Self Destruct Tour Explained

Concert Tour Name:Self Destruct
Artist:Nine Inch Nails
Album:The Downward Spiral
Start Date:March 9, 1994
End Date:September 8, 1996
Number Of Legs:8
Last Tour:Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series
(1988–91)
This Tour:Self-Destruct Tour
(1994–96)
Next Tour:Fragility Tour
(1999–2000)

The Self Destruct Tour was a concert tour in support of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails' album The Downward Spiral, which took place in early 1994, running until mid-1996, and was broken into eight legs.

Overview

The tour was filmed for the Closure documentary that documented live performances as well as the band from 1989 to 1991. The second tape in the set – issued in late 1997 – featured the band's music videos. A DVD version, featuring bonus content, was planned for 2005. However, licensing issues forced an indefinite delay. An alleged "prototype" of the DVDs eventually leaked to torrent websites in 2006. This release has been attributed to Trent Reznor himself.

This was Nine Inch Nails' first tour since the early 1990s shows for Pretty Hate Machine. During this time, NIN's music became angrier and more aggressive via Broken and The Downward Spiral, which led to the concerts being often violent and personal, with band members injuring themselves. The stage set consisted of grungy curtains that would fall for visuals during songs such as 'Hurt', or rise during more aggressive songs. The back of the stage was littered with darker and standing lights, with very few conventional lights.[1]

Reznor overhauled the band lineup and image for the tour. Robin Finck and Danny Lohner joined to play guitar and bass guitar, respectively. Chris Vrenna and James Woolley were brought back from the Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series. Image-wise, instead of the sloppy, low-budget style for previous tours, the band often dressed in black leather smothered in cornstarch, with members often changing their hairstyles radically for every concert. Finck used makeup to hide his eyebrows, and Reznor would don 'fishnet gloves' (as they would come to be known) for the show. The showy yet intense style earned comparisons to David Bowie, of whom Reznor was a fan. Later in the tour, Reznor's protégé Marilyn Manson would often join the frontman on stage to sing their songs - as evidenced in the Closure documentary.[1]

The tour included a set at Woodstock '94 broadcast on pay-per-view and seen in as many as 24 million homes. The band being covered in mud was a result of pre-concert backstage play, contrary to the belief that it was an attention-grabbing ploy, thus making it difficult for Reznor to navigate the stage: Reznor pushed Lohner into the mud pit as the concert began and saw mud from his hair going into his eyes while performing. NIN was widely proclaimed to have "stolen the show" from its popular contemporaries, mostly classic rock bands, and its fan base expanded.[1] [2] [3] The band received considerable mainstream success thereafter, performing with significantly higher production values and the addition of various theatrical visual elements.[4] Its performance of "Happiness in Slavery" from the Woodstock concert earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 1995.[1] Entertainment Weekly commented about the band's Woodstock '94 performance: "Reznor unstrings rock to its horrifying, melodramatic core--an experience as draining as it is exhilarating".[5] Despite this acclaim, Reznor attributed his dislike of the concert to its technical difficulties.[1]

The main leg of the tour featured Marilyn Manson as the supporting act. Bassist Jeordie White – then playing under the pseudonym "Twiggy Ramirez" – later played bass with NIN from 2005 to 2007.[1] [6] After another tour leg supporting the remix album Further Down the Spiral, NIN contributed to the Alternative Nation Festival in Australia and subsequently embarked on the Dissonance Tour, which included 26 performances with co-headliner David Bowie. NIN opened the shows, their set transitioning into Bowie's set with joint performances of both bands' songs.[1] However, the audiences reportedly did not respond positively, owing to the acts' differences.[7]

