NIN 2009 Part 6 - Merriweather

Well all of you Hopsfans...this is Mrs Hops' sixth and final post. So unless Trent Reznor changes his mind and decides this tour isn't his last, I don't expect to be posting again here any time soon. I hope you all have been entertained!

If you haven't already, please check out parts 1-5 below for our backstage experience at Camden and our terrific show at Holmdel - Hops' home town amphitheater.

After the Holmdel show we hit the beach. As most of you know, we Hops folks are pale and fragile, so needless to say every inch of my body that wasn't covered in SPF 1000 was burned afterwards. Very, badly burned (like Will Ferrell in Austin Powers style).

Monday night we took a night off from NIN to go see TV on the Radio at the 9:30 Club. This is by far our favorite venue in DC and an awesome spot to catch show. While we waited in line to get into the venue, we saw Clarence Greenwood, aka Citizen Cope getting into his car. He is a local celebrity and musician we love. So the night was off to a good start. We watched the show with a couple we are close friends with, which is always fun. Afterwards, we hit the iconic DC restaurant Ben's Chili Bowl for a snack. And you thought Taco Bell was a bad idea before bed!

On Tuesday evening we headed up to Maryland for the final NIN show for us this tour, and since this is NIN's last tour, my final show ever! Again we had presale tickets. As we left for the show the sun was shining and all was well. However, as we approached the venue the skies suddenly darkened. As we parked in the lot we could hear NIN doing their soundcheck in the venue - they were playing Metal. As the skies quickly grew darker Hops joked that Trent Reznor had angered the weather gods. So we decided to wait out the weather in the car. It was a wise choice, as about a half an hour of major rain, lightening, hail and storms followed. In the pictures you can see the clouds rolling in, the rain through the skylight in the car (that lamppost had a "The Fray" flag attached to it, which we thought was hilarious), and Hops not looking to happy about the situation.

So once the rains rolled past, we decided to head to pick up our tickets and quickly got into the venue, skipping the normal line again and going through the presale line. Merriweather is a nice venue in a park-like setting. The whole design of the amphitheater is meant to assimilate with the surrounding natural scenery. The venue was actually designed back in the 60s by Frank Gehry who is better known now for his sculptural titanium facades (Rock and Roll Museum in Seattle, Bilbao Guggenheim to name a couple). Anyway, if you ever go there to see a show it is worth a walk around. There are several interesting sculptures throughout the grounds and most of the food and beer is way above typical amphitheater fare. In fact, I was able to find one vendor selling Stout! I attribute this to the fact that the venue is managed by a local company rather than Live Nation. In fact the management company is the same as the one that runs the 9:30 Club, where we saw TVOTR the night before. We learned this during the backstsage tour we had back in Camden, as they said it would be a different crew doing the Merriweather show since it isn't a Live Nation venue. We even saw our favorite pierced and inked 9:30 club stage guard working at the front of the pit, who we affectionately nicknamed "Mr. Brownstone" (a nickname he earned when we saw Velvet Revolver at the 9:30 Club a few years back). As we went to our seats I was very excited because we were in the first row, dead center, behind the pit. When standing, our feet were about at the same level of the shoulders of the people standing in the pit, which was about 20 feet deep. It was almost as if we were at the same level of the stage standing 20 feet away with no one in between us and the microphone. To pass the time before SSSC took the stage, Hops texted a message to some number that posts your texts on the big screens at the venue. It had something for Trent and something for me. Does this mean we get to have another wedding???













So SSSC took the stage and rocked it out as expected. This time we got a great video clip of their song Somewhere in the World Its Midnight. I would actually consider this to be one of their tamer songs. Unfortunately the audio is horrible, but you get the idea. Be sure to watch the end where Boots talks to the crowd. He is awesome. Have I mentioned before that you really must check them out?



