and No Use For A Name. In between bands, we went outside and sat around. It had rained that morning, so the stage was inside, basically in the middle of the room. Trace and I went outside to sit down and on the wall behind where the stage was the last week, Goldfinger's set list was still taped up. I thought it would be kind of cool to have, so I grabbed it and put it in my pocket.

After that, I decided that I should try to get the set list at every show I went to. A guy that I knew had a basement covered in set lists from bands like ICP (he tried to convince me they were amazing when they first came through, I didn't buy it), Ween and Marilyn Manson. I figured punk bands would be way easier to get than bigger bands, so I started doing it.

I couldn't get them all the time, but I managed to get quite a few. They hung on the wall of my bedroom for a long time before I took them down. I figured I'd thrown them out, but a few weeks ago I was looking for something for my friend Clark, I found them in a box in my closet. So naturally, I had to break them out, scan them and throw them up on the internet.

There are kind of a lot of them, but they're pretty cool to see. I put them after the break with a little bit on each one. It would have been way too long for the front page, but you should check them out.

Do it. Don't be shy.

11/3

I was about to complain that there aren't any shows coming to SLC that I'm really excited for, but then I found out that The Toadies are touring with Helmet and stopping at The Depot this weekend.

Nineties revival in full effect. I'll probably have to break out the flannel shirts.

See you there?