Having seen neither of these groups in concert before, I wasn't really sure what to expect, but, come on, it's Soundgarden and NIN, so I pretty much figured no matter what it was going to be worth the ticket price. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED!!!
Soundgarden was absolutely fantastic!! Their stage show was somewhat low-key but their energy didn't suffer for that in the least. Chris Cornell's voice is mesmerizing and as strong as ever—maybe stronger. And the camaraderie of the group throughout the show was palpable. It was really special to see them for the first time and made me really thankful that they got back together!!
NIN had, hands down, the most bizarre concert start I've ever seen… I don't know if it was intentional or not, but the house lights were still up when Trent Reznor came out on stage and started working his magic with his keyboard, but there were a lot of people (including myself) who didn't even realize it was him!! After about a minute, realization settled in, right about the time that the next band member came out…and over the next few minutes they all straggled out one by one. It was really weird, but in retrospect, not entirely unexpected for Trent Reznor! Before seeing NIN, I declared that Muse had the best stage show of ANY touring group—ever. AFTER seeing NIN, I'm not so sure!! NIN's stage show was nothing short of SPECTACULAR through every single minute of the show!!! The laser lights, the background screens, the sound system…the whole NIN visual show was the perfect foundation for Trent's voice and energy. I will definitely see NIN again!!