After yet another great SSSC opener, we were ready for the main event. Which in my mind was NIN. Don't get me wrong, Jane's was great and I'm glad we watched their whole show in Holmdel, but we had already concluded that we would watch NIN tonight and leave afterwards. There were a couple of reasons for this: 1) I really wanted the last thing I saw at my last NIN show to be NIN, and 2) we both had work the next day. So needless to say from where we were sitting it really felt like a small, small club show. I often felt Trent was singing directly at me just because we were the first people in the row directly across from him above the pit (don't worry - I'm not delusional and don't actually think he was singing to me). It was just very cool to have such a unique perspective directly in front of and on the same level as the band. Plus Hops and I were dancing and jumping around like crazy people and not everyone in the front row was as animated as us. So I know they must have at least noticed us! Trent was very intense during the show - there was no talking and no band intro. It was a great mix of hard and slow songs and both some of mine and Hops' favorites were included. The highlight for me was seeing The Becoming live. Trent hadn't been playing this since the 90s before this tour and it was my first and only time getting to hear it live.



























Here is a partial video of The Becoming. Yes, that is me screaming at the first note (Hops says that I am to NIN what his buddy Boaz is to Phish). And Hops was kind enough to pan over to me towards the end so you can see what I call "dancing" to NIN's music looks like. Unfortunately the camera was zoomed out at this point and it looks a lot further away than it actually was - the SSSC video and pictures are a little more accurate in that regard.



After the show, we were exhausted from the 5 day concert trek. But how can you pass up late night chili? We finished the night off with some jalapeno poppers and chili mac at Hard Times down the street from our house in Old Town before calling it a night.

Overall it was a great experience. Hops was a great sport to go to all the shows with me and I'm fortunate to get to see my favorite band several times on their last big tour - not to mention having gotten to meet them and go backstage. Thanks to all of you for reading these posts and sharing the experience with us!

Mrs - Hops - out.

NIN 2009 Part 5 - Holmdel

See the below posts for Parts 1-4 of this NIN series, which detail our amazing backstage experience at the show in Camden.

But now for the promised and I'm sure eagerly anticipated summation of our night in Holmdel NJ. But first, I must provide some road trip background.

After crashing at a hotel in Philly after the Camden show on Friday night, we woke early to drive out to Holmdel, which was about a 2 hour drive. We were exhausted from the prior night, but ready to enjoy the show from the front as pure spectators. Plus Hops was excited about returning to a venue that he frequented for shows when he was in highschool. Our only tactical error here was that we failed to reserve a hotel room in the Holmdel area until just a few days before the show. We ended up at a Best Western about 20 minutes south of the venue. In retrospect it was probably not as bad as we thought it was - it was fairly clean, convenient and inexpensive. However, we were both a little disturbed to find that the shower/whirlpool was located in the bedroom rather than the bath. Needless to say, we wore flipflops when we showered.

So once we checked into the hotel, we embarked upon the search for a liquor store to buy some beer. Two funny things about Jersey: 1) they won't let you pump your own gas & 2) you have to go to a liquor store to buy beer. So after driving around for about a half hour and with a little help from Hop's Google app on his BlackBerry we located a store and snagged some nice local microbrews for the lot from a brewery called River Horse - a stout for me and a wit for Hops. Then it was off to the venue. Upon arriving we had no problems parking and picking up our presale tickets. Unlike in Camden, the weather was gorgeous so we set up a couple of camper chairs in the shade under some trees by our car and ate some sandwiches we had picked up before leaving Philly that morning (from DeBruno bros. specialty foods market - which you should check out next time you are in Philly if you like good food). The venue is unique because its a very park-like setting and was a perfect spot to enjoy a few cold ones before the show. The crowd was an interesting mix - most were blasting NIN, with a few Jane's and, not shockingly given we were in NJ, some Bruce. Hops was happy. Around 6:30 we decided to go into the venue. The picture to the right best describes the luxury that is being a presale ticket holder - you get to go in a separate entrance without the big line. The picture is from inside the venue looking back at all of the non-presale people waiting to get in. Ha-ha (simpson's style).


So once inside we checked out the merch again. I got a T-shirt, patch and a sticker. Then we headed for the seats. Holmdel is a nice venue for us because they have permanent seats where the pit would normally be. Since we are way too old and rickety to go into the pit, this is just about as close to the stage as we can get these days. With our presale tickets were were in the fourth row, on Justin's side. The other cool part about Holmdel is that the the actual structure is really sculptural. You can see this from the picture, it is looking back towards the lawn from our seats as the crowd is starting to roll in. Also pictured is Hops himself, doing some pose that apparently all his friends from his NJ days will get and find hilarious...

