Peaches, Bauhaus, and Nine Inch Nails
Sunday night was the best five hours of my life.
Prepare for fangirling, rambling, and long paragraphs.
We had to get there early so we could find a meeting spot after the show. The only problem was that the stage Joan Jett was going to be playing on was on the opposite side of the festival grounds, so we basically walked down there for nothing. My mom let my sister and me ride the sky glider thing back to the Amphitheater because I really didn't want to be all sweaty before the concert even started.
Peaches:
My seat turned out to be dead center and not far at all from the stage. I was really disappointed in the audience, though. When Peaches came onstage, only about 30% of the amphitheater was filled and the people next to me were making snide remarks. Hardly anyone was standing. I thought they were very entertaining...two keytars and some sexual liberation. All the people behind me were talking about how Peaches and I have the same hair. Haha. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, since she kind of looked like Tim Curry from Rocky Horror from where I was sitting. Honestly, I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened during the show. I loved the whole pink and black thing, as well as the 'XXX' cape and the song "Two Guys for Every Girl". And that's when the man-on-man action started.
Bauhaus:
When they were setting up for Bauhaus, it was really surreal. I still can't believe the whole thing really happened. Still, only about half of the audience was now there. The majority of the people were sitting. At that rate, Bauhaus will never come back here! :( This was the first time since 1997 that they came here, so this really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I really started shaking when roses were being placed on the drum riser and I could see Daniel Ash in the wing wearing a furry white jacket and white-rimmed sunglasses. I also saw Peter who was wearing a cowboy hat, which made me question at first whether or not it really was him. During "Double Dare" when Peter sang, "I daaaare youuu to be real," he pointed at me! At first, I didn't believe it, but I looked around and realized that everyone in a 20-foot radius around me was sitting down and I was at eye level with him and I was wearing my super-shiny neon blue and pink Bowie shirt. Not to mention that I was one of about...five people I could see that were actually enjoying Bauhaus. It kind of scared me, actually. The only other person dancing as much as me was this darkwave goth chick who was doing the "cobwebs in the attic" dance, which was kind of lame. Anyway, Peter was so unbelievably graceful. His make-up was perfect his clothes were perfect. Hell, everyone looked great. Especially Daniel Ash, even though he and David J wore their sunglasses at...dusk. Peter also had this huge wooden stick he used/threw around a lot and he hung on it like it was a cross during "Stigmata Martyr". Then he stuffed a rose down his shirt and a bunch of petals magically came spilling out of the bottom like blood. I was absolutely ecstatic when they played "She's in Parties", which is my favorite Bauhaus song. For the middle synth-y part, Peter took what looked like a mini-keyboard that was tied around his neck and I'd love to know what the hell that was because he was blowing into it while playing it like a keyboard. Daniel Ash busted out the alto sax a couple of times, which I was really impressed with. I finally figured out how he got certain sounds from his guitar -- a violin bow. "The Three Shadows Part II" (or was it "Severance"?) was absolutely amazing. Peter started off sitting on this box that was glowing from the top and he finally stood up and did this strange, hypnotic, birdlike dance throughout the song. His voice was absolutely flawless. Their light show was amazing. It would have been so much better if it was at night, though. Basically, they were dramatic, decadent, and more than I ever imagined. Peter was all over the stage (and Daniel).
Bauhaus' Set List:
Double Dare
In the Flat Field
God in an Alcove
She's in Parties
Endless Summer of the Damned (new song that I just happened to know, since I got a bootleg of it from a Bauhaus LiveJournal community)
Severance (Dead Can Dance cover)
The Three Shadows Part II
Rosegarden Funeral of Sores
Silent Hedges
Stigmata Martyr
Dark Entries
That's basically how it went, but I may have mixed a few up. "The Spy in the Cab" might have been in there somewhere, too, but that might have been from some crazy dream I had. It would have been even better if they would have played "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and/or their cover of Joy Division's "Transmission", though. (And "Mask", "Spirit", and their cover of "Ziggy Stardust".) I seriously need to see Bauhaus again, but somewhere where the venue is smaller and darker. I'm glad they played for about an hour, but I definitely would have liked to have seen more.
Toward the end of their set, the guy sitting next to me finally decided to show up, which unfortunately severely limited my dancing space because he barely fit into his seat. For the rest of the evening, he chain-smoked, leaving a huge pile of cigarette butts on the ground. Since he didn't want to step in his own mess, he kept scooting closer to me so that I was sandwiched between him and the couple next to me, who were all over each other.
