Here’s a post that’s been stuck in draft for a long time!

I think I told most people the story of going to Sydney to see Nine Inch Nails back in March. The short version is, we landed in Sydney, took a taxi to the airport, walked to the gig and was told it was canceled because Trent had lost his voice. Postponed actually, until September. So we spent the following day with a client in Sydney then flew home, disappointed.

Roll around September. Annoyingly, the concert was rescheduled to the 16th, which was close to the Web Directions conference but not quite close enough for me to stay in-between.

So, once again, we got in a plane, landed in Sydney, took a taxi to the hotel, got changed and walked to the gig. The first pleasant surprise was that Hordern Pavilion, the new venue, was adjacent to a bit of a shopping precinct with pubs, cafes and restaurants as well as a theatre. So we walked around for a bit, sat down and had a beer, then wandered in to see the support band, UK band White Rose Movement, play some 80′s inspired electro-pop – they were pretty good.

The tension built up. I started to really believe, finally, that Mr Reznor might actually make an appearance this time. And then – there was NIN.

It’s hard to explain. I was there expecting a great show; what I got was closer to a religious experience. Trent Reznor is truly amazing. The evening went from Nine Inch Nails, industrial rock; to Nine Inch Nails, full-on metal; to Nine Inch Nails, electronic artists; – and back again.

Every song was something special – it’s hard to pick a highlight because there were just so many high points. The electronic section – where Trent and two other band members moved to the front and performed a series of pieces on keyboard and computer setups, in front of a massive LED screen – was pure spectacle, even if the actual music produced was less of the Nine Inch Nails I know and love.

This was also the infamous show were Trent asked the audience if the inflated CD prices that he had been complaining about last time he was in the country had changed – and on hearing a definite no, told everyone to steal it and give it to their friends. I couldn’t help thinking that he sounded like a man trying to get out of recording deal – which was revealed to be pretty much the case just a few weeks later.

[YouTube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=-mm6rc7hcFE]
YouTube – Trent Reznor of NIN Says “Steal My Music”

So all in all, the two trips to Sydney – taking into account the two sets of airfares, accommodation, taxi fares and food – we ended up paying over $3000 to see Nine Inch Nails (or a bit more than double what the original outlay was going to be). Was it worth it? That’s a definite yes. Here’s my twitter status message, posted from my phone as we walked back to the hotel: trent reznor: all is forgiven. you are awesome. 

Sydney was miserable – it rained the entire time. Because we were only staying one night, we had only one bag and one change of clothes so getting soaked to the skin every 10 minutes was not exactly pleasant. However, the show was awesome and well worth the trip.

One thing I did lug all the way over there was my new 350D. I’ll get around to posting some of the photos on Flickr soon (not that grey Sydney drenched in winter drizzle is much to look at). I have already posted some camera phone photos from the gig.

My review of the show I’ve been waiting my entire adult life to see has been posted on Metal Underground. Many thanks to Ben for allowing me to use his story of childhood anguish for a cheap laugh. Go on, read the review and see what I mean

On Saturday (the day after WE05 ended) Nick, Kara and I ventured out to Sydney’s Paddington Markets. Lots of cool and interesting stuff, including some great photos including some printed on canvas which looked fantastic. But by far the coolest art was by a guy named Nik Markovina. Beautiful, dark and very twisted prints of what I think are oil originals. I bought Dave a small print of a representation of Sydney, complete with a fang-enhanced Opera house, snarling train and sleazy King’s Cross vendor. I wish I’d had room in my suitcase for something larger. He also had some metal sculptures – Nick was very keen to get a spiky tissue box cover for his better half, but unfortunately taking it back to Perth on the plane would not have been practical.

Of course I asked Nik if he had a web site, and as it turned out he had one at one point, but lost it due to domain name scammers. I did find it on the wayback machine though, on Kara’s suggestion – so check out the archive of markovnik.com, there are some awesome samples of some of his work there. To get it though, you have to visit the Paddington Markets in Sydney.

More cool stuff as I think of it.