So SSSC was first up, and boy are they amazing. I mean really people, if you like Tom Morello's guitar (and how could you not?) then you really, really must check these guys out. That means you Phoofy! We struggled to get a good picture of these guys because Boots is always running around and Morello never stops moving. This is the best we could muster. This is a picture of me after their set - that is how good they are!



Next up was NIN. All I can say was that it was an amazing set. Probably the best of the three we saw this tour, although all have their highlights. I liked this set because it was pretty hard, very little slowing down. I actually got a stitch in my side from jumping around and dancing so much (I know, I'm old and out of shape!). But seriously, by the end of the set I was soaked with sweat and completely exhausted. I was particularly happy because we were on Justin's side and after meeting him the day before and being behind him backstage it was really nice to get to admire his showmanship. As much as I enjoyed Jeordie when he was touring with NIN, I just don't think he holds a candle to Justin. Justin is animated and really into the show - he is also great at feeding off the crowd's energy and giving it right back. Its nice when you feel like the guys on the stage can see how much you are enjoying the show and can give that back to you. I mean, we are working hard out there! Unfortunately we don't have many great pics of Justin, but I must say that he was a big highlight for me at this show. We do, however, have some really great pics of Trent. This one is one of my favorites from during Reptile, but you can find some of the other best ones at the link to the Flickr pics at the end of the post.

Here is a video that Hops took during the song Echoplex.



The other highlight of this show was catching Trent's water bottle. For those of you who haven't been to a NIN show, throughout the show the guys will throw plastic water bottles out to people in the pit area. Usually these are open so that the crowd gets sprayed with the water as it flys through the air. Aside from catching Trent's tambourine, getting a water bottle is a pretty cool souvenir. So when I saw Trent was getting ready to throw one I was jumping up and down. I must have looked exhausted (I was!) and he sent it our way. It was still half full and I proceeded to drink every last drop! Here is a picture of me with the bottle after the show. Hops keeps saying he might accidentally throw it away, which I keep explaining would clearly be grounds for divorce (no worries - I have it safely hidden away).

Jane's was up next. Although I'm not a huge fan, I really enjoyed the show. Perry Farrell is a great front man - very charismatic. And watching Dave Nevarro pick out which nasty chicks from the audience was pretty funny. Seriously, these girls would fight their way up to the front of the aisle to our left and start dancing and doing other things that I will not mention here because this blog is PG, all in efforts to get Dave's attention. He would point and nod at the ones he liked. Towards the end of the show when Perry went to introduce the rest of the band, Dave was almost too busy consulting with his guitar tech on which girls he liked to actually do his wave to the rest of the crowd when his name was called out. It was hilarious. After the show, all those girls stayed at the front of our section waiting for that guitar tech to come back out and let them know which ones were getting backstage. I felt bad for the guitar tech. The following is a picture of the look that Dave gives the lucky ladies in the running to be selected. Please do me a personal favor and double click on this one so you can really see it up close and personal. its priceless.

After the show we hit Taco Bell (why does that always sound like such a good idea after midnight?) and crashed at the hotel after showering in flip flops. The next morning we headed east to the beach for a few hours of R&R and a quick lunch before hitting the road for the 4 hour drive back to DC. I wore my new shirt from the tour:



Next post -the last show of the tour. We almost get washed away in a ugly storm preshow, then get to have the best seats in the house....

Link to other pictures from this show on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39240928@N08/sets/72157619736842436/

NIN 2009 Part 4 - Backstage @ Camden

Now for the fourth and final installment for the Camden show (for Parts 1-3 see the posts below). This is the part where things really get crazy. After dinner, we were divided into two groups - one group that would get to watch the first half of NIN's set on stage and one group that would watch the second half. We really wanted to be in the first group so that we wouldn't have to miss much of the show, as the second group had to report backstage when they heard a certain song play so they were definitely going to miss a few songs. We made sure we were at the front of the line and got assigned to the first group so we were happy. We then went to our seats watch SSSC do their set. Our seats were good - fourth row behind the pit on Justin's side. Although we missed the first couple of songs but got to see most of it. They were awesome. Due to the cold temperatures and the rain you could actually see steam coming off of Tom Morello's head when he played. I tried to get some pics of this, but they really didn't come out too well.

