Nine Inch Nails
And All That Could Have Been. Live

THE REVIEW

I don't know if you've ever had the chance to see Nine Inch Nails live. They are a powerhouse, a pure expression of energy. Ready to explode when you least expect it, especially if they're playing in a small venue, which lends itself well to absorbing the shockwave of Reznor & Co.

A few years ago in Milan, they gave an unforgettable concert, with variations on the tracks and visual projections, all in an intimate, ideal setting. A few months later, they played at the Monza Rock Festival, and it was a disappointment. Almost as theatrical as Manson and no trace of improvisation.

Unfortunately, this live album is the result of the 2000 USA tour in those vast American venues, and inevitably it reminds me of the second concert mentioned above. Although the recording quality is good (perhaps the audience's frenzy is a bit too loud) and the band plays reasonably well, it really sounds like the studio albums (with the sole exception of the tracks from "Pretty Hate Machine," which are slightly revised).
The result is that the CD flows anonymously like any greatest hits album. It raises the suspicion of a work whose sole purpose is to sell, as happened two years ago with the release of "Things Falling Apart," an unworthy remix of that masterpiece "The Fragile."

The story changes for the limited edition double version, which offers a second unplugged CD with Trent's voice accompanied by just a few instruments, and at least proposes something original. For the rest, it’s nothing compared to the live bootleg "Children of the Night," recorded in 1995 during the tour with Bowie.