The tour concluded with "Nights of Nothing": a three-night showcase of performances from Nothing Records bands Marilyn Manson, Prick, Meat Beat Manifesto, and Pop Will Eat Itself, then a 80-minute set by NIN. Kerrang! described the NIN set as "tight, brash and dramatic", but was disappointed at the lack of new material. On the second of the three nights, Richard Patrick was briefly reunited with the band and contributed guitar to a performance of "Head Like a Hole".[8] After the Self Destruct tour, Chris Vrenna, member of the live band since 1988 and frequent contributor to Nine Inch Nails studio recordings, left the act permanently to pursue a career in producing and to form Tweaker.[9] [10]

"On a lot of that tour, I don't even remember playing the shows," Reznor sighed in 1999. "I got off the bus after two years going, 'Who am I?' That tour was really about excess… We were all drug addicts and full-on party machines, and that was one of the factors that led to me being in a very depressed state at the end."[11]

Personnel

Warm-up leg

Typical set list

  1. "Pinion"
  2. "Terrible Lie"
  3. "Sin"
  4. "March of the Pigs"
  5. "Piggy"
  6. "Reptile"
  7. "Wish"
  8. "Ruiner"
  9. "Suck"
  10. "Happiness in Slavery"
  11. "The Only Time"
  12. "Get Down, Make Love"
  13. "Down in It"
  14. "Head Like a Hole"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
March 9, 1994 Los Angeles United States Probe (Helter Skelter)
March 10, 1994 San Francisco Temple (Oasis)
March 11, 1994 The Edge
March 14, 1994 Huntridge Theater
March 15, 1994
March 17, 1994 The Foxy
March 18, 1994
March 20, 1994 Buena Vista Theater
March 26, 1994 After Dark
March 27, 1994

North American & Europe leg

Reeling from the success of Pretty Hate Machine and Broken as well as the band's departure from TVT Records, the nearly immediate success of The Downward Spiral led to Nine Inch Nails playing larger venues. This debuted the band's new grungy and messy image in which band members would often come out in ragged clothes slathered in corn starch. They would often destroy their instruments at the end of concerts, attack each other, and stage-dive into the crowd. This led to Nine Inch Nails's notoriety as a live act. The shows often consisted of songs from Pretty Hate Machine, Broken, The Downward Spiral, as well as songs such as "Get Down Make Love" and "Dead Souls", which were formerly staples of their live show.[1]

Typical set list

  1. "Pinion"
  2. "Terrible Lie"
  3. "Sin"
  4. "March of the Pigs"
  5. "Something I Can Never Have"
  6. "Closer"
  7. "Reptile"
  8. "Wish"
  9. "Suck"
  10. "The Only Time"
  11. "Get Down, Make Love"
  12. "Down in It"
  13. "Big Man with a Gun"
  14. "Head Like a Hole"
  15. "Dead Souls"
  16. "Help Me I Am in Hell"
  17. "Happiness in Slavery"

Support act

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
April 19, 1994 United States Moore Theatre
April 20, 1994
April 21, 1994 La Luna Club
April 23, 1994 San Francisco The Warfield
April 24, 1994
April 26, 1994 Los Angeles Hollywood Palace
April 27, 1994
April 28, 1994
April 30, 1994 San Diego State University
May 1, 1994 Mesa Centennial
May 3, 1994 The Bomb Factory
May 4, 1994 International Ballroom
May 5, 1994 State Palace Theatre
May 7, 1994 Riviera Theatre
May 8, 1994 State Theatre
May 9, 1994 Agora Theater
May 11, 1994 Cyclorama Building
May 13, 1994 Webster Hall
May 14, 1994 New York City Roseland Ballroom
May 15, 1994 Tower Theater
May 18, 1994 Ireland SFX Center
May 20, 1994 United Kingdom Wolverhampton Civic Hall
May 21, 1994 Barrowlands
May 22, 1994 Manchester Academy
May 24, 1994 London London Forum
May 28, 1994 Belgium Vooruit
May 30, 1994 Paris France Le Bataclan
May 31, 1994 Netherlands Paradiso
June 2, 1994 Germany Live Music Hall
June 3, 1994 Huxley's
June 7, 1994 The Docks
June 8, 1994 Tor 3
June 9, 1994 Charterhalle
June 11, 1994 Austria Summer Arena
June 12, 1994 Lucerna Hall
June 15, 1994 Poland Spodek
June 16, 1994 Stadion Dziesięciolecia
July 29, 1994 United States Fox Theatre
July 30, 1994
August 3, 1994 Mid-Hudson Civic Center
August 6, 1994 Canada Molson Park
August 11, 1994 United States Patriot Center
August 13, 1994 Woodstock '94