After SSSC was finished we reported back to the room where we met the band and had dinner to get escorted to the stage. We were instructed not to touch anything as we could mess up the power or sound. We were also told that we were to stay in areas marked by orange tape on the ground. Our group was divided into people that would be on the left and those that would be on the right of the stage (we were on the right, Justin's side). This is where we got really lucky. I was first in the line for the people going to the right side of the stage, and we ended up being the first group to get escorted out there. This is key, as you will see in a minute. So there was a crew member who led us from the room through the venue, which was crowded, then through a "authorized personnel only" door, then down a hall. At the end of the hall was another door, and when we went through it we are on the back of the stage. It was totally pitch black and my eyes were having a really hard time adjusting to the sudden change. I just kept walking forward. Hops snapped a photo at this point which gives you a pretty good idea of what it was like - basically walking into darkness. If you look really hard, you can see the silhouette of Bill (the production guy who did the push-ups in Post 1) to the left of my head.

So I kept walking until all of a sudden in front of me I saw Robin. Justin was next to him and the were doing something to his guitar with a blue light. I just smiled really big and said "hi". They said "hi" back. Clearly we weren't supposed to back there yet until they were out on stage, but there we were. Then, out of the darkness comes Trent. He comes up to me and says "What you are witnessing is the beginning of a show". I could have died. I said something like "thanks", then Hops snapped a photo - with flash. Trent gave him a look like - why are you trying to blind me before I go on stage? Hops immediately apologized. Other people had at this point realized Trent was there and a couple of them tried to talk to him, but obviously he needed to get on the stage. So disappeared into the darkness. Then reappeared and said to me "Feel free to push up". So I followed he and the other guys out to the stage and stopped at the orange tape of the floor.

Here is the photo - a nice shot of Trent's elbow. You can see Justin behind Trent and Robin right in front. I was just off camera to the right.



So at this point, I really didn't have much of a view because a lot of the other people in our group were aggressively pushing up for the best spots and I'm really short. I was thinking this was going to stink if I couldn't see anything. Then there was a voice behind me - it was Keelie the nin.com rep - saying "no not here - go to your right, to you right!". I then realized we were supposed to actually walk behind the lights on the stage to get over to the right side where we were supposed to stand. I guess I was the first person to figure this out, so I just ran over to the other side and got the perfect position. It was awesome. I was still reeling from having that mini-conversation with Trent, and they were out there playing. Insanity.


The rest of the experience was basically watching the first 8 songs of the set. We were directly behind Justin, and also had good views of the guitar techs and drum tech so it was cool to see what they are up to during a show. We could see the entire crowd. We also saw all of the technical mishaps - a big one at the beginning of Burn which Trent was none too happy about. It was pretty cool. During one song Justin actually came back to us to ask us if we were having a good time. Duh! Of course - it was awesome! Its funny because I think some of the people were either too distracted by wanting to get pictures or felt like they couldn't move enough to really get into it, but I was jumping all over the place. The sound back stage is also weird - you can hear drums but not much guitar or vocals. Now I understand why they all have those packs with earpieces to hear themselves with. Hops took a ton of photos and a partial video too:



Eventually Keelie came back to tell us it was time to take off so the next group could get their chance. Leaving the stage was really disorienting because again it was really dark, you couldn't hear anyone very well, and there was smoke everywhere. I was so afraid I would trip over a wire and unplug something important. Afterwards, we made our way back to our seats where some crazy hippie fans of Jane's Addiction had decided to park themselves. After kicking them out of our seats, we enjoyed the rest of the set from there. Afterwards, one of the fans we had chatted with while waiting in line came over to say goodbye. He told me that he could see me on stage and that I was going crazy during the Big Come Down - which is absolutely true since it is one of my favorites. I thought that was a great way to end the night. Really, a remarkable experience that Hops and I will never forget!

