Customer Reviews

Nine Inch Nails Live - Beside You in Time [HD DVD]

5 star:		(147)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Beside You in Time" is a live DVD compiling performances from the 2005-06 "With Teeth" arena shows. The performances showcase the current visceral Nine Inch Nails lineup, mostly focusing on the energy of the band members rather than effects and stage theatrics - this is a contrast from the "And All that Could have Been" DVD that chronicled 2001's Fragility tour. The addition of Aaron North on guitar and Josh Freese on drums make this the most immediately gratifying NIN lineup ever, i.e. most of the sounds that you hear are actually being generated by the five men on stage. North in particular puts on a one-man show of hyperactive fury while never losing his touch with the guitar duties. The DVD presentation purposefully adds very little to the performance, opting to let the intensity speak for itself. It's a very worthwhile chronicle of a Nine Inch Nails tour that was both familiar and also subtly unique.

PERFORMANCE - 5 stars

Reznor's voice immediately stands out as much improved over the Fragility tour; his newfound sobriety suits the performances very well. He holds sway over the crowd on both high-energy classics like "Wish" and "Gave Up" as well as heart-rending ballads such as "Hurt" and "Right Where It Belongs".

The backing band is arguably the strongest to ever bear the Nine Inch Nails name, primarily due to the addition of Aaron North on guitar. North struts, jumps, flails and kicks while never losing a single note of his licks. Jeordie White manages to finally make the bass line heard in a NIN live show, something that his predecessors never could do. Alessandro Cortini is a bit of a step down from Charlie Clouser; he quietly manages the samples and sequences while sometimes letting entire synth lines go unheard ("Only"). Josh Freese plays drums like he'd recorded the studio tracks himself, even though he was a mid-tour replacement. He displays a comfortable confidence with the material that allows him to put his own mark on the show with some unique fills.

The setlist is a great mix of new and old tracks, and even the oft-played ones get new treatment. For instance, "Closer" is mashed up with "The Only Time" to great effect. The middle portion of the show performed behind a projection curtain is mesmerizing; the visuals add a real haunting relevance to "Eraser" and "Right Where It Belongs" in particular. The complete setlist is:

01. love is not enough
02. you know what you are?
03. terrible lie
04. the line begins to blur
05. march of the pigs
06. something i can never have
07. closer
08. burn
09. gave up
10. eraser *
11. right where it belongs *
12. beside you in time *
13. with teeth
14. wish
15. only
16. the big come down
17. hurt
18. the hand that feeds
19. head like a hole

* includes options for alternate angle viewing

VIDEO - 5 stars

A word of caution - the picture is 5 stars provided that you take the time to use the "video optimizer" special feature. Otherwise, it will likely alternate between looking too dark and too washed out. Once set up for your TV's settings, the result is startlingly real, even in the standard-definition DVD format.

As was the case with "And All that Could have Been", there was an emphasis on cameras not interfering with the actualy shows. So, there aren't a whole lot of close-ups to enjoy. But overall, the camera work is solid in a documentary style.

One minor gripe is that each song is titled on-screen, which seems unnecessary for most fans and makes the production look a bit "made for TV".

AUDIO - 5 stars

The disc offers both a 5.1 and a DTS mix. Both sound very good, with fine separation. The mix of the performance itself is terrific, often distinguishing each performer's contribution to the sound even in the most chaotic passages ("You Know What You Are?").

EXTRAS - 4 stars

There are several tracks from the 2006 Summer amphitheatre tour, including ones that were specific to that leg, e.g. "Somewhat Damaged" and "Non-Entity". These performances were obviously relegated to the "Special Features" section because of the stage layout of that outdoor tour: the band performs sections of the show behind a metal fence/curtain that lights up. The effect is like a projected curtain from a distance, but shot from the close-up cameras, it simply looks like the band is obscured by scaffolding. The songs provided are:

01. somewhat damaged
02. closer
03. help me i am in hell
04. non-entity
05. only

The real treat here is the tour rehearsal footage. There are three tracks ("Love is Not Enough", "Every Day is Exactly the Same", and the elusive "The Collector") performed by the band in a warehouse in the round and the resulting footage is great. It looks to be the same setup used for the video for "The Hand That Feeds", including the final chapter of Jerome Dillon on drums.

