NIN & QOTSA @ Qantas Credit Union Arena, March 2014.

QOTSA & NIN

Qantas Credit Union Arena 06.03.14

This gig was kind of a big deal for me. Two of my favorite fucking bands in the world, co-headlining a national tour... and this was opening night. The bands decided to flip a coin each night to see who plays first - and on this particular evening it was Nine Inch Nails first up... and they do not disappoint. Reznor stalks the stage, all venom and rippling muscle, beneath a stripped down, yet still impressive ( although sometimes blinding ) light show. The back catalog stuff gets the biggest response from the crowd - but Trent is a beast onstage throughout - slathered in a slick layer of sweat by the second track of the night, seemingly feeding off the pulsating bass lines and screeching guitar. There is clearly nothing held back and by the end of their set, the audience is satiated - having already seen more than their money's worth.

After being hugely impressed by NIN, Queens of the Stone Age take the stage and do the unthinkable... they blow their co-headliner away.

The old and the new mesh beautifully and the setlist is nothing short of sublime. Josh Homme is pure rock n' roll swagger, effortless in his cocky yet entirely charming banter. The music is nothing short of fantastic, the live format opening up guitar solos and and improvisation within already chaotically structured tracks, it's fucking magic to behold.

Every female in the audience ( and a few of the dudes ) are left breathless and pregnant by Homme's bristling potency. The highlight of the night, came with the thunderous finale - A Song for the Dead which left no doubt that QOTSA had won this battle - but the war was indeed far from over...

For a proper review of the night by an actual music critic - http://themusic.com.au/reviews/reviews-live/2014/03/07/queens-of-the-stone-age-nine-inch-nails-qantas-credit-union-arena-andrew-mcdonald/

NIN SETLIST -