Four o’clock on Tuesday and I was stuck on an airport shuttle from the parking garage, trying to make my 5:05 flight. Toting no more than my messenger bag, camera, and a ticket confirmation number, I was compulsively checking the time on my phone, trying hard to battle my nerves. My attempt to wrap up work pushed my departure from the office beyond my “must leave” time of 3:30. With no idea what the night would hold, I was either going to love or hate myself for signing up for this adventure.

Rewind 24 hours. It’s Labor Day. I’m having a personal crisis, deciding whether I should pay for last minute airfare to attend the rescheduled NIN Henry Fonda date, which was now their second to last show ever, or take the offered refund and cut my losses. I booked my flight after finding someone to take my extra ticket AND give me a ride from the airport. Two hours later as I’m working at the office trying to get a head start on everything that needed to be done, I get a text from the girl. Her friend no longer needs a ticket. Not to worry, I’d paid a little extra for a refundable flight, but I wasn’t quite ready to give up. I put an ad on Craig’s List. “I have an extra ticket. Not looking to gouge fellow fans, but a ride to/from the airport would rock.” An hour later, a guy replied, offering me more than face and a ride both ways to the airport. The plan seemed simple: a complete stranger would pick me up at the airport, take me to the show where he’d give me cash for the ticket, and then he’d drop me at the airport after the show where I would sleep, waiting for my 6am flight back to SF. (Just another reason why my mom & I aren’t Facebook friends, so she doesn’t get worried by my simple plans.) The kink in the plan was the venue was an hour from the airport, and there were rumors that it could take an hour just to pick up a person from the airport. With my flight arriving at 6:30pm and the show starting at 7:30, we’d be cutting it close. I couldn’t deny the obvious possibility that this plan would blow up in my face.

My head was full of these worries as I tried mentally encouraging the airport shuttle driver to step on it. Finally, we arrived, and I got my boarding pass before skillfully working my way through security. About two hours later I was in LAX texting this complete stranger about coordinating the pick-up. He wisely suggested picking me up at departures and within minutes of stepping outside, he pulled up to the curb. I opened the door to the red Camry and was greeted by a friendly (and obviously gay) guy, Shane. Sweet. Traffic was at a standstill on the freeway. The carpool lane was our saving grace, but eventually we detoured to city streets. I tried to get my barrings based on the few street names I recognized from our weekend visit. I saw the Hollywood sign up in the distance and knew we must be getting close. The time went by quickly as we shared stories of moving to California and concerts we’d seen. Shane put me to shame with 1000+ shows under his belt, 21 which were NIN. We joked about the debate he had about mentioning he was gay in his email, because he was afraid I’d be freaked out by a strange (straight) guy offering to give me a ride. I honestly barely thought twice about it. He was trusting I wasn’t a freak as much as the other way around.

Somehow, despite arriving an hour after doors opened, we found ourselves at the end of a line for will call which wrapped around the block. We saw Health take the stage via the outdoor projection of the show. I didn’t mind missing them, but I was afraid we’d have trouble getting a spot near the stage. We chatted with the fans around us until our talk was interrupted by a huge crash, followed by another crash. Four-vehicle wreck at the corner by the end of the line. Everyone seemed okay, luckily, since we were walking in to the venue by the time help arrived.

We walked in and the room was barely half full. Amazing. We went up pretty close to the stage and caught the last part of Health’s set. The nerves were gone. The stranger guy wasn’t a weird psycho and we’d made it to the show on time. Things could only go up from here. And they did. Here’s a look around the venue before NIN took the stage:

Nine Inch Nails were to take the stage at 8:45, but just before 9, I got a text from Rob saying a girl in the front had crapped her pants, which explained the delay. I have no context or explanation for this occurrence. All I know is that some security guard had a very unfortunate duty that night. Shane had mentioned the venue had a curfew since it was all ages, so we were hoping the show didn’t get cut short. A little after 9, the house lights went down and thus began some of the most euphoric 3 hours of my life. This video was my attempt to capture the room’s energy during the opening song, “Head Like a Hole”. We were all screaming, “Head like a hole. Black as your soul.” at the top of our lungs, as is expected.