North American leg #2

An incident occurred at the tour's Delta Center stop on October 18, 1994, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Manson was prohibited from performing after the venue owner took offense to Manson's merchandise which included a band t-shirt with the satirical message, "Warning: Heavy Metal Music contains satanic messages that will KILL GOD in your impressionable teenage minds. As a result, you will be convinced to KILL YOUR MOM AND DAD, and eventually, in all act of hopeless, suicidal, 'rock and roll' behaviour, you will KILL YOURSELF. Please, burn your records while there is still hope." During Nine Inch Nail's set, Reznor invited Manson on stage who ripped apart a Book of Mormon then threw it into the audience asking, "Do you let Him [God] run your lives?"[12] [13]

"You can't explain this to people who weren't around it," recalled Reznor of this leg of the tour. "It's not sane, but imagine the kind of people who came to that show, and they're all trying to outdo each other. Some of the guys in the (Jim Rose) Circus have horns and a tail, and one of the guys was trying to have trepanation performed on him in my studio: drilling a hole in the back of the head so the spinal fluid leaks out and you're high forever. That's the level it was getting to… I'm going to point the finger at Jim Rose. The first time I was ever around him, I was eating a light bulb, thinking, 'What am I doing?'"[14]

Typical set list

  1. "Pinion"
  2. "Mr. Self Destruct"
  3. "Sin"
  4. "March of the Pigs"
  5. "Piggy"
  6. "Reptile"
  7. "Gave Up
  8. "Happiness in Slavery"
  9. "Eraser"
  10. "Hurt"
  11. "The Downward Spiral"
  12. "Wish"
  13. "Suck"
  14. "The Only Time" or "Ruiner"
  15. "Down in It"
  16. "Head Like a Hole"
  17. "Dead Souls"
  18. "Closer"
  19. "I Do Not Want This"
  20. "Something I Can Never Have"