My next post will be a quick summary of the show we went to the next night in Holmdel. We have some great pics to share as we had 4th row for that show. Plus, if you've ever wondered how Dave Nevarro decides which lovely young ladies from the audience he wants to hang out with after the show you'll want to read my next post...

For more pics of the backstage experience follow this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39240928@N08/sets/72157619450927786/

NIN 2009 Part 3 - Soundcheck @ Camden

So after the meet and greet, we were sent over the pit in front of the stage where we waited for the other groups to do their meet and greets so that the band could come out for the sound check. While we waited we chatted with some of the other fans and showed each other our pictures with the band. I almost accidentally deleted ours, after which I decided not to play with the camera anymore! This was the third time we got to see a NIN sound check (during the days of the Spiral fan club occasionally you would get in for a sound check before the show as one of the perks of membership). Still, every time it seems surreal to be in an arena or amphitheater when it is basically empty. Hops and I had a couple of pictures taken of the two of us – this one shows the empty venue behind us.

The first member of the band out for sound check was Justin. We were standing on the rail right in front of him. He came over and said something like “I hope you guys like the soundcheck…its actually pretty boring”. I think that is true for a normal soundcheck, but this was really more like a mini private show. Trent, Robin, and Ilan came out next and Trent said that since they were running behind (the soundcheck was supposed to start at 5:30 but by this time it was more like 6:00) and so they would only play a couple of songs. We got to hear The Good Soldier first, then Dead Souls. Dead Souls was particularly cool for Hops and I because the very first soundcheck we went to for NIN back in 2005 they also played that song. It is a favorite of mine - its a cover of the Joy Division song and was released with The Crow soundtrack. Here are a few pics from the soundcheck:

After soundcheck we were all hearded to another waiting area where we could finally sit down and take a load off while they opended the venue up to the presale ticket holders. We checked out the merchandise stand and chatted with some of the other fans. Once the presale folks were in the venue, we were escorted back to the room where we had met the band. There they had set up a catered dinner for the 60 of us. There were tables to sit at and of course the living room style seating with the shag rugs. The speakers were playing NIN's All that Could Have Been. Dinner was actually really tasty. In honor of Philly they had brought in cheesesteaks. There was also soda, chips, and salad. Here is a really fantastic photo of me eating a cheesesteak.

Next up, watching the show from backstage...

NIN 2009 Part 2 - Meeting the band @ Camden

Alright, now for the really fun stuff. So as I mentioned before, I had a ton of things with me to sign, which I had to narrow down to two items - one for me and one for Hops. I had ticket stubs, cd booklets, my original NIN Spiral (fanclub) membership card, and some special lithographs that were issued to Spiral members back in 2006. The lithos are the size of album covers, and were from various releases. I ended up choosing to go with two lithos - one for The Fragile, and one for Broken. I chose Broken because this was next major release after Pretty Hate Machine and represented a departure from syth style electronic music to more industrial and harder sound. The Fragile is probably my favorite NIN album (if I was forced to choose). Its really tight, impressive because it is a two disc release, and has a broad range including some of Trent's best instrumental stuff (at least prior to the release of Ghosts I-IV in 2008).

Once the band had arrived and was set up, we were led back to a large room where they had a table set up, which the band was sitting behind. There was music playing - but I didn't recognize it. One thing I did recognize...those white shag rugs! Across from the table they had these little sitting areas set up like in a living room. With the rugs and all the gray leather furniture. So at the table the order of the band was Robin, Justin, Trent, then Ilan. There was one couple ahead of me in line so I was the third person at the table. This was good because they were talkative and I think it forced me to stay at each band member's station longer than I would have otherwise. Not that I said much - I was way too nervous. In fact, Hops did most of the talking. Basically I would go to each guy, introduce myself and shake their hand. But Hops was all talkative with each guy. He asked Robin how he was feeling (he had been sick earlier in the tour) and advised him to get hand sanitizer. He talked to Justin about the traffic in NJ, which Justin described as "thick". Hops said that they like everything "thick" in Jersey...I'm not sure if Justin got the joke or not.

