Nine Inch Nails (NIИ) were one of the biggest and most iconic bands of the nineties, a decade known for having had a lot of great bands emerging. And the influence of many of those bands has been significant, and arguably beyond even recalling. Arguably, only the sixties was a more influential decade.
Yet, few bands can rightly claim to have had quite the pronounced influence as NIИ. Their mixture of the alternative rock that was then at it's peak, mixed with electronic sound. They came to be known as industrial rock, yet there was a then relatively new sound to them which, since, has become quite the norm. Much of their music, when stripped down, features catchy tunes, but the extra, electronic mix and alternative rock sound lent their music and image a very dark feel, which made them fit right into the whole nineties scene. Mix all of that with mysterious, somber, and sometimes even almost dangerous lyrics, and you had a hell of a band.
Back in the nineties, they were not my favorite band, admittedly. In fact, they kind of remained on the periphery of my musical interests. Oh, I got some of their albums, and certainly, I did not turn the dial when their music came on the radio, which it did often back in those early days. Yet, they just were not a band that I made a point of going to see in concert. I guess you can say I almost did, or believed that I was going to, when a friend of mine promised me a ticket to see the David Bowie/Nine Inch Nails tour, back in the mid-nineties. Unfortunately, he got my hopes up, and that was not a show that I would actually attend. That kind of left a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, I did not bend over backwards to make a point of seeing them at the time.
Many years later, I would finally see them. For me, they admittedly were not the main attraction. They were touring with Soundgarden, back in the summer of 2014. And of course, I enjoyed the music of both bands, but was more a fan of Soundgarden. Still, the prospect of finally seeing NIИ was one of the main draws, and so I finally went to see them, nearly two decades after the disappointment of not seeing that show, back at the height of their popularity in the mid-90's. It was a great show, and NIИ was especially impressive, particularly with the guy I went with. He criticized Soundgarden for sounding out of practice, at once point thinking himself witty when he sarcastically answered Chris Cornell's lyrics "I've been away for too long" by insinuating that it sure sounded like it. I reminded him that at least part of the reason why NIИ sounded much closer to the sound of their albums was that it was electronic, which is to say, it did not rely as exclusively on actual musical instruments as Soundgarden obviously did. He conceded the point, although not with any particular enthusiasm.
Finally, I has seen NIИ, one of the last really big nineties bands that I had not seen yet by then. And I'm glad that I finally did see them, because they certainly have not been hugely active recently.
In a recent interview (see the link below), Trent Reznow speaks about why he has not been touring lately, and also talks about what at least he perceives as the back seat that music takes these days, at least in terms of societal importance. Some interesting stuff. Take a look:
Trent Reznor Explains Why He's Not Interested in Touring Anymore, Comments on Music's 'Lack of Importance' in Today's World "The importance of music in today's world, from my perspective, is a little defeating." JorgeM93 JorgeM93 [UG Writer], June 18, 2023:
https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/trent_reznor_explains_why_hes_not_interested_in_touring_anymore_comments_on_musics_lack_of_importance_in_todays_world.html?fbclid=IwAR3Ehzm1fXlab-yRiRR-MxcUYtqP2_DslVYcx9seuMAhaLdli1hHv2JEfDg
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