Finally, the videos for "The Hand that Feeds" and "Only" (a clever piece by David Fincher) are included as well.

CONCLUSION

This is a must-have for any Nine Inch Nails fan. It's also a great introduction to the band for anyone interested in their future direction. The "With Teeth" material is perfectly suited to this lineup and the resulting show is definitely worthy of being chronicled. The picture and sound are very good and the extras just add more substance to the complete package.

I saw this at the preview party that was held in Los Angeles and the quality is great. I can't vouch for the extras, alternate camera angles, etc. But the video and especially audio mix are nothing less than you would expect from a NIN product. I personally saw this tour on 4 separate dates and can honestly say that this reproduction is right on with the live experience.

If you are a NIN fan you already know you need this, but for everyone else that is just curious I advise you to take a look.

I've been going to concerts for over 35 years and the summer tour NIN show that I was able to attend was easily in my top five concert appearances of all time. The music, light show, showmanship and overall concert experience was amazing. I've seen many hall of fame acts (Zep, Stones, Who, Grateful Dead, Eagles etc etc.) live and this was truly exceptional stuff.

The setlist covers everything from "Pretty Hate Machine" through "With Teeth" (Head Like a Hole, Terrible Lie, Closer, Hurt, March of the Pigs, The Hand That Feeds, Wish, Only, The Big Come Down, Beside You in Time etc. etc.). My only wish is there were more from "The Fragile" on it (the show I saw had Into the Void, Somewhat Damaged and La Mer played). The setlist is outstanding however. Additional footage from the summer portion of the tour are part of the extras along with photographic stills and rehearsal footage. Even the credits in the movie are interesting/cool. Three of the songs have alternate camera angles.

This is an amazing DVD. The sound and video in Blu-ray really are stunning. This is easily the best concert DVD I own and most closely recreates any concert experience I've ever had. It's wonderful, exciting, vital stuff and I highly recommend it.

If you are a fan of the band/Trent and own a Blu-ray player you are going to want this.

The new DVD, Beside You In Time [Halo_22] f'in rocks! It sounds incredible and was filmed amazingly with all different camera angles from right in front of Trent to the guitar to Alessandro pounding the keyboards to the crowd. It is very interesting watching the band play so close up. Trent's performance is intense and he looks good too! Hot leather pants and buff arms. The lights add so much to the experience. This DVD is going to be so intense on good av systems! I particularly like the views of the fans/crowd, it makes it feel like you're right there at the show. You can watch a new clip each week on the website until the release date. This is a must have-have for all NIN fans. It will be released on February 27th in the US. You can pre-order it here on Amazon.[...]

If you've seen 'And All That Could Have Been' then you'll feel right at home with NIN's latest video tour. I love that this has been released in high defintion and the image quality obviously stands out over that of the previous DVD. Along with the beautiful video, the sound is likewise great. I have found little to no complaints to be honest and I enjoy this HD-DVD very much.

That being said, this would be my only complaint. I think 'And All That Could Have Been' is a slightly better DVD. Perhaps it has something to do with the editing or it was the show itself, I'm not completely sure. I caught both halves of the With Teeth tour and based on what I saw, I would have to say it wasn't the actual show that I found less impressive.

Don't let my opinion detour you from checking out this HD-DVD. It is withuot a doubt a beautiful video/concert and worth every penny.

The first thing you'll notice when you pop in Beside You in Time, is Trent Reznor's new look and rejuvinated attitude. This shows throughout this excellent concert DVD, focusing mainly on Nine Inch Nails' last studio album "With Teeth". Beside You in Time captures Nine Inch Nails at their best live, steaming forward full speed as they blister through many "With Teeth" tracks along with old favorites and standards like "Closer", "Head Like a Hole", "Hurt", "Terrible Lie", and "Wish". The band sounds tighter and is more energetic than they have been in the past few years (while "And All That Could Have Been" was excellent, NIN shows much more energy, and dare I say it, passion, this time around) which is the best feature of everything on this surprisingly packed, and affordable, DVD. If there's any downside to "Beside You in Time", it's that some other songs would have been more than welcome on the set list (like "We're in This Together"), but for what you get here, that's only a minor gripe at best. The videos for "The Hand That Feeds" and "Only" are included here as well, nicely rounding out this spectacular disc. All in all, NIN fans already know that "Beside You in Time" is an absolute must own.