Then came Trent. I had planned on telling him how I had been listening to his music since I was in my early teens and how it has grown with me and how he is the one band that I have consistently admired. Instead I just introduced myself and just stood there while he signed my lithograph. To break the silence Trent said "So I want to thank you for donating to this cause" or something like that. So I said "Well I want to thank you for giving us this opportunity". He smiled and gave me back my lithograph. As I moved down the line to Illan, Hops said "What she is trying to say, but is too nervous, is that she has been listening to your music since before she could drive". This got a big laugh. Then Hops said "Its been with her from awkward adolescence..." and I finished his sentence with "...to an equally awkward adulthood". So I guess my original intent was in there somewhere. At least we got a laugh out of it.

Ilan was nice and I introduced myself and got his signature too. Then Hops decided to chime in with a comment about Pink Floyd being superior to Zepplin - "Floyd by day and Zepplin by night". I guess Ilan had been Twittering with Mariqueen (Trent's fiancee) debating which band was better and Hops felt he had to get his two cents in. Well of course Ilan, being a drummer, was favoring Zepplin in the debate. So he and Hops discussed this at length as the rest of the autograph line started to back up behind him. Eventually Leo, one of the crew members, tapped Hops and let him know he needed to move along!

After getting the signatures, we waited for the rest of the people in our group to go through the line. Then it was time for each person to get their photo with the band. Again, we had just one couple in front of us. I gave our camera to Leo, who was going to take the picture for us. When it was our turn I walked up and stood next to Robin, thinking that Hops and I would each go on one side of Trent. I told Robin that he was going to really make me look short. Then I looked to my left and Trent was over there with his arms out like - what you don't want to stand next to me? - so I asked him for a hug. He was kind enough to oblige me. So Hops ended up next to Robin - I think he made a joke that Robin was getting stuck with him. Here is the picture.

After that I thanked Trent again and Trent actually went out of his way to go over to Hops and shake his hand. Although I was a little disappointed that I hadn't handled myself better when we were at the autograph table I though the picture and hug were great, and I was on cloud nine.

Now, off to the soundcheck!

NIN 2009 Part 1- Preshow backstage @ Camden

Hello all you Hops fans. Mrs. Hops here. I'm commandeering the blog for the sake of documenting our NIN backstage experience for posterity. For the record - it was amazing. The band was thoughtful and everyone, including the crew and staff, really wanted us to have a unique and genuine experience.

So we are seeing 3 shows this tour - the first of which was in Camden and is the one for which we had backstage passes. We were told to be at the venue on Friday at 2:30. We we woke up bright and early for the drive up from DC. It was raining the whole time and we were fully prepared to have to spend hours in the wetness waiting to get into the venue. In order to provide some pre-show nourishment, we stopped at a Nathan's when we arrived in Camden. Can you imagine a better meal to start out your afternoon - especially when the nerves of meeting your long-time idol are already making your stomach churn? In any case, the poster did not disappoint.


Next it was over to the venue. It was around 12:30, and there were already people lined up, but most were there because they had GA seats in the pit and wanted to reserve good spots. We were thrilled that there was an overhang at the entrance so we were able to get reprieve from the pounding rain. We met some very cool fans while in line and generally had a nice time despite the cold and wetness. We also watched a truck unload several white shag rugs and gray leather furniture, which was weird. It will come up again later...
You know it is going to be a good show when the venue posts this sign at the entrances:

At 2:45 we were met by the very nice and perky Keelie (sp?) who was the nin.com representative. She was there to hand out presale tickets and gather the people with backstage passes to let us inside. We checked in with her and anxiously awaited the time when we would get to go in. At this point I was incredibly nervous. I had brought about ten different items that I thought I might like to get signed and still hadn't firmly decided on which to do (both Hops and I could get only one item signed). Not to mention the pressure over not knowing what to say to a man whose music you have admired for over 15 years. Hops was less nervous and was keeping me in good spirits. Here is a picture of him wearing his backstage pass.



