NIN 2009 Part 4 - Backstage @ Camden

Now for the fourth and final installment for the Camden show (for Parts 1-3 see the posts below). This is the part where things really get crazy. After dinner, we were divided into two groups - one group that would get to watch the first half of NIN's set on stage and one group that would watch the second half. We really wanted to be in the first group so that we wouldn't have to miss much of the show, as the second group had to report backstage when they heard a certain song play so they were definitely going to miss a few songs. We made sure we were at the front of the line and got assigned to the first group so we were happy. We then went to our seats watch SSSC do their set. Our seats were good - fourth row behind the pit on Justin's side. Although we missed the first couple of songs but got to see most of it. They were awesome. Due to the cold temperatures and the rain you could actually see steam coming off of Tom Morello's head when he played. I tried to get some pics of this, but they really didn't come out too well.

After SSSC was finished we reported back to the room where we met the band and had dinner to get escorted to the stage. We were instructed not to touch anything as we could mess up the power or sound. We were also told that we were to stay in areas marked by orange tape on the ground. Our group was divided into people that would be on the left and those that would be on the right of the stage (we were on the right, Justin's side). This is where we got really lucky. I was first in the line for the people going to the right side of the stage, and we ended up being the first group to get escorted out there. This is key, as you will see in a minute. So there was a crew member who led us from the room through the venue, which was crowded, then through a "authorized personnel only" door, then down a hall. At the end of the hall was another door, and when we went through it we are on the back of the stage. It was totally pitch black and my eyes were having a really hard time adjusting to the sudden change. I just kept walking forward. Hops snapped a photo at this point which gives you a pretty good idea of what it was like - basically walking into darkness. If you look really hard, you can see the silhouette of Bill (the production guy who did the push-ups in Post 1) to the left of my head.

So I kept walking until all of a sudden in front of me I saw Robin. Justin was next to him and the were doing something to his guitar with a blue light. I just smiled really big and said "hi". They said "hi" back. Clearly we weren't supposed to back there yet until they were out on stage, but there we were. Then, out of the darkness comes Trent. He comes up to me and says "What you are witnessing is the beginning of a show". I could have died. I said something like "thanks", then Hops snapped a photo - with flash. Trent gave him a look like - why are you trying to blind me before I go on stage? Hops immediately apologized. Other people had at this point realized Trent was there and a couple of them tried to talk to him, but obviously he needed to get on the stage. So disappeared into the darkness. Then reappeared and said to me "Feel free to push up". So I followed he and the other guys out to the stage and stopped at the orange tape of the floor.

Here is the photo - a nice shot of Trent's elbow. You can see Justin behind Trent and Robin right in front. I was just off camera to the right.



So at this point, I really didn't have much of a view because a lot of the other people in our group were aggressively pushing up for the best spots and I'm really short. I was thinking this was going to stink if I couldn't see anything. Then there was a voice behind me - it was Keelie the nin.com rep - saying "no not here - go to your right, to you right!". I then realized we were supposed to actually walk behind the lights on the stage to get over to the right side where we were supposed to stand. I guess I was the first person to figure this out, so I just ran over to the other side and got the perfect position. It was awesome. I was still reeling from having that mini-conversation with Trent, and they were out there playing. Insanity.


The rest of the experience was basically watching the first 8 songs of the set. We were directly behind Justin, and also had good views of the guitar techs and drum tech so it was cool to see what they are up to during a show. We could see the entire crowd. We also saw all of the technical mishaps - a big one at the beginning of Burn which Trent was none too happy about. It was pretty cool. During one song Justin actually came back to us to ask us if we were having a good time. Duh! Of course - it was awesome! Its funny because I think some of the people were either too distracted by wanting to get pictures or felt like they couldn't move enough to really get into it, but I was jumping all over the place. The sound back stage is also weird - you can hear drums but not much guitar or vocals. Now I understand why they all have those packs with earpieces to hear themselves with. Hops took a ton of photos and a partial video too:



Eventually Keelie came back to tell us it was time to take off so the next group could get their chance. Leaving the stage was really disorienting because again it was really dark, you couldn't hear anyone very well, and there was smoke everywhere. I was so afraid I would trip over a wire and unplug something important. Afterwards, we made our way back to our seats where some crazy hippie fans of Jane's Addiction had decided to park themselves. After kicking them out of our seats, we enjoyed the rest of the set from there. Afterwards, one of the fans we had chatted with while waiting in line came over to say goodbye. He told me that he could see me on stage and that I was going crazy during the Big Come Down - which is absolutely true since it is one of my favorites. I thought that was a great way to end the night. Really, a remarkable experience that Hops and I will never forget!