Nine Inch Nails:
Nine Inch Nails took forever to set up, but it was definitely worth the wait. They had this huge steel curtain that looked like a barbed wire fence (über-industrial) that actually had lights in it. Their lighting was a spectacle in itself...very seizure-worthy. The background alternated between what looked like moving water and lava. It was a million times better than any laser show I've ever seen. I've never seen a crowd that crazy before, either. At some points they were louder than the band, who was playing brutally. It was like ritual. Someone decided to throw huge glow-sticks (extremely un-industrial) into the crowd for when there were moments of darkness, but the audience decided to throw them at each other. At one point, one came torpedoing at my head and thank God for that Bauhaus-induced adrenaline, otherwise I would have been injured by a raver. Eww. Getting back on track, I was very pleased with NIN's set. They played a lot of older material, especially from Pretty Hate Machine (my favorite album of their's) and The Downward Spiral. I think they opened up with a new song, which I didn't know because I don't have With Teeth, but then they played "Terrible Lie" and "Closer". "Closer" was really hot because the big metal gate had red lights that were pulsing up and down to the beat and Trent Reznor molested Aaron North, their very attractive guitarist, for a good 20 seconds. Then Trent walked back where the big screens were and all you could see was his writhing silhouette for the rest of the song. In between songs, they played a lot of lovely keyboard and synth instrumentals. Getting to see and hear "Hurt" and "La Mer" performed live was a real treat. Toward the end of their set, Mr. Reznor announced that he was going to bring out a "very good friend" of his and I expected it to be someone from Marilyn Manson or something, so I was completely shocked and giddy when Peter Murphy walked onto the stage. Then NIN started playing Peter Murphy's cover of Pere Ubu's "Final Solution" and Trent and Peter performed the song as a duet (while Peter was practically getting mauled by Trent). It was amazing, but I still think it's odd that the two are allegedly good friends. ...And then they launced into "Head Like a Hole" and I am now one step closer to dying happy. Nine Inch Nails played for about two hours, so I'm not going to go into more detail, or else I'll be writing a novel. I wish they would have played "Big Man with a Gun" and/or "Ringfinger" somewhere in there, but the show was fabulous, nonetheless.
When everyone was exiting, some people in the front were staying behind, which kind of worried me because I was all, "What if Bauhaus comes out to talk with people or something!?" But I had to meet my mom and my sister outside because they had just finished watching Joan Jett. At that point, I was worried that Bauhaus might be outside talking to people, but I didn't see them anywhere. I hope we didn't leave too soon that I missed my chance getting to meet them. But then again, I was disgustingly sweaty, I could barely stand, let alone walk normally, so I didn't really want to be seen in that state. Plus, it's a huge venue, so they probably wouldn't have been able to sign autographs or anything, even if they wanted to.
Prepare for fangirling, rambling, and long paragraphs.
We had to get there early so we could find a meeting spot after the show. The only problem was that the stage Joan Jett was going to be playing on was on the opposite side of the festival grounds, so we basically walked down there for nothing. My mom let my sister and me ride the sky glider thing back to the Amphitheater because I really didn't want to be all sweaty before the concert even started.
Peaches:
My seat turned out to be dead center and not far at all from the stage. I was really disappointed in the audience, though. When Peaches came onstage, only about 30% of the amphitheater was filled and the people next to me were making snide remarks. Hardly anyone was standing. I thought they were very entertaining...two keytars and some sexual liberation. All the people behind me were talking about how Peaches and I have the same hair. Haha. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, since she kind of looked like Tim Curry from Rocky Horror from where I was sitting. Honestly, I wasn't really surprised by anything that happened during the show. I loved the whole pink and black thing, as well as the 'XXX' cape and the song "Two Guys for Every Girl". And that's when the man-on-man action started.
Bauhaus:
When they were setting up for Bauhaus, it was really surreal. I still can't believe the whole thing really happened. Still, only about half of the audience was now there. The majority of the people were sitting. At that rate, Bauhaus will never come back here! :( This was the first time since 1997 that they came here, so this really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I really started shaking when roses were being placed on the drum riser and I could see Daniel Ash in the wing wearing a furry white jacket and white-rimmed sunglasses. I also saw Peter who was wearing a cowboy hat, which made me question at first whether or not it really was him. During "Double Dare" when Peter sang, "I daaaare youuu to be real," he pointed at me! At first, I didn't believe it, but I looked around and realized that everyone in a 20-foot radius around me was sitting down and I was at eye level with him and I was wearing my super-shiny neon blue and pink Bowie shirt. Not to mention that I was one of about...five people I could see that were actually enjoying Bauhaus. It kind of scared me, actually. The only other person dancing as much as me was this darkwave goth chick who was doing the "cobwebs in the attic" dance, which was kind of lame. Anyway, Peter was so unbelievably graceful. His make-up was perfect his clothes were perfect. Hell, everyone looked great. Especially Daniel Ash, even though he and David J wore their sunglasses at...dusk. Peter also had this huge wooden stick he used/threw around a lot and he hung on it like it was a cross during "Stigmata Martyr". Then he stuffed a rose down his shirt and a bunch of petals magically came spilling out of the bottom like blood. I was absolutely ecstatic when they played "She's in Parties", which is my favorite Bauhaus song. For the middle synth-y part, Peter took what looked like a mini-keyboard that was tied around his neck and I'd love to know what the hell that was because he was blowing into it while playing it like a keyboard. Daniel Ash busted out the alto sax a couple of times, which I was really impressed with. I finally figured out how he got certain sounds from his guitar -- a violin bow. "The Three Shadows Part II" (or was it "Severance"?) was absolutely amazing. Peter started off sitting on this box that was glowing from the top and he finally stood up and did this strange, hypnotic, birdlike dance throughout the song. His voice was absolutely flawless. Their light show was amazing. It would have been so much better if it was at night, though. Basically, they were dramatic, decadent, and more than I ever imagined. Peter was all over the stage (and Daniel).
