Review: Nine Inch Nails hits Vancouver with an industrial punch

Nine Inch Nails, fronted by Trent Reznor, unleashed their ‘Tension 2013′ tour on Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Nov. 21, 2013. (Anil Sharma for CTVBC)

It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years since Nine Inch Nails’ released “The Downward Spiral,” but judging from the crowd at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena show there are still many fans who haven’t forgotten the year 1994.

Pink hair, plastic corsets, utila-kilts – yes that’s a thing – were all present for the solo B.C. stop on the “Tension 2013” tour. Perhaps the most modernly clothed person there was front man Trent Reznor who, at age 48, has the energy of a man half his age.

And the tour rumours are true: Trent has taken to wearing drop-crotch pants. You know them. They’re the ones favoured by the likes of Justin Bieber and 22-year-olds who visit Thailand to find themselves.

Clothing aside, Reznor does a great job bridging the industrial minimalism he helped pioneer in the late 80s and 90s with the new sound he’s developing: vocal-heavy, with even a note of blues in there.

After an almost five-year hiatus, Reznor got some help this time around with an eight-piece backing band, to tour the album “Hesitation Marks,” released in September.

Monday’s performance, while digging back in the annals with heavy hitters like “Head Like a Hole” and “The Hand that Feeds You,” also showcased what many may say was too much new material: “All Time Low,” “Disappointed,” and “Various Methods of Escape” were some highlights.

To any long-time fan the new vibe NIN is throwing down is clearly a departure. It’s not bad, exactly, but it’s certainly different. Whereas guitar feedback and heavy drums ruled their sound two decades ago, modern NIN is, well, modern sounding. More blues and vocals and possibly even a Calypso backbeat on parts of the new album.

The comparisons don’t end at the music. The elaborate LED light show and jaw-dropping stage cage, now a fixture on the NIN tour, also reflects the evolution of the band’s sound. The funky disco-esque light flashing on some of the “Hesitation Marks” tracks has a decidedly Daft Punk-feel to it. Compare that to the sparse spotlight and white smoke treatment given to anything from “Pretty Hate Machine.” Vintage Reznor even showed up for a full metal thrashing for “March of the Pigs.”

What accompanied the new sound at the show was perhaps the most jarring of all to people who remember Trent as a headbanging powerhouse: His newly-developed awkward man-dancing. Watching him thrust his hips towards the microphone was off-putting, but I blame it on the massive man-muscles he’s appeared to have developed during the break since the 2008 “Lights in the Sky” tour.

It’s a roster of who’s who in the backing band these days, quite literally. The bassist Pino Palladino has spent more than three decades supporting major rock and blues ensembles, including The Who. He’s also jammed with John Mayer.

In addition to veteran drummer Ilan Rubin and guitarist Robin Finck, Reznor has enlisted some serious heavy hitters from the R&B world to back him up on vocals. It’s a fitting choice given the decidedly moody and bluesy direction some of the music is taking. It’s often said that Reznor picks his backing band based on the feel he wants for the tour, and this seems to be no exception.

Backup singers Lisa Fischer and Sharlotte Gibson, both powerhouses, have toured with the likes of Tina Turner, Luther Vandross and the divine Whitney Houston. Those ladies had some awkward dancing of their own, swaying and trying to keep a beat with some pounding metal ditties.

Fletcher’s voice should sound familiar: she is, quite truly, one of the most memorable female sessional vocalists of our time. She toured with The Rolling Stones for several decades and, oh yeah, screamed “murder” on Gimme Shelter, sharing vocals with Mick Jagger.

When Trent is on stage primal screaming, it’s hard to remember that there’s a masterful and sensitive soul under that scratchy exterior. But this is the man who beautifully scored the David Fincher films “The Social Network” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” and took home an Oscar and a Grammy for his work.

And when he’s playing a pared-down keys set on songs like “This is what it Feels Like,” you do see a bit of that brooding genius, far from the equipment smashing, aggressive Reznor of days gone by.

But where Trent remains at his best – and his most beloved by fans -- is the high-intensity, clear and loud industrial sound that helped NIN cement themselves as innovators. “Terrible Lie” and “March of the Pigs” had fans at their feet.

Seeing as Vancouver is their 43rd stop on the 46-city tour, it’s impressive there’s this much enthusiasm left to deliver a show with so much intensity and energy.

The ladies’ robust backup vocals were on showcase again during the four-song encore, packing a punch into “All the Love in the World,” from “With Teeth.”

It was that encore when Reznor spoke for the first time in two hours – thanking Vancouver and saying the band was “happy to be here,” and nodding to the heavy-hitters currently sharing the stage on the tour.

But the love-in ended quickly, to be replaced with an ode to Nine Inch Nails’ darker, more morbid past.

The 1994 smash “Hurt” was accompanied by images of death, destruction and decay flashing on a giant screen. To black and white visions of concentration camps, dying flowers and an atom bomb, there became a grim sing-along, ending with a standing ovation.

Nine Inch Nails plays Friday in Seattle before wrapping up the tour in Alberta on Sunday and Monday. The band kicks off a full UK arena tour in May 2014.

For tickets and tour information, check out Ticketmaster.