The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Last night Nine Inch Nails' Lights in the Sky tour stopped in Ottawa and it was a fantastic show. Unfortunately, the turnout wasn't as high as it's been in other venues: just under 4,000 people were in attendance. But it didn't seem to matter, as lead singer Trent Reznor energetically led a 2 hour show that combined great sound with fantastic visuals. One of the best uses of the special effects on hand may be hard to explain in writing, but picture a light "curtain", sort of like the sliding screen door that leads to your patio, encircling the stage and the band members. The flashing lights, pictures, illusions of water, and sand illuminating all in bright bold colours by this screen, really added to the concert. Even tracks of off the recent Ghosts I-IV, which is strictly instrumental and not something I would tune into voluntarily, were passable with the light show that accompanied the performance.

The selection of songs spanned all of their albums and was a good mix that got the crowd going, but just two minor complaints: First, they didn't play my favourite song, The Perfect Drug. Second, the encore was rather tame. Maybe I'm a tad predictable, but I prefer encores with high-tempo music that has you leave the show on more of a high. A minor quibble though, to a really great show.