Bauhaus' Set List:
Double Dare
In the Flat Field
God in an Alcove
She's in Parties
Endless Summer of the Damned (new song that I just happened to know, since I got a bootleg of it from a Bauhaus LiveJournal community)
Severance (Dead Can Dance cover)
The Three Shadows Part II
Rosegarden Funeral of Sores
Silent Hedges
Stigmata Martyr
Dark Entries
That's basically how it went, but I may have mixed a few up. "The Spy in the Cab" might have been in there somewhere, too, but that might have been from some crazy dream I had. It would have been even better if they would have played "Bela Lugosi's Dead" and/or their cover of Joy Division's "Transmission", though. (And "Mask", "Spirit", and their cover of "Ziggy Stardust".) I seriously need to see Bauhaus again, but somewhere where the venue is smaller and darker. I'm glad they played for about an hour, but I definitely would have liked to have seen more.
Toward the end of their set, the guy sitting next to me finally decided to show up, which unfortunately severely limited my dancing space because he barely fit into his seat. For the rest of the evening, he chain-smoked, leaving a huge pile of cigarette butts on the ground. Since he didn't want to step in his own mess, he kept scooting closer to me so that I was sandwiched between him and the couple next to me, who were all over each other.
Nine Inch Nails:
Nine Inch Nails took forever to set up, but it was definitely worth the wait. They had this huge steel curtain that looked like a barbed wire fence (über-industrial) that actually had lights in it. Their lighting was a spectacle in itself...very seizure-worthy. The background alternated between what looked like moving water and lava. It was a million times better than any laser show I've ever seen. I've never seen a crowd that crazy before, either. At some points they were louder than the band, who was playing brutally. It was like ritual. Someone decided to throw huge glow-sticks (extremely un-industrial) into the crowd for when there were moments of darkness, but the audience decided to throw them at each other. At one point, one came torpedoing at my head and thank God for that Bauhaus-induced adrenaline, otherwise I would have been injured by a raver. Eww. Getting back on track, I was very pleased with NIN's set. They played a lot of older material, especially from Pretty Hate Machine (my favorite album of their's) and The Downward Spiral. I think they opened up with a new song, which I didn't know because I don't have With Teeth, but then they played "Terrible Lie" and "Closer". "Closer" was really hot because the big metal gate had red lights that were pulsing up and down to the beat and Trent Reznor molested Aaron North, their very attractive guitarist, for a good 20 seconds. Then Trent walked back where the big screens were and all you could see was his writhing silhouette for the rest of the song. In between songs, they played a lot of lovely keyboard and synth instrumentals. Getting to see and hear "Hurt" and "La Mer" performed live was a real treat. Toward the end of their set, Mr. Reznor announced that he was going to bring out a "very good friend" of his and I expected it to be someone from Marilyn Manson or something, so I was completely shocked and giddy when Peter Murphy walked onto the stage. Then NIN started playing Peter Murphy's cover of Pere Ubu's "Final Solution" and Trent and Peter performed the song as a duet (while Peter was practically getting mauled by Trent). It was amazing, but I still think it's odd that the two are allegedly good friends. ...And then they launced into "Head Like a Hole" and I am now one step closer to dying happy. Nine Inch Nails played for about two hours, so I'm not going to go into more detail, or else I'll be writing a novel. I wish they would have played "Big Man with a Gun" and/or "Ringfinger" somewhere in there, but the show was fabulous, nonetheless.
When everyone was exiting, some people in the front were staying behind, which kind of worried me because I was all, "What if Bauhaus comes out to talk with people or something!?" But I had to meet my mom and my sister outside because they had just finished watching Joan Jett. At that point, I was worried that Bauhaus might be outside talking to people, but I didn't see them anywhere. I hope we didn't leave too soon that I missed my chance getting to meet them. But then again, I was disgustingly sweaty, I could barely stand, let alone walk normally, so I didn't really want to be seen in that state. Plus, it's a huge venue, so they probably wouldn't have been able to sign autographs or anything, even if they wanted to.