Nine Inch Nails Manchester Apollo
I waited 16 years to see NIN from the first day I was standing in Caroline music in Belfast transfixed by the video of 'Down In It'. I waited a couple of months before my mate bought pretty hate machine, he didn’t like it because they used backing tapes… I bought PHM from Britannia two years later on CD after the tape I had finally gave up the ghost. So I listened to NIN continually in my formative years, much to the annoyance of my brother whom I shared a room with at the time. I then discovered the joy of band t-shirts and bought my first NIN t-shirt (Now I am Nothing Black Puff logo shirt) on the 10 th of July 1992 in the Price that was at the entrance of Eldon Square in Newcastle .

That NIN T-shirt I have worn to every GIG I have ever been too (notably Nirvana) other than REM

And so began my downward spiral into a NIN fanatic. I have it all tributes. All the singles about ten t-shirts and every track they have ever released/recorded in one format or another. But alas as a NIN fan it was a lonely time… none of my mates liked them.

A couple nodded and said they where all right, but these where the days of GNR and later Metallica's black album...So they toured and I had no one to go with

They toured with the Downward Spiral. They even played Dublin, but I had no one to go with because it clashed with the Northwest 200 which I went to and got food poisoning and spent the week in bed.

Then I moved to England ’s and waited patiently until they would release a new album and tour again. The Fragile gets released they play a couple of festivals and cancel a couple of them. Of course they where added to the bill long after the tickets ran out so I missed them again

Then waited for 6 years for a new album, just before With Teeth was released they had a couple of warm up shows and some gits on the presale list got their before then flogged the tickets for 520 a pair. Which I almost bought but then I got an email saying that they had added more dates. I was glad; my wallet was glad and the guy who put the last bid in wasn’t

So on the train up form Leeds in March me and my brother rang up and got two sets of tickets for Manchester on the 10 th of July 05.it was my intention to sell the tickets on eBay and try and make a tidy profit, but my conscious got the better of me and I gave them away to two of mates (Rick and Jo) who, rather kindly decided to drive down to the concert.

The road to Manchester was not a smooth one, the day after the concert I was due to graduate. So I postponed my graduation, I’d moved into a new flat, which was financially screwing me into the ground. But somehow I mustered enough money for a hotel and a t-shirt. So I waited and waited.

On the Sunday morning before the gig Rick and Jo turned up, we chucked all our belongings into the boot of his car and made are way to Manchester . We intended to be down there for about one thirty so we could meet up with Mark (Twilight) and his mate Holly

We made good time and turned up are Hotel the Golden tulip near old Trafford, which is an exceptionally nice hotel, wandered up to the tram link and got into the city centre. Now my knowledge of Manchester is limited, so much so that I know three bars and two hotels. One such bar is the Wetherspoons near the Thistle Hotel (where Mark was staying) so we jumped in there it was air-conditioned and full of NIN fans. So settled down to a couple of Hours chucking cider down my neck.

Pretty uneventful really Tam got talking to a couple of NIN fans, I spoke to a few about the support act Saul Williams and Mark and Holly turned up about half four. I kept chucking cider down my neck and it was having no effect on me because I was being annoyingly up beat about the whole thing.

As we left the bar, I asked the bar man where the Apollo was and his direction where, ‘Ten minutes that way then turn left’ this is bloody Manchester what type of directions are those.

Unperturbed by the barman’s lack of geographical knowledge or comprehensive directions and now armed with Marks map of Manchester , we set off with the determination that I’m not known for.

Our enthusiasm was not dampened even when we could not identify the street we where heading too because Mark had Written GIG HERE in big letters over the street name, nor when we doubled back on ourselves twice. Or when we asked for directions again and they bloke looked at us like we where insane and grunted and pointed…we also discovered we where holding the map upside down. I was surprised as anyone when I found out Goths were crap at orienteering

So we jumped in taxis, and joined the diminishing queue that led into the venue, once in there it looked like an old cinema and I went and bought the coolest NIN t-shirt I have seen. Only to shock everyone when I found out that it was a skinny fit one (imagine me in a cat suit) not disappointed I decided to take bulimia up as hobby as soon as the gig ended so I could fit into it.