They stepped right in to “Terrible Lie”, and I thought we might get PHM in its entirety. Too bad. Instead, we got an incredible sampling of all the albums throughout the night. And even though David Bowie didn’t join as we hoped, it was a rare treat to see a cover of “I’m Afraid of Americans” (video). This excitement was just the beginning of my downward spiral into happiness insanity. Soon after, there was the intensity of “Burn” followed by the even more pounding & intense “Gave Up”, and I could already feel my voice going. We were all jumping, smiling, and singing along. In fact, I couldn’t stop smiling. Silently, I was telling myself, “thank you, thank you, thank you for taking this chance”

Just when I didn’t think I could possibly be any happier about this show, Trent introduces Mike Garson (age 64) to the stage, the pianist from David Bowie. He played on The Fragile, which was the album that truly introduced me to NIN, and I’ve always regretted missing that tour. Now, not only would I certainly get to hear some of the songs, but I’d hear them with this amazing pianist. And sure enough, they broke in to “Just Like You Imagined” (video), a tortured but inspired instrumental. (You should really, really watch that video.) His playing is indescribable. “The Becoming” followed, which I called my favorite song for the longest time. I’d never heard it with this much piano (AATCHB had an acoustic version with piano), so I was overcome with excitement. Yet another reason why I’m hoping for a live album.

Gary Numan was the next guest to appear, and they played through some of his songs, with Eric Avery (Jane’s Addiction) coming on stage for “Cars”. They had played 22 songs by the time they left the stage. There was an awkward encore break. We were all cheering when Trent strolls out on to the stage with his Vitamin water (?) and says they messed up, so they’re gonna leave and we need to act surprised when they come back. The whole place was cracking up, but we did somehow manage to cheer even louder upon their return. That’s what I love about NIN shows. It’s like we’re all old friends sharing some good times.

The encore brought another surprise with the introduction of Danny Lohner, a former member of the band. He plays on the And All That Could Have Been live DVD, so it was a pleasant surprise to see him play with the new line-up. They tore through “Heresy” and a cover of Queen’s “Get Down, Make Love”. (I read one girl post that was the one song she wanted to hear, so I was excited for her wherever she was.) As if it were possible, they brought on yet another guest, Greg Puciato, singer for Dillenger Escape Plan. I had no idea who he was at the time and his mic wasn’t working entirely at first, but he was an intense performer, possibly getting the crowd more riled up than Trent. I got my own wish of hearing “Mr. Self Destruct”. It’s one of those songs I would blast on the way home from working the night shift at my summer factory job. It probably wasn’t safe to drive since that song makes every part of me want to move. They left the stage yet again. Some people debated leaving, as it was 11:30 by now and there was that alleged curfew. Nevertheless, we stomped our little hearts out anyway. The show felt like it had been going on forever, not that this was a bad thing. Whenever it seemed to be coming to a natural close, it’d start back up again. The entire show had that feeling of spontaneity with Trent running around whispering cues to everyone. The show was obviously an improvisation based on a loose plan, and that aspect is exactly what made it so special to witness.

And sure enough, they returned for a second encore, kicking off with two Joy Division covers. I thought “The Day the World Went Away” was going to be it, and I braced myself for the house lights. Fooled again. The night ended with a quiet version of “Hurt”. The crowd seemed loud & quiet all at once. The lighters and cell phones were waving in the air. And then it was done. It was the last time, at least in the near future, I would see Trent Reznor on stage and feel the energy of the shared emotions of a live show. In retrospect, I should have felt sad, but it was midnight in LA on Hollywood Blvd, and I was pretty sure I had just seen one of the best NIN concerts of all time in this wonderful, intimate venue and I couldn’t have felt happier.