Support acts

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
August 27, 1994 United States Auditorium Theatre
August 29, 1994 Cleveland Nautica Stage
August 30, 1994
September 2, 1994 Detroit Pine Knob Amphitheater
September 3, 1994 Chicago UIC Pavilion
September 5, 1994 Roy Wilkins Auditorium
September 7, 1994 Riverside Theatre
September 10, 1994 Ball State Arena
September 11, 1994 Fox Theatre
September 13, 1994 Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym
September 14, 1994 Cook Convention Center
September 16, 1994 Abou Shrine Temple
September 17, 1994 Memorial Hall
September 19, 1994Omaha Civic Auditorium
September 24, 1994 Seattle Center Arena
September 27, 1994 Canada PNE Forum
September 30, 1994 United States ARCO Arena
October 1, 1994 San Jose State Auditorium
October 3, 1994 Los Angeles Universal Amphitheatre
October 4, 1994
October 6, 1994
October 7, 1994
October 10, 1994 San Diego Sports Arena
October 11, 1994 Veterans Memorial Coliseum
October 14, 1994 Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center
October 16, 1994 Thomas & Mack Center
October 18, 1994 Delta Center
October 20, 1994 McNichols Arena
October 26, 1994 State Fair Coliseum
October 28, 1994 Frank Erwin Center
October 29, 1994 Dallas State Fair Park Coliseum
October 31, 1994 The Summit
November 2, 1994 Lloyd Noble Center
November 3, 1994Expo Square Pavilion
November 5, 1994S.Illinois University Arena
November 6, 1994 Carver–Hawkeye Arena
November 8, 1994 Dane County Coliseum
November 9, 1994 UIUC Assembly Hall
November 12, 1994 Louisville Gardens
November 13, 1994 Convention Centre
November 18, 1994 Jacksonville Coliseum
November 20, 1994 Miami Arena
November 21, 1994 Expo Hall
November 23, 1994 Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
November 25, 1994 Hampton Coliseum
November 28, 1994 Civic Arena
November 29, 1994 Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
December 1, 1994 Canada Maple Leaf Gardens
December 3, 1994 United States Boston Garden
December 4, 1994 Knickerbocker Arena
December 6, 1994 Baltimore Arena
December 7, 1994 New York City Madison Square Garden
December 8, 1994
December 9, 1994
December 11, 1994CoreStates Spectrum
December 28, 1994 Cleveland The Odeon
December 29, 1994 Hara Arena
December 31, 1994 The Palace of Auburn Hills
January 3, 1995 Canada Theatre Du Forum
January 5, 1995 United States The Centrum
January 6, 1995 New York City Nassau Coliseum
January 8, 1995 Cleveland CSU Convocation Center
January 9, 1995
January 12, 1995 Wings Stadium
January 13, 1995 Toledo Sports Arena
January 15, 1995 Chicago Rosemont Horizon
January 16, 1995
January 18, 1995 Milwaukee MECCA Arena
January 21, 1995 State Fair Coliseum
January 22, 1995 Roberts Arena
January 24, 1995 Atlanta The Omni
January 25, 1995 Carolina Coliseum
January 27, 1995 Amway Arena
January 30, 1995 Murphy Center
January 31, 1995 Barton Coliseum
February 4, 1995 Target Center
February 5, 1995 La Crosse Center
February 7, 1995 Sioux Falls Center
February 8, 1995 Kansas Expo Center
February 11, 1995 Dallas State Fair Park Coliseum
February 13, 1995 Omaha Omaha Civic Auditorium
February 14, 1995 St. Louis Kiel Center
February 18, 1995 New Orleans UNO Lakefront Arena

Oceania leg

The leg was a part of the Alternative Nation Festival.

Typical set list

  1. "Pinion"
  2. "Mr. Self Destruct"
  3. "Sin"
  4. "March of the Pigs"
  5. "Piggy"
  6. "Closer"
  7. "Reptile"
  8. "Gave Up
  9. "Wish"
  10. "Dead Souls"
  11. "Help Me I Am in Hell"
  12. "Happiness in Slavery"
  13. "Head Like a Hole"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
April 13, 1995 Australia Chandler Sports Complex
April 15, 1995 Eastern Creek Raceway
April 16, 1995 Olympic Park

Dissonance leg

The band co-headlined with David Bowie on the North American leg on Bowie's Outside Tour in 1995.

Typical set list

  1. "Terrible Lie"
  2. "March of the Pigs"
  3. "The Becoming"
  4. "Sanctified"
  5. "Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)"
  6. "Burn"
  7. "Closer" or "Closer To God"
  8. "Wish"
  9. "Gave Up"
  10. "Down in It"
  11. "Eraser" (Instrumental version)

Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie:

  1. "Subterraneans"
  2. "Scary Monsters"
  3. "Reptile"
  4. "Hallo Spaceboy"
  5. "Hurt"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
September 14, 1995 United States Meadows Music Theatre
September 16, 1995 Great Woods Arts Center
September 17, 1995 Hersheypark Stadium
September 20, 1995 Toronto Canada SkyDome
September 22, 1995 United States Blockbuster Center
September 23, 1995 Star Lake Amphitheater
September 27, 1995 Meadowlands Arena
September 28, 1995
September 30, 1995 Blossom Music Center
October 1, 1995 New World Music Theatre
October 3, 1995 The Palace of Auburn Hills
October 4, 1995 Columbus Polaris Amphitheater
October 5, 1995 Nissan Pavilion
October 7, 1995 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
October 9, 1995 Atlanta Lakewood Amphitheatre
October 11, 1995 Riverport Amphitheatre
October 13, 1995 Dallas Starplex Amphitheatre
October 14, 1995 Austin South Park Meadows
October 16, 1995 Denver McNichols Sports Arena
October 18, 1995 Desert Sky Pavilion
October 19, 1995 Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center
October 21, 1995 Shoreline Amphitheatre
October 24, 1995 Tacoma Dome
October 25, 1995 The Rose Garden
October 28, 1995 Great Western Forum
October 29, 1995

