Chicago

Everyone together again in another airport, ready to leave for another show. Chicago - Pre-Sale GA and now signed up for Sound check Met & Greet. I was nervous. I've met TR before, taken pics with him and yet this is weird. I've never gotten on a plane and known! Thank god I wasn't doing it alone!

I was sleepy - I became Tornado in the airport and started to dream about Tornado whilst I was nodding off waiting for the plane.

What?

Hey, I was half asleep OK - I dream up my characters in such states, and that’s when I knew for sure there would be a new character named Tornado and that she would be an assassin who lived alone in the woods... So, we got on the plane.... I was already armed with the Tornado based playlist (I almost named the playlist Tornado, but went with Horse Shit instead). I drew her while we waited to take off...


Thomas. I kept thinking Orestes was on that playlist. It was based on the Proserpina Playlist - it was THOMAS. I wasn't ready for that. We landed, we found Jess, rented another car and drove to the hotel.


Our hotel was Out of Control! It was this crazy Euro Trash amazing dorm playing techno and was all Ikea-Scandinavian Fabulous we loved it!


No seriously, techno in the elevator. So of course we all danced and acted a fool.


They had mad dorm food! We so loved those Noodles.... It was the best Hotel ever!


This is a milestone. Everyone. Sleeping in on the day of the show. Amazing and wonderful. I had to take a picture. Beautiful.


Breakfast was so much fun then Jen got up and did her impersonation of Lukas walking up to meet Sawyer on the line - it was so funny I laughed so hard then I threw my head back and I hit it so hard it felt like I cracked my head on concrete!

It hurt really bad - then I put my hand on my head and it was bleeding! I cracked my head open! For real!


There was a lot of blood, this was only a little of it too..


Lukas and Jen were trying to stop the bleeding. I knew it was bad, because they kept saying it wasn't that bad and they got real quiet.... Later Jen said it was dripping down my head. Of course it was... So now I have like a massive head trauma and I have to go speak to Trent Reznor. Great. I was kinda out of it until about 4 that day too.


Look - I got to meet Trent Reznor with clotted blood in my hair. Nice. It was really funny. Only to Nails fans do these things happen. One time Jess nearly got taken out by a tractor-trailer you know so stuff just happens. It’s all part of the fun!


Ghosts 10. I wore it already but I like it. Its ok I washed it since the last show.


The Venue was on a beach! It was really pretty and we were all really happy. Of course it was kinda cold a little - but then what would a show be with out weird weather. In hindsight, Chicago was probably the best weather we had the whole tour but we digress...










Chicago Deep Dish!

I was even brave and had a weeeee little bit. Go me.


4:15 Everyone was getting nervous




Jen took more photos of my bloody cracked skull. It was hot.


"Make this easy, make this easy it's not as heavy as it seems, wrapped in metal, wrapped in Ivy painted in Mint Ice Cream!

Bouncing off of Clouds!"


We all met Trent! He was so nice!

He was SO nice. Not that I thought he wouldn't be, he's always been really nice in the past. I just wasn't prepared for how nice he was....


I said hi - he said all smiling and happy - "I know you!" He actually said - "I know you!" He was so sweet - he shook my hand signed my stuff we said a few things to each other, mostly my thanking him and all. He kept asking what’s going on, what’s new? And then he said, "And you have a great dress on so..." And I thanked him and he shook my hand and it was really a sweet thing.


Then we all went into Sound Check, Robin was all dressing like a Diva and TR was all "yeah I just rolled offa the bus..."






I like to Multitask and take still shots with one hand while I videotaped all of Sound Check with the other. Oh Nails fans and their cameras.


They didn't have enough time to do individual photos. It wasn't really a problem at all for me, seeing as Jen and I were doing VIP later and since I had one of me and you know who from back in Fragility days. But then we found out what they were going to do instead!!!

Massive Shock.

They took us on SACRED GROUND. The damn stage. So I walk there more afraid I think then when I met the band. To walk up there among their instruments and to feel those lights - just total out of body experience. I could not feel the ground at all. It was so humbling. Never expected that experience. I'm so grateful. And we have this funny High School-esque photo to prove we all did it! It's so cute!


This is another version of it that Daylin took!


Everyone waited for the show to start in the pit..


The sun came in at this amazing angle


We haven't talked about how cool the lighting rig is yet have we? It reminds me for some reason of brass guns on some ship somewhere... I donno...


The show stared.


I was IN the pit 1 or 2 heads back the whole time. Oh GOD I missed that! I hadn't realized it. I was like my first show on Fragility-only a lot less rough! I don't know why but there is something really sexy about being in the waves of the fucking pit. I can't describe it, but it feels - fucking perfect, especially during March of The Pics.


Piggy - We couldn't quite see everyone around me, but we knew. He'd come down to the middle of the pit. So we were just chilling, we weren't getting crushed by it, but you could see the crowd surge. Suddenly - we all felt this - but - no way! Trent came to us! Trent was right fucking in front of us, but - we weren't being crushed! I was always afraid of being crushed.... but it was nice. I was a little stunned at first, then I kinda timidly put my hand up. No one pushed my hand away - no one fought me - instead - Someone actually GUIDED my hand onto his wrist! I shit you not.

I don't believe it myself, but that’s how cool the people around me were. Who ever did that - was super awesome. So I held his wrist during Piggy along with all these cool people around me! I kept trying to free my other hand - finally the crowd surged again, my arm was up - I reached out. I kinda really didn't want to grab at him. I never really feel comfortable with the whole Piggy-grabbing thing. He's always been such a gentleman all the times I've met him. I can't see grabbing him, it just wouldn't feel right. But there I was - he was within my reach, so, what the heck, I reached out slightly and patted him a little on the shoulder a little. His jacket was so soft! Unreal. Wow. It was such a cute little surprise!

Seriously, I never knew that a leather jacket could be so soft...


Just about halfway through the show, I looked up and saw Jonathan and Daylin on the stage taking pics! See? There they are behind JMJ - Jonathan is on Video - Daylin is on the still cam in the green head wrap! Isn't this al so cool!?!?



This blew me away. The MOON! It came out behind the stage - just for I'm Afraid of Americans. TR and the moon. It does not get better - but then it did -


They went into THE most PERFECT Middle Setlist. Same style I always do on my playlists.

The Frail -
La Mer -
The Fragile -
Gone, Still -
The Way Out is Through!!!

Total Riot Playlist - I was so happy!!!! You have NO idea!

I would pick up my head as Gone, Still played - all the songs on the dream set - I could see the Stars and could I smell the Ocean. It was like a dream!


I would pick up my head as Gone, Still played - all the songs on the dream set - I could see the Stars and could I smell the Ocean. It was like a dream!


Hurt.


After the show. The moon. I got a really soft NIN Hoddie at Merch. I got The NIN Chicago Shirt at Merch.... We all went back to The Hotel and had Noodles. It was a good day!