Nine Inch Nails
Aragon Ballroom
Chicago, IL
August 29, 2009
Stepping off of the Red Line Lawrence stop of Chicago’s El, I got my first glimpse of the Aragon Ballroom. The lights in the second ‘a’ of its vertical sign were blown, but it only added to the mystique of such a landmark venue. And it seemed fitting, as hundreds of fans, most in their thirties and dressed in black, filed their way into Nine Inch Nails’ final Chicago show Saturday, August 29. Aging, yet resilient. This was the second of NIN’s two Chicago’s shows in their final tour of ten, which was in honor of their debut album “Pretty Hate Machine’s” 20th anniversary.
The doors opened at 6:30, and the line was tremendous. This wasn’t a casual last minute “live show” you take a date to. This was a sold out show that brought in true Nine Inch Nails fans. What a site to see too, as they wrapped their way around the theater, weaving across parking lots, around dumpsters, and down the sidewalks. The pace to the doors was slow, but everyone waited patiently, passing graffitied walls, while laughing at the line of followers. Just like most concerts, there was an air of built up tension and excitement before the show, but the quietness of the line of people waiting to get inside was surprising. There was no crazy shouting or pre-game rumbles. Instead, there was this palpable sense of respect for the band and for each other. It was pretty impressive.
Walking into this theater, I knew I wasn’t going to be singing along to every song, nor thrashing my head around. But I was excited. Because while I only know a handful of NIN songs, I knew their performance was going to be intense, and heartfelt, and historic… and loud.
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