Shane & I tried waiting around for Rob as they slowly tried pushing us out of the building. Rob finally replied that he wasn’t going to be able to make it out, apologizing that everything was just too hectic. I was disappointed I didn’t get to say hello, but after that amazing, nearly 3-hour, time with my favorite band, I was in no position to expect anything more.

We excitedly rambled about the highlights of the night as we headed toward LAX. After a quick stop at a 24-hour grocery for some sandwiches, next thing I knew I was stepping out at the terminal. Shane was lovely and offered to let me crash in his guest room and bring me back at 4:30am but I couldn’t impose. I was sad to part from him, though. We’re going to stay in touch. And so, there I found myself at 1am, standing in LAX with my bag and a sandwich, trying to acknowledge the reality of everything that had just taken place. I managed to sleep about an hour on a bench (after trying 4 different spots and about 20 sleeping positions), but it was so cold, I couldn’t sleep much. I realized they were opening security at 5am, so I strolled on through, grabbing some Starbucks to warm me up. As the plane lowered in to SFO, I was convinced I had just woken from a wonderful dream. Something about that night had melted away my typical anxieties. In my 12 hours in LA, surrounded by complete strangers, I’d found a comfort zone where a shared love could substitute for the bond of an old friendship.

The Day the World Went Away

Thursday was a sad day, as I knew fans were gathering for the final, and what should be the most special, show at The Wiltern. Though I could have made it happen to be there, I was afraid to tempt fate at this stage, knowing after the perfection of Tuesday’s show, it would be nearly impossible to be surpassed. I had been playing through the entire NIN collection leading up to this final show. It was just as emotional from 350 miles away, because I got to read of people waking up in Germany, Japan, and all around the world, all joining in to watch the show through the words and images of our fellow fans in attendance. #NIN became the top trending topic on Twitter for a few hours. After 3 encores, the show finally came to an end with “In this Twilight” at 12:30am PST. I listened along in iTunes as I read the farewell messages, favorite memories, and other responses from the thousands of other fans. It was a special night we’ll all remember. Farewell Trent Reznor as Nine Inch Nails. I’m looking forward to whatever comes next and thankful for all that has been.

Interview with Trent Reznor before final show

Setlist Henry Fonda 9/8/2009

1. “Head Like A Hole”
2. “Terrible Lie”
3. “Sin”
4. “March Of The Pigs”
5. “Piggy”
6. “Echoplex”
7. “Reptile”
8. “I’m Afraid Of Americans”
9. “Survivalism”
10. “Head Down”
11. “1,000,000”
12. “Letting You”
13. “Burn”
14. “Gave Up”
15. “Eraser”
16. “Just Like You Imagined” (Featuring Mike Garson)
17. “The Becoming” (Featuring Mike Garson)
18. “I Do Not Want This” (Featuring Mike Garson)
19. “Down In The Park (Piano Version)” (Featuring Mike Garson)
20. “Down In The Park” (Featuring Gary Numan and Mike Garson)
21. “Metal” (Featuring Gary Numan and Mike Garson)
22. “Cars” (Featuring Gary Numan, Eric Avery and Mike Garson)
23. “Love Like Anthrax” (Featuring Gary Numan, Eric Avery and HEALTH) (video)
24. Encore:
25. “Heresy” (with Danny Lohner)
26. “Get Down Make Love” (with Danny Lohner)
27. “Mr. Self Destruct” (Featuring Greg Puciato and Danny Lohner)
28. “Wish” (Featuring Greg Puciato and Danny Lohner)
29. “The Hand That Feeds”
30. Encore 2:
31. “Atmosphere” (Joy Division cover)
32. “Dead Souls”
33. “The Day The World Went Away”
34. “Hurt”

And I must mention as a final note that yesterday I woke up to a thunderstorm, my very first one in my 16 months here. The thunder lasted so long that I thought it was an earthquake. Car alarms started going off. Despite that, I slept in until 10, which is unheard of for me lately. Right now, there’s the sound of a slight drizzle, and it takes me back to Indiana. Oh, how I’ve missed my summer rain showers.