So around 3:30 we were lead into the venue. Its unique because much of the vending is actually covered even though it is an amphitheater. So we were finally out of the rain. There were about 60 of us that had passes for backstage, and we were divided into groups of about 20. We were in the first group, so we had the shortest wait before getting the backstage tour. During the tour we got to meet the guys in the production office for NIN, Jane's Addiction, and Street Sweeper Social Club. They guy pictured here is Bill - he does the production for NIN and was there to answer any questions we had. He and the other guys in the office wanted to do push-ups with us, so of course I volunteered. Apparently during long days on the road this is how they keep their energy up. Anyway, I hadn't really thought through the whole push-ups in a short skirt scenario. Thankfully my tights were pretty dark- and Hops was kind enough to cut my backside out of the photo. That's me on the bottom right. Just look at that form! :-)





Next was a long walk down a hall past the dressing rooms for all of the bands. As we passed by the SSSC dressing room we looked in and Boots Riley (lead singer) was hanging out in there. Hops shouted "Boots" and Boots replied with a very chill "Alllright!". It was cool. At the end of the hall we went out the doors to see the loading dock were all the trucks with the equipment are located. At this point, I was pretty nervous because they didn't tell you where you were going before you got there, so each time they would open a door I thought Trent Reznor was going to be there. Very nerve wracking! Anyway, here is a shot of the loading dock truck with a picture of Mr. T on it. After this we returned to a holding area to wait for the band, which was apparently stuck in traffic.


Next post....meeting the band.

The Big Comedown

Mrs. Hops backstage at the Nine Inch Nails show.

One fan (who we met earlier) came up to us at set break and said "I could see you on the stage going NUTS during The Big Comedown". Here is that moment.

Many many more photos like the one below to come as Mrs. Hops will take over the blog.

All You Need Is Hops Episode 33: Superbad!

Back in the day I loved to make CD mixes. One of my most successful was called "Funk Soul Hops". Well consider this "Funk Soul Hops, Vol. II". This episode features some funky tracks that will get your funk motor going. Lots of blacksploitation, black power, 70's soul and fabulous funk. It will make you want to grow and afro and discover your innermost rhythm.
Download the show by right clicking here or use the links on the side of the screen. View the set list on the Hopscasts page though I always prefer you listen first.

Wedding Nostalgia

I was in Chicago Memorial Day weekend to celebrate my friend Brad's wedding. This Bob Dylan line was in my head all weekend:

"I can't help it
If you might think I'm odd,
If I say I'm not loving you for what you are
But for what you're not."

Such a beautiful concept. Bob apparently wrote it for Nico. Listen to her version and his:

I'll Keep It With Mine by Bob Dylan (mp3)
I'll Keep It With Mine by Nico (mp3)

Fortunately this song played no part in the weekend festivities:
The Groom's Still Waiting At The Alter by Bob Dylan (mp3)

Right Again

The other day my sister was in town and me, Mrs. Hops and my sister were out on a nice stroll through old town when we heard the classic track "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" originally written and recorded by Huey "Piano" Smith in 1957.

My sister and Mrs. Hops were singing the song throughout the day but kept getting the lyrics wrong. I heard :
"rocking mamas and the oogy woogy blues"
a few "rocking manana and boogy woogy boos"
and possibly a "rockin harmonica and doogie howser jews"

ok maybe it wasn't that bad but after I insisted that the song was indeed called Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu I got push back. Well I'm just proving a point that I was right. Enjoy:

"Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu" by Huey "Piano" Smith (mp3)

Happy Birthday Mrs. Hops

This one's for you:

"Thirty One Today" by Aimee Mann from @#%&*! Smilers (mp3)

Also check out a live version of Aimee performing that song and others from the new album for free at Daytrotter.com

All You Need Is Hops Episode 32: Hard Times

Episode 32 of All You Need Is Hops is the cure to your 401K blues. Economy got you down? Need a job? Looking for a bailout? Well Episode 32 is perfect for you. With a wide range of genres and songs spanning over 150 years this Hopscast has it all.

Download the show by right clicking here or use the links on the side of the screen. View the set list on the Hopscasts page though I always prefer you listen first.

Happy Passover Mix

Mrs. Hops' and I use a modern Seder plate.