My next post will be a quick summary of the show we went to the next night in Holmdel. We have some great pics to share as we had 4th row for that show. Plus, if you've ever wondered how Dave Nevarro decides which lovely young ladies from the audience he wants to hang out with after the show you'll want to read my next post...

For more pics of the backstage experience follow this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39240928@N08/sets/72157619450927786/

NIN 2009 Part 3 - Soundcheck @ Camden

So after the meet and greet, we were sent over the pit in front of the stage where we waited for the other groups to do their meet and greets so that the band could come out for the sound check. While we waited we chatted with some of the other fans and showed each other our pictures with the band. I almost accidentally deleted ours, after which I decided not to play with the camera anymore! This was the third time we got to see a NIN sound check (during the days of the Spiral fan club occasionally you would get in for a sound check before the show as one of the perks of membership). Still, every time it seems surreal to be in an arena or amphitheater when it is basically empty. Hops and I had a couple of pictures taken of the two of us – this one shows the empty venue behind us.

The first member of the band out for sound check was Justin. We were standing on the rail right in front of him. He came over and said something like “I hope you guys like the soundcheck…its actually pretty boring”. I think that is true for a normal soundcheck, but this was really more like a mini private show. Trent, Robin, and Ilan came out next and Trent said that since they were running behind (the soundcheck was supposed to start at 5:30 but by this time it was more like 6:00) and so they would only play a couple of songs. We got to hear The Good Soldier first, then Dead Souls. Dead Souls was particularly cool for Hops and I because the very first soundcheck we went to for NIN back in 2005 they also played that song. It is a favorite of mine - its a cover of the Joy Division song and was released with The Crow soundtrack. Here are a few pics from the soundcheck:

After soundcheck we were all hearded to another waiting area where we could finally sit down and take a load off while they opended the venue up to the presale ticket holders. We checked out the merchandise stand and chatted with some of the other fans. Once the presale folks were in the venue, we were escorted back to the room where we had met the band. There they had set up a catered dinner for the 60 of us. There were tables to sit at and of course the living room style seating with the shag rugs. The speakers were playing NIN's All that Could Have Been. Dinner was actually really tasty. In honor of Philly they had brought in cheesesteaks. There was also soda, chips, and salad. Here is a really fantastic photo of me eating a cheesesteak.

Next up, watching the show from backstage...

NIN 2009 Part 2 - Meeting the band @ Camden

Alright, now for the really fun stuff. So as I mentioned before, I had a ton of things with me to sign, which I had to narrow down to two items - one for me and one for Hops. I had ticket stubs, cd booklets, my original NIN Spiral (fanclub) membership card, and some special lithographs that were issued to Spiral members back in 2006. The lithos are the size of album covers, and were from various releases. I ended up choosing to go with two lithos - one for The Fragile, and one for Broken. I chose Broken because this was next major release after Pretty Hate Machine and represented a departure from syth style electronic music to more industrial and harder sound. The Fragile is probably my favorite NIN album (if I was forced to choose). Its really tight, impressive because it is a two disc release, and has a broad range including some of Trent's best instrumental stuff (at least prior to the release of Ghosts I-IV in 2008).

Once the band had arrived and was set up, we were led back to a large room where they had a table set up, which the band was sitting behind. There was music playing - but I didn't recognize it. One thing I did recognize...those white shag rugs! Across from the table they had these little sitting areas set up like in a living room. With the rugs and all the gray leather furniture. So at the table the order of the band was Robin, Justin, Trent, then Ilan. There was one couple ahead of me in line so I was the third person at the table. This was good because they were talkative and I think it forced me to stay at each band member's station longer than I would have otherwise. Not that I said much - I was way too nervous. In fact, Hops did most of the talking. Basically I would go to each guy, introduce myself and shake their hand. But Hops was all talkative with each guy. He asked Robin how he was feeling (he had been sick earlier in the tour) and advised him to get hand sanitizer. He talked to Justin about the traffic in NJ, which Justin described as "thick". Hops said that they like everything "thick" in Jersey...I'm not sure if Justin got the joke or not.

