NINJA tour makes a stop in Tampa

Photos:

Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction were two of the hottest alternative rock bands in the world 20 years ago. Back then, they were cutting edge. This summer, they're mostly peddling nostalgia.

Saturday was the second night of the nationwide "NINJA" jaunt. NIN claims this is a farewell tour. JA has fans excited about a reunion - the band's fourth since breaking up in '91. A reported crowd of more than 12,000 arrived at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa to witness the loud stroll down memory lane.

NIN's much-ballyhooed light show suffered at the hands of a wicked sunset. The band took the stage at the totally un-goth hour of 7:50 p.m. and industrial icon Trent Reznor launched into a fierce rendition of "Terrible Lie" from NIN's pioneering 1990 debut "Head like a Hole." Reznor raged for 70 minutes while alternating between guitar and synthesizers - even making a tambourine sound menacing. But the incessant barrage of robotic rhythms peppered with occasional meandering instrumental soon grew old. NIN skipped their big hit "Closer" and ended the show with a sing-along-inspiring "Head Like a Hole." The band said goodbye but didn't vacate the stage. Reznor clutched the mic with both hands, rocked forward and unleashed his tortured anthem "Hurt."

A large screen displaying topless women set the scene for Jane's Addiction. The partition rose and out came jumpsuit-and feathered-boa-wearing freak show Perry Farrell. Despite his leaps from the drum riser, his sexually-charged hip thrusts and stage banter about not being able to get enough oral sex first thing in the morning, Farrell's antics felt forced. The band sounded tight but this reviewer had lost interest long before they trotted out "Jane Says."

On a most positive note, opener Street Sweeper Social Club completely crushed during its 30-minute opening set. The brainchild of Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), the five-piece rock band found the guitar hero hammering out impossibly heavy and funky riffs alongside The Coup's gifted rapper Boots Riley, who spit an array of witty, inflammatory satirical rhymes largely concerning the social injustices of the day. SSSC unveiled cuts from its excellent, self-titled debut disc, which drops June 16. From the Molotov cocktail opener "Fight! Smash! Win!" to the closer "Nobody Moves (Til We Say Glo)," it was nothing but sharply focused adrenaline pouring out form the stage. The band also threw down a decidedly killer rendition of M.I.A.'s smash "Paper Planes," which found Morello recreating the signature gunshot and cash register sound effect on his guitar. Watching Morello clearly moved and inspired by his latest project, one couldn't help but wonder if maybe fellow early '90s stars Reznor and Farrell would benefit as well from fresh musical surroundings.

Add a comment