Today is the first day of Passover so I wanted to put together a nice Passover mix for all of you. Then I realized I have WAY too many Passover songs. I should have dedicated an entire Hopscast to this topic, but I'm too lazy. Next year maybe I'll give one song for each of the ten plagues, plus include some Elijah songs as well. Also, I'm on the lookout for some good Golden Calf related tunes. That said you'll enjoy this mix.

Passover 2009 Play List:
1) "Pharaoh" by Richard Thompson from Amnesia (mp3)
"We're all working for the Pharaoh"
Buy here

2) "Go Down, Moses" by Louis Armstrong from Louie and the Good Book (mp3)
"Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt Land"
Buy here

3) "Moses" by Coldplay from Coldplay Live 2003 (mp3)
"Come on now, don't you want to see? This thing that's happening to me. Like Moses has power over sea"
Buy here

4) "Border Song" by Elton John from Elton John (mp3)
"Holy Moses I have been deceived"
Buy here

5) "Flies (The Plague of Flies)" from Brian Eno And Robert Wyatt from Plague Songs (mp3)
This was a collection of songs inspired by the Ten Plagues. Interesting and weird.
Buy here

6) "The Angel Of Death" by Hank Williams from Gold: Hank Williams (mp3)
"The Angel Of Death will come from the sky, and will claim your poor soul when the time comes to die."
Buy here

7) "The Black Angel's Death Song" by The Velvet Underground by The Velvet Underground & Nico (mp3)
"Choose to choose, choose to go"
Buy here

8) "Bloodhounds On My Trail" by The Black Angels from Passover (mp3)
Three Passover references (sorta) in one song. The escaping of the Jews with the Egyptian army hot on their trail, the Black Angel of Death (10th plague) and of course the album title.
Buy here

9) "O Mary Don't You Weep" by Bruce Springsteen from We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (mp3)
"Cheer up, sisters and don't you cry, There'll be good times bye and bye, Didn't Pharaoh's army get drownded? Oh, Mary, don't you weep"
Buy here

10) "Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run" by Sufjan Stevens from Illinoise (mp3)
The instrumental closer from this album.
Buy here

11) "Passover" by Joy Division from Closer (mp3)
"Left with a mark on the door, Is this the gift that I wanted to give?"
Buy here

12) "All The Wine" by The National from Alligator (mp3)
Did you know the Passover Seder requires that you drink four glasses of wine? That's the easiest way to convince people to come over for the dinner!
Buy here

Real Corporate Rock / Schlock

When I said that U2 is officially corporate rock this was NOT what I meant:

Hops Saves Gomez From Certain Disaster

If you haven't been following me on Twitter you have missed me saving the band Gomez from a certain mugging in Baltimore:

Gomez Twitter: Open heavy blackout curtains to reveal the roofs of Baltimore still reflecting the night's rain. Should I go back to sleep or investigate?about 4 hours ago from web

Hops: @gomeztheband Note to Gomez: "investigating" Baltimore is never a good idea.

Gomez Twitter: @Hopscast thanks for the heads up.about 1 hour ago from web in reply to Hopscast

Phew.... someone has to look out for these Englishmen when they cross the pond. Of course they are a rock band and might be into more seedy things than I am, but they have never seemed like the type to want to throw down.

Gomez have a new album coming out Tuesday. Buy it here or stream via myspace for the next few days

The Cell Phone Wave

What will they think of next.



I guess Coldplay posts aren't so rare. I'm loosing my street cred.

Matthew Ryan Side Project

Phish Summer 2009

Phish Summer 2009

Of course Phish would announce their tour with puffs of smoke

Dancing In The Dark

Its not the same without Courtney Cox dancing but this is still a good cover of Dancing In The Dark by Tegan and Sara - originally by Springsteen of course



Sadly Bruce wont let me embed the original but you can see it on You Tube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx05LgzpDdM

Once in a while I catch myself dancing like Bruce in the video ... trust me its not pretty.

Run Like Hell

My buddy Long Island Paul sent this my way. He said "Looks like 28 Days Later at the 2:45ish mark. Pretty neat video. Very Bono-ish."

No way Bono can run that far:



Added bonus hearing the announcer describe it as "off the hook" in a thick aussie accent. Say what you want about them - Coldplay put on a good show for their fans.