Then came Trent. I had planned on telling him how I had been listening to his music since I was in my early teens and how it has grown with me and how he is the one band that I have consistently admired. Instead I just introduced myself and just stood there while he signed my lithograph. To break the silence Trent said "So I want to thank you for donating to this cause" or something like that. So I said "Well I want to thank you for giving us this opportunity". He smiled and gave me back my lithograph. As I moved down the line to Illan, Hops said "What she is trying to say, but is too nervous, is that she has been listening to your music since before she could drive". This got a big laugh. Then Hops said "Its been with her from awkward adolescence..." and I finished his sentence with "...to an equally awkward adulthood". So I guess my original intent was in there somewhere. At least we got a laugh out of it.

Ilan was nice and I introduced myself and got his signature too. Then Hops decided to chime in with a comment about Pink Floyd being superior to Zepplin - "Floyd by day and Zepplin by night". I guess Ilan had been Twittering with Mariqueen (Trent's fiancee) debating which band was better and Hops felt he had to get his two cents in. Well of course Ilan, being a drummer, was favoring Zepplin in the debate. So he and Hops discussed this at length as the rest of the autograph line started to back up behind him. Eventually Leo, one of the crew members, tapped Hops and let him know he needed to move along!

After getting the signatures, we waited for the rest of the people in our group to go through the line. Then it was time for each person to get their photo with the band. Again, we had just one couple in front of us. I gave our camera to Leo, who was going to take the picture for us. When it was our turn I walked up and stood next to Robin, thinking that Hops and I would each go on one side of Trent. I told Robin that he was going to really make me look short. Then I looked to my left and Trent was over there with his arms out like - what you don't want to stand next to me? - so I asked him for a hug. He was kind enough to oblige me. So Hops ended up next to Robin - I think he made a joke that Robin was getting stuck with him. Here is the picture.

After that I thanked Trent again and Trent actually went out of his way to go over to Hops and shake his hand. Although I was a little disappointed that I hadn't handled myself better when we were at the autograph table I though the picture and hug were great, and I was on cloud nine.

Now, off to the soundcheck!

NIN 2009 Part 1- Preshow backstage @ Camden

Hello all you Hops fans. Mrs. Hops here. I'm commandeering the blog for the sake of documenting our NIN backstage experience for posterity. For the record - it was amazing. The band was thoughtful and everyone, including the crew and staff, really wanted us to have a unique and genuine experience.

So we are seeing 3 shows this tour - the first of which was in Camden and is the one for which we had backstage passes. We were told to be at the venue on Friday at 2:30. We we woke up bright and early for the drive up from DC. It was raining the whole time and we were fully prepared to have to spend hours in the wetness waiting to get into the venue. In order to provide some pre-show nourishment, we stopped at a Nathan's when we arrived in Camden. Can you imagine a better meal to start out your afternoon - especially when the nerves of meeting your long-time idol are already making your stomach churn? In any case, the poster did not disappoint.


Next it was over to the venue. It was around 12:30, and there were already people lined up, but most were there because they had GA seats in the pit and wanted to reserve good spots. We were thrilled that there was an overhang at the entrance so we were able to get reprieve from the pounding rain. We met some very cool fans while in line and generally had a nice time despite the cold and wetness. We also watched a truck unload several white shag rugs and gray leather furniture, which was weird. It will come up again later...
You know it is going to be a good show when the venue posts this sign at the entrances:

At 2:45 we were met by the very nice and perky Keelie (sp?) who was the nin.com representative. She was there to hand out presale tickets and gather the people with backstage passes to let us inside. We checked in with her and anxiously awaited the time when we would get to go in. At this point I was incredibly nervous. I had brought about ten different items that I thought I might like to get signed and still hadn't firmly decided on which to do (both Hops and I could get only one item signed). Not to mention the pressure over not knowing what to say to a man whose music you have admired for over 15 years. Hops was less nervous and was keeping me in good spirits. Here is a picture of him wearing his backstage pass.



So around 3:30 we were lead into the venue. Its unique because much of the vending is actually covered even though it is an amphitheater. So we were finally out of the rain. There were about 60 of us that had passes for backstage, and we were divided into groups of about 20. We were in the first group, so we had the shortest wait before getting the backstage tour. During the tour we got to meet the guys in the production office for NIN, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper Social Club. They guy pictured here is Bill - he does the production for NIN and was there to answer any questions we had. He and the other guys in the office wanted to do push-ups with us, so of course I volunteered. Apparently during long days on the road this is how they keep their energy up. Anyway, I hadn't really thought through the whole push-ups in a short skirt scenario. Thankfully my tights were pretty dark- and Hops was kind enough to cut my backside out of the photo. That's me on the bottom right. Just look at that form! :-)





Next was a long walk down a hall past the dressing rooms for all of the bands. As we passed by the SSSC dressing room we looked in and Boots Riley (lead singer) was hanging out in there. Hops shouted "Boots" and Boots replied with a very chill "Alllright!". It was cool. At the end of the hall we went out the doors to see the loading dock were all the trucks with the equipment are located. At this point, I was pretty nervous because they didn't tell you where you were going before you got there, so each time they would open a door I thought Trent Reznor was going to be there. Very nerve wracking! Anyway, here is a shot of the loading dock truck with a picture of Mr. T on it. After this we returned to a holding area to wait for the band, which was apparently stuck in traffic.