North American club leg

Typical set list

  1. "Head Like a Hole"
  2. "Terrible Lie"
  3. "Mr. Self Destruct"
  4. "March of the Pigs"
  5. "Something I Can Never Have"
  6. "Reptile"
  7. "Suck"
  8. "Get Down, Make Love"
  9. "Piggy"
  10. "Closer"
  11. "Down in It"
  12. "Wish"
  13. "Gave Up"
  14. "Happiness in Slavery"
  15. "Sanctified"
  16. "Dead Souls"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
November 4, 1995 Houston United States Numbers
November 6, 1995 New Orleans House of Blues
November 10, 1995 Bayfront Auditorium
November 11, 1995 Jannus Landing
November 12, 1995 Orlando The Edge
November 13, 1995 The Edge
November 15, 1995 Glam Slam
November 27, 1995 Cantina Santa Fe

Nights of Nothing leg

Nights of Nothing was an industry showcase organized by Reznor of his vanity label, Nothing Records', talent roster. It ran from August 30, 1996, to September 8, 1996, and spanned three shows. The shows featured performances by his band, Meat Beat Manifesto, Marilyn Manson, Filter and other "special guests."[15] [16]

Marilyn Manson incident

Following the conclusion of the arduous recording sessions for Marilyn Manson's sophomore album Antichrist Superstar, acrimony between the band, Reznor, and Nothing Records was at its peak.[17] The band nevertheless grudgingly agreed to fulfill their contractual obligation to promote the record a little over a month prior to its release by performing on the second evening of Nights of Nothing, at the Irving Plaza on September 5, 1996.[15] While performing the final song of their five-song set, "1996", Manson picked up a weighted microphone stand and proceeded to smash the drumkit.[15] [18] Drummer Ginger Fish kept playing what remained of his disintegrating equipment until Manson accidentally struck him on the side of the head with the weighted base, sending him face first to the floor unconscious.[18] [19] Manson then walked offstage while the crowd looked on to see whether or not the drummer was alright.[18] [19] Fish managed to crawl a few inches before he collapsed and was carried away by road crew to the hospital.[18] [19] Fish's injury necessitated five stitches and a brief rumor spread the incident was a deliberate assault.[15] Fish later recounted that had he not turned his head at the last moment the stand would have hit him directly in the face and said of the incident, "we just get a little carried away sometimes."[19]

Typical set list

  1. "Terrible Lie"
  2. "March of the Pigs"
  3. "Sanctified"
  4. "Wish"
  5. "Suck"
  6. "Down in It"
  7. "Animal" (Prick cover)
  8. "Tough" (Prick cover)
  9. "R.S.V.P." (Pop Will Eat Itself cover, with Clint Mansell)
  10. "Wise Up! Sucker" (Pop Will Eat Itself cover, with Clint Mansell)
  11. "Head Like a Hole"
  12. "Something I Can Never Have"

Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
August 30, 1996 New Orleans United States Jimmy's
September 5, 1996 New York City Irving Plaza
September 8, 1996 Atlanta The Masquerade

