Four years ago today I saw NIN for the very first time in Sydney. They did a tour in early 2007 but all the shows in Melbourne were overage and I was in high school without a job so I couldn’t go interstate, but by chance Trent got sick and rescheduled two shows in September. This gave me a chance to go to one show. One show out of the crazy amount of shows he played in Australia and it was probably the best NIN show I have ever been to. It was during the Year Zero era so the lighting and the visuals were absolutely amazing. The set list was full of a huge mix of PHM, TDS, TF, WT + YZ with emphasis on TDS (Heresy + Reptile + Ruiner were played). I couldn’t afford The Spiral membership so I was stuck with the general public tickets who got let in a little later, but I still manage to get very close to the front. The photo above is the best one I took with my two megapixel Nokia slide phone and it was my background right up until the 2009 tour. I remember texting my friends straight after and realising my hands were shaking from sheer excitement and amazement. Although NIN/Trent no longer tours, I still have my tour shirt, I still have the pictures, I still have the videos and I still have the memories.