Next post....meeting the band.

The Big Comedown

Mrs. Hops backstage at the Nine Inch Nails show.

One fan (who we met earlier) came up to us at set break and said "I could see you on the stage going NUTS during The Big Comedown". Here is that moment.

Many many more photos like the one below to come as Mrs. Hops will take over the blog.

Trent Thinks Mrs. Hops Is Hot

This weekend Mrs. Hops got to see Nine Inch Nails again after a long (very long if you ask Mrs. Hops) hiatus. I don't know what came over him, maybe it was the clean Philly air, but Trent Reznor decided to speak to the crowd more than usual. In one speech he called Mrs. Hops hot. See for yourself here:



A longer version can be found here

For Free?

Yes... for free. In addition to getting a free monthly Hopscast thanks to All You Need Is Hops I have worked some connections and convinced Trent Reznor to go ahead and give you the new Nine Inch Nails album, The Slip, for free as well. Just go to NIN.com to download.

And because we're on the topic of The Slip and free music here is the free Daytrotter session of the band, The Slip. They do a nice cover of "Baba O' Reilly".

Trent vs. Thom

It looks like Wired Magazine has taken my two favorite topics these days: Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails and did a "head to head" comparison between Trent and Thom. Here are the results.

Trent destroys Thom in most categories including History of innovation, Digital formats, Breaking with the industry,Punk-rock factor, Remixing policy and Smack talk

Thom whoops Trent in Timing, Substance (Mrs. Hops is angry!) and Fan-made music videos.

It's a dead heat in terms of Initial revenue.

Perhaps they will be able to throw down for real at Lollapalooza. Thom would get crushed though, seriously crushed. I bet he wouldn't be fun to fight - but he's more of a Chihuahua where Trent is more of a German Shepherd. I think Thom would give up faster than Hops in a NIN pit!

Mrs. Hops' head would explode!

According to the Chicago Tribune "Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails are expected to headline the fourth incarnation of Lollapalooza in Grant Park Aug. 1-3."

21st Century Classical Music

On Sunday Trent Reznor decided to post on the Nine Inch Nails website that their new album Ghosts I-IV was available. Much of the press given about this release has been focusing on the fact that it was only released digitally, that there was no record company involved and that there was no other announcement (other than a teaser on the website for fans). Check out an article in MSNBC here. These are all significnat things and a sign of where the musci business is today. However, for some reason people are looking past the fact that they release a 36 track album of electronic instrumentals music. No human voices, not robot voices, no lyrics! Certainly they aren't the first band to release an instrumental album nor are they the first to release an album of electronic instrumental music (Beastie Boys, Techno music). But I was pretty amazed by the excitement from the fans and motivation from Trent to do this.

You can buy the entire thing for $5 at the website here. You can also download the first disc for free there as well and just to make your life easier I have zipped the first disc for download here (Ghosts I).

I'm very curious to hear your thoughts. Personally, I like the vibe it creates - really chill. However, I am not sure I really needed 36 tracks worth of this. Without having something to break it up I find it almost impossible not to drift away. Its not a knock on the music individually, it is just that collectively it just sounds like a two hour classical music track. Maybe that is the point? Check it out and decide for yourself. After hearing Ghosts I do you need Ghosts II-IV?

On a side note the artwork included is absolutely brilliant! Download that in a PDF by going here.

I'm All Up In Trent's Business

If you haven’t noticed I have been very interested in the business of music lately. I just think that it’s a really interesting time in the music industry. A lot of external forces are making it difficult to continue to operate record labels in the same way they have in the past. Additionally, musicians have more options than they ever did before. Because of these factors I wonder if this trend of artists and labels making less money will continue or if its just an adjustment period. If I had to vote I would think that it is the former. And guess what? That is a GOOD thing. The best music, and frankly almost all really good music, was created as a form of expression. Its only when your musical choice is dictated by your career ambitions do you start to see the ugly side of popular music and the business culture that surrounds it.