I saw the screening of this in Dallas last week and it is an amazing concert film. The picture is amazing (they were showing the Blu-Ray version on a PS3 connected to the theater's projector) and the sound is equally amazing. They did not show any of the extras or alternate angles so I'm looking forward to getting the disc and checking those out.

The performances and the crowd are frenetic and Trent sounds great on all of the songs. There is a great mix of old and new stuff; a great way to experience a NIN concert without really being there.

I finally got a chance to see NIN live last summer. This is almost the exact same setlist used at the show i saw minus an appearance by cato murphy, somewhat damaged, into the void and a couple others... this is surperior to their first live album in many ways. has all of the good tracks of the first.. minus the soso tracks plus more good ones.

Stand outs on this disc...

Gave up... a fantastic live number in which the intensity of the crowd cannot be simulated by a live dvd. 5/5.
Head Like a Hole... a classic. they do it awesome live. so much power but not as much power as...
Right Where it Belongs... i didnt really think much of this song listening to the studio version on with teeth. but they completely transform the song into an amazing work of art when the play it live. Combined with the projector and the genuine emotion trent put into his performance i think this song is the best one of the best on the disc. i had misty eyes watching this live.
Hurt..... piano version. I think it sounds way better than the all that could've been performance.

There is something here for any NIN fan. For long time fans you get classics like Something I can Never Have, Terrible Lie, Burn, wish, give up.... etc. and there is plenty of new stuff here as well off with teeth.

Great overall DVD. 5/5 easily.

After touring the world extensively in support of "With Teeth," Nine Inch Nails offers fans their third live release "Besides You in Time," (2007) showcasing and documenting the experience. In addition to Trent Reznor, the band for this tour consists of Jeordie White, (formally known as Twiggy Ramirez) (bass, guitars, synthesizers) Alessandro Cortini, (synthesizers, guitar) Aaron North (guitar) and Josh Freese (drums).

Simply put, this is an awesome DVD. The cinematography, the back-and-forth between the band and audience really captures the experience of being at a NIN show. The band's performance on this DVD lives up to NIN's reputation. The band is on fire, totally into it, totally giving it 100 percent, and the audience just eats it up, fueling Reznor and comp even more. The backdrops and props are very cool, and not overdone, but done just right.

I'm honestly not all that much into live concerts, generally, as I feel that the songs often sound thin, compared to the studio versions. Nine Inch Nails, however, is one band that I feel sounds just as good live, if not better, than they do on CD. A full back-up band performing Reznor's songs often adds an extra kick, an added punch. Aaron North makes slight improvisations, here and there, not too many, but enough to pepper the songs with an added flavor. This especially works well with the solo during the break in "With Teeth" the title song.

There's been some comparisons between this DVD and the "And all that Could Have Been" (2002) DVD, taken from the 2000 Fragility 2.0 tour. Honestly, I like them both, but I will give the edge to this DVD, simply because the track list is better. Some okay-but-not-great songs like "The Great Below" and "Starf.ckers Inc." kind of throw a wrench in the momentum of the "And all that Could Have Been" DVD. With "Beside You in Time," the show never loses steam. While it would have been cool if "Into the Void" from "The Fragile" (1999) had been included, the setlist here is superb. Nineteen tracks total (exluding those in the bonus feature), "Beside You In Time" is filled with nothing but NIN classics, both new and old, making this DVD of interest to both the hardcore and casual fan.

As if all that wasn't enough, this DVD has several special features. There are several rehearsal clips, videos of "The Hand that Feeds" and "Only", and additional concert footage from other shows. The haunting "Non Entity" which is not available on any other official release, is an added plus.

Very reasonably priced at under $20.00, this DVD is a must have for any fan.

I just went to a screening for the dvd and it is top notch. No kidding. I could not have hoped for better, even after being to 2 concerts of the With Teeth tour. Great camera angles throughout. Don't miss out on this great buy!