Canceled dates

DateCityCountryVenue
March 31, 1994 Melbourne Australia The Palace
April 1, 1994
April 3, 1994 Heaven
April 5, 1994 ANU Refectory
April 6, 1994 Waves
April 7, 1994 Workers Club
April 9, 1994 Sydney Selinas
April 10, 1994 Brisbane The Roxy
April 12, 1994 New Zealand The Powerstation
May 10, 1994 Canada Palladium
June 6, 1994 Sweden Gino
February 2, 1995 United States Pershing Auditorium
February 10, 1995
February 13, 1995 Hearnes Center
February 16, 1995 Pensacola Civic Center

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Huxley, Martin. Nine Inch Nails: Self Destruct. September 1997. St. Martin's Press. 0-312-15612-X. registration.
  2. Feedback muddy from Woodstock PPV. https://web.archive.org/web/20110811221008/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-16319994.html . dead . August 11, 2011. Umstead. Thomas R.. Multichannel News. August 22, 1994. 15. 32. 3–4.
  3. News: Band's Hot Image Rooted In Woodstock '94 Mud. Graff. Gary. Detroit Free Press.
  4. The Pit: Nine Inch Nails. Guitar School. May 1995.
  5. Entertainment Weekly. Trent Reznor : The Entertainers. December 1994. Hajari. Nisid.
  6. Web site: Reznor's edge cuts NIN's bleak outlook. Chun. Gary. Honolulu Star-Bulletin. September 14, 2007. March 29, 2014. August 10, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110810213420/http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/09/14/features/story05.html. dead.
  7. News: Outside looking in. Christensen, Thor. The Dallas Morning News. October 13, 1995. March 29, 2008. fee required.
  8. Nailed! Trent's Posse Pound New York. Don. Kaye. Kerrang!. September 1996.
  9. Web site: Vrenna Leaves NIN Behind To Explore What's Uncertain. https://web.archive.org/web/20080124003542/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1448942/20010918/tweaker.jhtml. dead. January 24, 2008. 2008-02-08. MTV. September 18, 2001. Moss. Coret.
  10. Ramirez. Mike. Nothing is Temporary. Blue Divide Magazine. February 2001. 2. 1.
  11. Kerrang!. 1 July 2000. 15.
  12. Web site: Sori. Alexandra. A Brief History of Marilyn Manson Pissing Off Jesus Christ. Noisey. Vice Media. 2017-06-03. 2019-01-27 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190127122650/https://noisey.vice.com/en_au/article/ywzg7y/a-brief-history-of-marilyn-manson-pissing-off-jesus-christ . 2019-01-27.
  13. News: Maffly. Brian. 1997-01-09. 'Manson' Fans Will Keep Pressing Civil Suit Against State Fairpark; 'Manson' Fans Will Press Ahead With Suit. The Salt Lake Tribune. Huntsman Family Investments, LLC. Salt Lake City . 2019-02-06. D1.
  14. Paul. Elliott. Going Down…. Kerrang!. 25 September 1999. 15.
  15. Web site: Nine Inch Nails & Other Tales From CMJ. Kaufman. Gil. MTV. Viacom Media Networks. 1996-09-12. 2019-01-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190113102508/http://www.mtv.com/news/508222/nine-inch-nails-other-tales-from-cmj/ . 2019-01-13.
  16. Web site: About That NIN/ Filter Reconciliation. Kaufman. Gil. MTV. Viacom Media Networks. 1996-09-30. 2019-01-13 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190113123516/http://www.mtv.com/news/508322/about-that-nin-filter-reconciliation/ . 2019-01-13.
  17. Web site: Recording Antichrist Superstar A "Trying Experience" For Manson. Jackson. Alex. MTV. Viacom Media Networks. 1996-09-10. 2016-03-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160610103331/http://www.mtv.com/news/508213/recording-antichrist-superstar-a-trying-experience-for-manson/ . 2016-06-10.
  18. Micallef. Ken. 1996. Marilyn Manson's Ginger Fish. Pulse!. Sacramento, California. Tower Records (MTS Inc).
  19. Circus Magazine staff. 1996-12-01. Ginger Fish & Zim Zum. Circus. United States. Gerald Rothberg. 0009-7365.