The first thing you notice about the place when I took my seat was that the balcony seemed to sweep all the way down to the stage with the standing areas below being completely covered. The second thing I noticed was that it was about 86.5 degrees inside and the band hadn’t even started yet.

Saul Williams came on and I will be the first to admit I was not looking forward to this; I like old rap music and dislike more than a lot of things this new bling music phenomenon. However Saul is the way rap should be it is urban protest music. The best track he played was telegram (or was it telegraph) Saul deserves to be huge; the best way I can describe his music is Alec Empire with a tune and the ability to speak English. It was really hard edge rap

By the time Saul Williams left the stage, I had received a text from Mark telling me that he was going to die of heat exhaustion and the ceiling had started to glisten with the first hints of Sweat.

NIN came on with Pinion echoing around the Hall, and burst on to Wish. It was fantastic, the stage show was not the downward spiral tour or fragility but it kept with the intimacy of the venue and cast these amazing shadows on the sidewall.

The sound was impeccable and the Fragile tracks sound better live than on the CD. The set list had no surprises other than ‘Home’ and the omission of the new single ‘Only’

It really was an onslaught of Anthem after anthem, ‘Closer’ was mixed in with ‘Down in it’ which was pant wettingly good as was Burn and Head like a Hole,

The Boys on stage seemed to be having a good time as was the crowd, who seemed to know all the songs and I have never been to see a band where everyone is singing back at such a chuffed looking lead singer.

The only notable things that happened was that Trent gave his guitar to some fella which was rather funny as was when the lights cut out half way through ‘Suck’ (Trent said ‘just to get you in the mood’ which made me titter) and the obligatory smashing up of some instruments which scuppered the hope of an encore

Oh and I’m convinced I seen Joanne at the Gig which made me shudder more than anyone can possibly imagine

All too soon the Gig came to an end with one of their weakest songs starfuckers and Head Like A Hole.

By the time we left the venue, I was drenched (I had no idea Knees and elbows could sweat) Tam had been in the toilet trying not pass out, Jo had had to suffer the horror of her husband taking his t-shirt off, Mark and Holly looked as thought they had lost a couple of pounds.

We all sauntered down to the nearest garage where we had to wait out side (apparently they have a policy Goths unaccompanied by the Prince of Darkness will have to wait outside) necked a bottled of water, hopped on the a taxis, went back to my hotel to burn my sweat drenched clothes and wait for Marty (Slainte) to arrive by plane for Mondays gig.

The gig was fantastic, absolutely brilliant and to my sense of euphoria has still not abated. Roll on the autumn/ spring tour, which should hopefully bring them back to our shores, a new album apparently next year.

I sang myself hoarse and danced like an idiot. My only complaint was they did not play my three favourite tracks off the new album and it was unbelievably hot (so much so that Rick took his top off… erg)

A great gig and a fitting birthday for my first NIN T-shirt. Below are a rough estimation of the songs played, I was too busy singing at the top of my voice and dancing badly to take too much note (I have some photos which I have ‘borrowed’ from Echoing the Sound website

Pinion
Wish (9/10)
Sin (10/10)
March Of the Pigs(all the pigs all lined up)(10/10)
The Line begins to Blur (8/10)
Something I can never have (8/10)
The Hand that feeds (8/10)
Terrible Lie (10/10)
Burn (10/10)
Closer(with Down in it)(10.5/10)
Reptile (9/10)
The Frail (9/10)
The Wretched(9/10)
Home (7/10)
Suck (10/10)
No You Don’t (9/10)
Love Is Not enough (10/10)
Hurt (10/100
Gave Up (10/10)
Do You Know What You Are? (9/10)
Starfuckers Inc (6/10)
Head Like A hole (10/10)