Nine reasons why Nine Inch Nails rules

MANILA, Philippines - You’ve heard the news: Nine Inch Nails (NIN) will perform on Aug. 5 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Perhaps you’ve seen a few die-hard fans scampering for tickets, or heard the buzz surrounding Splintr, the local concert promoter and Pupil, the show’s opener. If you’re unfamiliar with the crazy world of NIN, here are nine reasons why the band matters, and why its upcoming concert will be the music event of the year.

1. The NIN fan community is a spectacle in itself.

Within forums such as echoingthesound.org you will find obsessive-compulsive fans tracking down every obscure variant of every NIN album and arguing about important matters such as band members’ hairstyle. Do a Google search on The Meathead Perspective for a humorous take on the NIN universe. To say these fans are obsessed would be a severe understatement.

2. Ten years from now, you can still wear your NIN shirt and not feel ridiculous, regardless of music trends at that time.

3. The music, of course. NIN mastermind Trent Reznor is the only permanent member of the band, playing most instruments in the studio himself. Usually tagged as “industrial rock,” NIN’s songs defy labels. One moment harsh and abrasive (Broken) the next, moody and contemplative (Still, Ghosts I-IV), NIN sounds like all your favorite records playing at once.

4. NIN is truly independent. Trent is doing it on his own — no record label, no corporate backing. Along with artists such as Radiohead, NIN is paving the way for more bands to pursue radical distribution methods outside the traditional record industry. NIN also set the groundwork for local independent music channels such as Splintr to take root.  

5. You can get a free NIN album now.

Go to theslip.nin.com to download The Slip for free. Don’t lump this with cheap peer-to-peer downloads. Here you’ll be given a variety of file options — from high-quality mp3 to lossless formats, and you’ll even get a swag of digital artwork. Did we say this was all free? 

6. Trent is a total sweetheart. Don’t let Mr. Self-Destruct and The Wretched fool you; Trent is a gentleman, as proven by the way he stood up for his fiancee Mariqueen Maandig, who is of Filipino descent. Mariqueen received some hate mail from rabid fans who wanted Trent to stay SAD (single and depressed). After telling-off the haters, Trent went back to “spending as much time as possible with the most amazing woman in the world.”

7. The album Year Zero was released with a mind-bending alternate reality game. The Los Angeles Times called it “A total marriage of the pop and gamer aesthetics that unlocks the rusty cages of the music industry.” Visit iamtryingtobelieve.com and dive into the rabbit hole.

8. Trent gave us Marilyn Manson — but he made up for it by producing Saul Williams’ brilliant album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust.

9. This is your last chance to see them live.Trent has hinted that this tour, dubbed Wave Goodbye, may be NIN’s last.

The concert is presented by MTV, NU107.5, EDSA Shangri-la Manila, Philstar.com, Business Mirror, Business World, Inquirer.net, Friendster, 2nd Avenue, etc, CS/Origin, Jack TV, Jam 88.3, Magic 89.9, RX 93.1, Max 103.5 and UR 105.9, Fudge, Maxim, Odysseylive.net and Uno.

For details, call 911-5555 or log on to www.ticketnet.com.ph or www.splintr.com.