So where is the balance? How can there be a system where artists make money and can still be as creative as they like? How can record companies (and all of the other people who make a living in the business) still generate sizable revenue without turning the music into a commodity? All of these questions are being figured out right now. However, where I’ve struggled is not having any real hard facts to base assumptions on. The article I posted by David Byrne helped a lot. Now, Trent Reznor has chimed in about the recent release of Saul Williams’ new album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, which he produced.

Here is what Trent posted on his website (NIN.com)

As of 1/2/08,
154,449 people chose to download Saul's new record.
28,322 of those people chose to pay $5 for it, meaning:
18.3% chose to pay.

Of those paying,

3220 chose 192kbps MP3
19,764 chose 320kbps MP3
5338 chose FLAC

Needless to say Trent was disappointed:

I have to assume the people knowing about this project must either be primarily Saul or NIN fans, as there was very little media coverage outside our direct influence. If that assumption is correct - that most of the people that chose to download Saul's record came from his or my own fan-base - is it good news that less than one in five feel it was worth $5? I'm not sure what I was expecting but that percentage - primarily from fans - seems disheartening.

So which way is better? I am going to make the following assumptions:

• 100% of the albums he sold in 2004 were via CD’s, not via digital download
• The artist made $1.60 per record (per David Byrne’s notes)
• The cut that his “team” (managers etc.) get is the same either way

So here is the revenue Saul Williams generated based on my assumptions:

So you would think that the digital is the way to go? I wouldn’t agree. I’m sure for Radiohead it makes sense but for Saul and Trent it probably did not make FINANCIAL sense. Even though he made almost 3 times the revenue he had to pay for all the costs associated with the album (I'm assuming the record company paid most of those costs the first time). This is exactly the point Trent Reznor makes:

Add to that: we spent too much (correction, I spent too much) making the record utilizing an A-list team and studio, Musicane fees, an old publishing deal, sample clearance fees, paying to give the record away (bandwidth costs), and nobody's getting rich off this project.

But...
Saul's music is in more peoples' iPods than ever before and people are interested in him. He'll be touring throughout the year and we will continue to get the word out however we can.

So - if you're an artist looking to utilize this method of distribution, make of these figures what you will and hopefully this info is enlightening.

Best,
TR

So what’s the silver lining here? Well people are listening to the album which means he’ll do much better on tour (where artists make their real money) than before. Also, Saul tells Cnet he isn’t disappointed with the results and he’s happy that people are listening to his music (lots of good stuff in that article by the way). In fact, Saul says that its too early to really judge the sales and humorously points out that Trent is just a bit of a gloomy guy in general. Good to see he has a sense of humor.

UPDATE: on the Niggy Tardust order page this was just posted: We have removed the FREE option from our site as it was limited to the first 100,000 customers. For the highest quality download and a 33 page PDF of original album artwork and lyrics, please complete the form below and support The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!

The First Must Read Article of 2008...

... was actually written in 2007 - it just took me some time to read it. The article entitled "David Byrne's Survival Strategies for Emerging Artists — and Megastars" appeared in Wired Magazine and was actually written by Mr. David Byrne himself - not a bad source to give you insight on the music business. Some interesting tidbits I learned from reading this article:

• David Byrne does NOT think the music business is dead. It's just changing and we can all agree that is a good thing.
  
• An artist may earn less from an album with iTunes than with a traditional CD. This suprised me quite a bit but it makes sense. The record label gives the artist the same cut. And since digital downloads cost less than CDs it makes sense that their adjusted margin won't come up more positive than it was before. Record labels aren't exactly practicers of the "share the wealth" mantra.
• For an average $16 CD the artist makes $1.60 (vs. $1.40 on iTunes), the label makes $1.76 and the a store makes $0.80. I remember going to Best Buy in 2002 to buy the new Johnny Cash album and was both angry and confused when I couldn't find it on the shelf. I asked the clerk and he (after not knowing who Johnny Cash was) looked it up in their system and found they already sold both copies they had. Only two copies? Now I understand why. You aren't going to stock an entire store with CD's you think won't sell (and by think I mean told by the record labels) in the hopes I stumble in there and they make 80 cents on me.
• Less music is purchased today and more is digital. No surprise there.
• Even larger record labels (not the huge ones but ones I easily recognize) have only a dozen or so employees. It makes sense but I always envisioned a larger organization.

Please read the article if you're interested in the music business and how it impact both music and business. While you're visiting Wired also check out David Byrne interviewing Thom Yorke, and a great article on the alternate reality game surrounding Nine Inch Nails' Year Zero "marketing" campaign.